Entry No. 25 — the Santa Fe file — filed under: outdoor

Ethyl the Whale

An 82-foot life-size blue whale built from hand-recycled plastic trash by Meow Wolf artists Joel Dean Stockdill and Yustina Salnikova, permanently installed at Santa Fe Community College. Meow Wolf purchased it and had it moved from San Francisco to Santa Fe, unveiling it on Earth Day, April 22, 2019.

The move: Drive the SFCC campus loop at dusk to see Ethyl illuminated, walk her full 82-foot length, then read the placards on what a lifetime of one person's plastic waste actually looks like assembled into an animal.

📍 Santa Fe Community College campus
💸 $$
⚡ Up for anything
🌗 Indoors

Where: 6401 Richards Ave, Santa Fe, NM 87508

Hours: Added 2026-07-20 — confirm current hours before you go.

#sculpture #recycled art #public art #free #night visit

Plan a visit & invite your people →

Further reading: sfcc.edu · Atlas Obscura

last checked: 2026-07-20