Tybee Turtle Tour Takes Off

BY SAMANTHA CLAAR FOR THE TYBEE TURTLE TOUR

Tybee’s first public art project is underway! Five foot fiberglass Loggerhead turtles will be appearing around the island. They will be in various guises, colors, fabrics, paints and personalities. They’ll be fun and fantasy, laudable and laughable, quirky and dorky, sophisticated and serendipitous. Artists from Tybee, Savannah and across the nation are submitting their version/vision of Loggerhead Hi- Fashion on one foot turtle scale models. These scale models will be used to choose the artists for the large scale turtles.

The Tybee Arts Association chose the turtle logo as part of this island’s continuing commitment and efforts to safeguard the Loggerhead sea turtles and the salt marsh Diamondback Terrapins.

The turtle symbol is always associated with good, from the American Indians to the South Sea Islanders, Asia and Africa. The turtle reminds us we don’t have to be hares! Themed exhibits are a phenomenon begun by the ‘Chicago Cows.’ Columbia, SC did palm trees. San Diego, CA did trees. Florida cities have done Fish and Manatees. See how perfect the Turtle is for Tybee!!
The Tybee Turtle Tour (TTT) is designed to create a public art experience that blends our unique barrier island, turtle nesting environment, with a colorful and diverse art colony, plus an island populace that depends on visitors to keep our economy viable. The Tybee Arts Association chose a fun and island inclusive event that has a humorous base and an important message that is repeated for our visitors at every phase of this project...

 YOU CAN HELP SAVE TURTLES!

Education about our endangered sea turtles, salt marsh turtles, barrier island ecology, and the impact of humans for good and bad is woven into a fascinating tour of oversized fiberglass turtle sculptures that will be placed all over the island. Based on similar public art in other cities we can reasonably expect [many] visitors that come specifically to see the Tybee Turtles. This influx of tourists will be year round, not just summer people. People LIKE turtles. They are attracted to these slow moving gentle creatures and as they view the Turtle Tour they will be educated to the plight of the turtles here and the hope we extend of making them part of this island forever. Fifty percent of the Tour profits will go directly to marine science foundations/projects, including our Tybee Marine Science Center, which has requested that their proceeds go to their new building fund. Education is the key to saving our turtles, and the TIMSC needs more space to continue doing their wonderful job on Tybee.

The TTT kicked off Friday, Nov. 11^th, at Tybee City Hall with the unveiling of Sally Bostwick’s “Turtle Vision” masterpiece. Purchased by the City, this turtle will be permanently displayed at City Hall. The TTT will officially run through the end of the Loggerhead Nesting Season in 2007. During these two years, visitors will be viewing the turtle sculptures, acquiring paintings by the artist known as “T”, buying books about the turtle sculpture personalities (written by their mascot, Ms. T and including tons of fun facts known only to turtles), picking up souvenirs at area shops (like miniature models of the Tour Turtles and Ms. T) and eating lots of delicious, themed food at area restaurants... Like the Ms. T burger at Fannie’s (lots of sea lettuce and shrimp sauce) or the new drink at Sea Dawg’s, MerTurtle Divine. (She looked like a mermaid at the bar and a turtle the next morning)… recipe still in the development stage! When visitors leave they will take their impressions of Tybee and a new awareness of the importance of the sea turtles and marsh terrapins in the ecosystem of our world.

Make a commitment to be a part of the Tybee Turtle Tour. Be a part of the solutions we seek for our turtle neighbors. This isn’t a small project. It requires the vision and enthusiasm of an island to make things better, to attract the kind of people we llike to have visit, to work together on something important instead of looking for little things to diss each other on and spread rumors about. Legend says the turtle carries the world on her back. If she is still patient and trusting us to take care of her world, instead of shrugging us off, surely we can work together on our little section of paradise.

Be a turtle sponsor.

Full turtle, half turtle, how about a piece of a turtle? Turtle’s are sponsored by individuals or/and businesses through advertising budgets (two years worth for the bucks) or as charitable contributions for whomever you want to have the big bucks when these critters are auctioned at the end of the Tour. The sponsor chooses the artwork they like best from vetted submissions (or can choose their own artist and theme.) The completed turtle will be placed in the location of their choice and added to the “Turtle Map,” which gives locations, Turtle name, artist, sponsor and eco-information. One savvy out-of-town sponsor is betting on a splendid profit on her turtle based on the price performance of previous tours.

Give friends and little ones turtle eggs with their name on them as part of a Turtle Clutch. It will be your egg when the Tour ends and a loving gift now for someone you want to commemorate as a “Turtle Terrific Friend”. Children blessed with a turtle egg will receive a copy of Ms. T Visits Tybee,  the first in a series of children’s books about the Tybee Turtles and their friends. These books will be collectors’ items. Ms. T, our mascot, will autograph the book for your child. Adult recipients will receive a limited edition print of turtle hatchlings swimming out to sea by the artist, known as ‘T’. These signed, numbered, limited editions are already in hot demand. View the original paintings at www.TybeeTurtleTour.org. There will be an online auction as a permanent feature of the Tour and will include bidding opportunities for the one foot scale submissions prior to a live auction in 2007 and on the original works by the artist known as ‘T’. Stay tuned for the auction address in the next montsh as we continue to gear up for THE TYBEE TURTLE TOUR!

Reprinted by permission from

The Tybee News

December 2005

www.tybeenews.com