Art as Habitat
Fostering marine habitats and bolstering fishery populations
Currently, Gulf coastal waters off Walton County, FL are 95% barren sand flats. Deployment of sculpture as artificial reefs provide a source of biological replenishment and protective marine habitat where none exists. South Walton Artificial Reef Association (SWARA) aims to foster marine habitats and bolster fishery populations. Using sculpture with very strict materials guidelines, the Underwater Museum of Art has begun to rebuild the barren shore and has yearly, since 2018, had a positive influence on lives above and below the water’s surface.
Propeller In Motion By Marek Anthony
PROPELLER IN MOTION is a design by artist and contemporary custom furniture creator Marek Anthony who resides in Dallas, Texas via Madrid, Spain. “Propeller in Motion” is an abstraction of a moving ship’s propeller being swallowed into the sea bed. The sculpture is designed to be permeable to light, sea water and living things and is constructed from individual propeller-shaped concrete pieces mounted on a stainless steel central tubular support, capped with a stainless steel cone.
"The experience of swimming through the Underwater Museum, seeing all these amazing works of art and the thriving marine ecosystem they've become, is truly inspirational. But what's left the deepest impression is the collective passion, creativity, determination, and teamwork.” said SWARA President Walt Hartley.
Bee Grayt Katie Witherspoon
The collaboration endures even after the art becomes an integral component of the underwater ecosystem, supporting the flourishing of fish and coral alike.
The Seed and the Sea by Davide Galbiati
Galbiati’s goal at the UMA is to educate the public on the fragility of marine ecosystems and the importance of preserving the balance of marine life with all of its members. He uses the Seed metaphor to highlight Nature's power. The Seed, vital and transformative, spreads life and knowledge. The statue's surface fosters new life, becoming a symbol of renewal and protection.
Say
What actions does UMA have the power to inspire among audiences?
Who do you think benefits from the existence of underwater art museums, and in what ways?
After looking at other Underwater Museums, which would you visit and why?
Can you think of other artists that have created their work to benefit the world around them?
DO
Learn more about UMA
2023 Deployment
Every day, more and more wildlife habitat is lost to the spread of development. Give a little back by building your own humane backyard!
About UMA
In 2018, The Cultural Arts Alliance of Walton County (CAA) in partnership with South Walton Artificial Reef Association (SWARA) and with support from Visit South Walton, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Alys Foundation, and Visit Florida joined two of Walton County, Florida’s most beloved attractions – the arts and the Gulf of Mexico – with the introduction of The Underwater Museum of Art (UMA), North America’s first underwater permanent sculpture exhibit.
The UMA is the first presentation of the CAA’s Art In Public Spaces Program and augments SWARA’s mission of creating marine habitat and expanding fishery populations while providing enhanced creative, cultural, economic and educational opportunities for the benefit, education and enjoyment of residents, students and visitors in Walton County.
Currently, Gulf coastal waters off Walton County are 95% barren sand flats. Deployment of sculpture as artificial reefs provide a source of biological replenishment and protective marine habitat where none exists. The UMA was deployed with SWARA’s existing USACOA and FDEP permitted artificial reef project that includes nine nearshore reefs located within one nautical mile of the shore in 58-feet of water. A one-acre permit patch of seabed off Grayton Beach State Park has been dedicated to the CAA for the purpose of a permanent underwater sculpture exhibit.
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