The Cultural Arts Alliance of Walton County (CAA) and South Walton Artificial Reef Association (SWARA) recently revealed the sculpture designs selected by jury for permanent exhibition in the third installation of the Underwater Museum of Art (UMA).
Named in 2018 by TIME Magazine as one of 100 “World’s Greatest Places,” the UMA is presented as part of 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 South Walton.
The 2020 installation will join the seventeen sculptures previously deployed on a one-acre permit patch of seabed off Grayton Beach State Park, further expanding the nation’s first permanent underwater museum.
Deployment of the 2020 UMA installation is slated for Summer.
El Plastico
Amongst the sculptures that will be deployed this year is El Plastico by artist George Sabra. El Plastico replicates a 2-liter cola bottle and is constructed of environmentally cast concrete. The 10-feet tall structure is installed on its side on a base of large rocks as part of the artistic design.
The 30A Company signed on as the sponsor of El Plastico and its mission to raise awareness of ocean pollution.
Bee Grayt by Katie Witherspoon (Santa Rosa Beach, FL), Building Blocks by Zachary Long (Oklahoma City, OK), Dawn Dancers by Shohini Ghosh (Highlands Ranch, CO), Eco-Bug by Priscila D’Brito (Boca Raton, FL), From The Depths by Kirk Seese (Lutherville, MD), Hope by Jonathan Burger (New Bern, NC) and Three Wishes by Marisol Rendón and Ingram Ober (San Diego, CA).
With support from the Alys Foundation, Visit South Walton, Visit Florida, and the State of Florida Division of Cultural Affairs, UMA sculptures are deployed with SWARA’s existing artificial reef projects that include nine nearshore reefs located within one nautical mile of the shore in approximately 57 feet of water.
Photos by: Spring Run Media
