Surfaced Art

Project Partners: Clean Up The Lake, Building 180, Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority, Tahoe Blue Vodka

Funds Granted: $50,000 

What happens to litter once it’s been removed from Lake Tahoe? Over the past year, scuba divers from Clean Up The Lake removed over 25,000 pounds of trash from all 72-miles of the lake’s shoreline.  They recovered plastic bottles, “no littering” signs, Nikon cameras, lost wallets, sunglasses, telephones, engagement rings, and much more.  

In an effort to promote environmental stewardship, the Tahoe Fund, with support of Tahoe Blue Vodka, commissioned artists to create “Surfaced,” a permanent art installation made from the litter removed from the lake. Internationally recognized artists Joel Dean Stockdill and Yustina Salnikova by Building 180 are producing this art piece, which will be placed at the Tahoe South Events Center as a reminder of the importance of preserving the lake’s breathtaking clarity and ecosystem. 

The public cast over 1,200 votes to select which endangered animal form the sculpture would take, with a Bald Eagle clutching a Lahontan Cutthroat Trout as the winner.  These two animals show the interconnectedness of different species that would not thrive withouta clean and healthy lake. Even though the Sierra Nevada Red Fox came in a close second place, they are also vital in the Tahoe region and are classified as one of the most endangered species in North America.