Gullah/Geechee Artists CREATE Solutions to Marine Debris

By Hailey Murphy, S.C. Sea Grant Consortium.

Lyela Gadsden demonstrates the multifunctional art piece she created for the 2026 Gullah/Geechee CREATE showcases, entitled “Roseate Recycling Receptacle.” Photo credit: Hailey Murphy/S.C. Sea Grant Consortium.

“I’ve always been an advocate for recycling and conservation, but I never would have thought of turning discarded materials into art. Now, upcycling art is my favorite medium,” said Lyela Gadsden, a Charleston-based multimedia artist. 

Gadsden is one of 11 artists participating in the 2026 Gullah/Geechee Coastal Removal Engaging Artists Through the Environment (CREATE) program, a community action coalition focused on partnerships across Gullah/Geechee communities in South Carolina that led community-based cleanup efforts across the coast. Using debris and litter collected from the environment, these 11 artists created works that celebrate Gullah/Geechee culture, speak to their lived experiences, and educate the public about marine debris challenges and solutions.

Marine debris is defined by NOAA as “any persistent solid material that is manufactured or processed and directly or indirectly, intentionally, or unintentionally, disposed of or abandoned into the marine environment or the Great Lakes.”

In the South Carolina Lowcountry, communities have banded together to reduce plastic entering the environment and to clean up and repurpose existing debris. The Gullah/Geechee community has long been leading the charge on environmental issues, for whom our state’s natural resources are both currently and historically integral to their livelihood and culture. Seeing marine debris impacting wildlife, commercial fishing, tourism, and ecosystem health on Gullah/Geechee land across the state’s coastal regions, Queen Quet Marquetta L. Goodwine, Chieftess of the Gullah/Geechee Nation, connected with the Consortium with the initial plan for a collaborative art-focused approach to marine debris.

“Our community partners brought us a vision that dovetailed nicely with the Consortium’s focus areas of Healthy Coastal Ecosystems, Sustainable Coastal Economies, and Environmental Literacy,” said Matt Gorstein, Director of Extension for the Consortium. “We have really enjoyed collaborating with all of the artists and seeing the amazing creative directions in which they’ve gone with their pieces and the powerful stories associated with them.” 

Seven of the participating artists with Queen Quet on the steps of historic Darrah Hall at the Penn Center in St. Helena, S.C. From left to right: (Top) Teniqua Pope, Tina Tyler, Dan Keith Williams, Queen Quet, Priscilla Brockington, Dorneisha Batson, (Bottom) Lyela Gadsden, Inez Miller. Photo credit: Hailey Murphy/S.C. Sea Grant Consortium.

In 2023, the Consortium officially partnered with the Gullah/Geechee Nation, Gullah Geechee Chamber of Commerce, and the Gullah Preservation Society to initiate the Gullah/Geechee CREATE program to work with artists in South Carolina to upcycle marine debris into works of art, raise awareness of local cleanups and how to get involved, amplify organizations that work to preserve Gullah/Geechee cultural heritage, and share community science opportunities with the public.

Fast-forward to 2025, the first year of showcases, seven artists exhibited their marine debris creations and sparked a continuing conversation about artistic solutions to ecosystem issues. In 2026, all seven artists—and four more—returned for another round of upcycling and visual storytelling.

Teniqua Pope shares segments from her book series “Tenable” which used reclaimed materials, documents, and photographs to share the story of Pope’s family across generations. Photo credit: Hailey Murphy/S.C. Sea Grant Consortium.

The spring 2026 art showcases held in Conway, St. Helena, and Charleston were greeted by over 180 attendees. Art was displayed, stories were shared, community members voted, and local judges named three winners per showcase in the following categories:

• First Place – Conway: Dorneisha Batson.
• Second Place – Conway: Lyela Gadsden.
• Community Favorite – Conway: Priscilla Brockington.
• First Place – St. Helena Island: Lyela Gadsden.
• Second Place – St. Helena Island: Priscilla Brockington.
• Community Favorite – St. Helena Island: Dorneisha Batson.
• First Place – Charleston: Dorneisha Batson.
• Second Place – Charleston: Priscilla Brockington.
• Community Favorite – Charleston: Winnie Tataw and Dorneisha Batson.
• 2026 Coastwide People’s Choice: Priscilla Brockington.

The Gullah/Geechee CREATE project held meaning for each artist and attendee in different ways. For Priscilla Brockington, who received the most total community votes across the three showcases to win the Coastwide People’s Choice award for her sculpted piece titled “Sankofa Flight,” the impact of this project went deeper than cleaning up the environment. Brockington said the highlight of the experience was to “represent my ancestors by using my hands to create a piece reflective of our culture.”

Multiple award winner Dorneisha Batson, who has participated in the Gullah/Geechee CREATE program since 2025, said “This program has sparked a new passion in me to explore innovative ways to reimagine discarded materials and expand what I can create.”

Batson will soon be opening Golden Verge Art Collective on St. Helena Island where the impact of her art will be felt long into the future.

Dorneisha Batson with her piece, entitled “Beacon”, a life-size female figure made of scraps from discarded aluminum cans that have been woven together. Photo credit: Hailey Murphy/S.C. Sea Grant Consortium.

Dan Keith Williams, who joined the project in 2026, said, “Projects that explore marine debris and our relationship with the environment are very close to my heart, and I’m deeply interested in contributing my voice and creative practice to help raise awareness around this important issue.”

To do this, Williams has continued to create art focused on marine debris in the Lowcountry, developing one-of-a-kind prints “inspired by materials and debris collected from Lands End Beach in Beaufort,” in a series called Dis Ya Land.

More about each artist, including example images of their work, their stories, and ways to connect can be found in the 2025 or 2026 Coastal Art Showcase program booklets.

To learn more about the Gullah/Geechee CREATE program, contact Matt Gorstein, director for Development and Extension, at (843) 953-2084.