Rebecca McGee Tuck ocean activism along the new england coastline

photos and text by Allie Ruden

Rebecca McGee Tuck is a sculpture and fiber artist based in New England who works with discarded ocean materials. Tuck’s work revolves around ocean activism, as her sculptures and works of art highlight the complex relationship between humans, waste, and the environment.

Tuck’s current project, “Along the Wrack-Line,” began as Tuck walked along the beach in her home at Humarock Beach in Marshfield, Massachusetts, and began picking up debris along the coastline. It started as a meditative experience during the COVID-19 pandemic, then it transformed into the main focus of her artistic energy.

“I've always grown up near the ocean, so it's just a big part of my life,” Tuck said. “During the beginning of the pandemic, when we were all stuck at home, it became like an escape, where we would go every single day to any beach, and just walk. I just would walk on the beach and start picking up things.”

On a single walk, Tuck finds an array of discarded materials. Tuck collects bullet casings, balloons, fishing line, cans, beach toys, and even shoes and clothes. The type of materials ranges, but when Tuck collects, she always returns with a bag full of debris.

“I had always been an artist in a different way, like crafting and things like that,” Tuck said. “But using these materials actually transformed me into an activist.”

In addition to art, workshops, and gathering materials, Tuck has also attended legislative sessions and gone to Coastal Recreation Hill Day in Washington, D.C., to speak with local representatives about environmental issues and sustainability, for example, a plastic bag ban.

Tuck’s work is often solo, as she walks and crafts by herself; she also uses her art as a way to connect with others through shared ocean advocacy. She has done beach walks with the Center for Coastal Studies and the Surfrider Foundation.

Marine Debris and Plastics Program Director Laura Ludwig worked closely with Tuck on a lobster trap gathering project on Cuttyhunk Island and has had a close relationship with many environmental artists working to promote environmental awareness in New England.

“I purposely invite artists to join me on these things because they just have this unique ability to see something where others may not,” Ludwig said. “Then they use the materials they bring home with them. They make beautiful things and tell a story with them. It's a way of translating data and translating impacts.”

Tuck often runs workshops and gives talks about environmental activism around New England. She is also working on her MFA program at Clark University and continues to craft unique, discarded materials into environmentally-conscious works of art.