Sunken Sculptures of the Emerald Coast

Cruising out toward the Destin Harbor, early morning sun rays peeked through patchy clouds amid a blue sky, hinting at a promising day. Our destination — the Underwater Museum of Art (UMA) located one mile off the shore of Grayton Beach State Park. 

It was deployment day, one of the most exciting days of the year for members of the Cultural Arts Alliance (CAA), the South Walton Artificial Reef Association (SWARA) and the winning artists whose sculptures will now find a home at the UMA. 

“My favorite aspect of the annual UMA deployment is witnessing the inspiring result of collaboration and creativity,” said CAA program director Courtney Malone. “It’s an honor to see how art is used to address environmental challenges and positively support the Gulf ecosystem.”

An annual event, the installation of new sculptures to the subaquatic museum is live-streamed each year for accessible viewership, but I was lucky enough to snag a spot on a spectator boat on Thursday, Aug. 8. 

Cultural Arts Alliance of Walton County staff members Katie Witherspoon, Courtney Malone, and Elise Gilbert. Photo by Paige Aigret

Since 2015, SWARA has facilitated the installation of approximately 700 artificial reef structures at 16 dive sites along the Walton County coastline to help encourage thriving habitats and create diving opportunities. 

With the hope to incorporate public art into SWARA’s already successful reef program, the CAA, Walton County’s official local arts agency, proposed the idea of partnership in 2018. Thus, the UMA was born, creating North America’s first underwater permanent sculpture exhibit. Today, following the 2024 installments, the museum houses 47 sculptures.

This year, seven artists were commissioned to create a unique addition to the museum for the sixth annual UMA deployment. New installations include Sunken Spores by Ashley Rivers, Sea How We Flow by Elise Gilbert, Bubbly Barnacles by Donna Conklin King, Deep Sea Three by Matthew Gemmell and David Showalter, Poseidon’s Throne by Nathan Hoffman, Reef Goddess by Raine Bedsole and Ring My Bell by Bradley Touchstone. 

“As a past UMA artist, I know there can always be an unknown when working on large-scale concrete art,” said CAA program manager Katie Witherspoon, one of eight artists selected for the UMA’s 2021 deployment. “So, I was happy to pass down all my trials and errors and just be there to listen or offer any advice.”

Fellow spectators on my boat included fellow Emerald Coast Magazine employee Erica Wilson, CAA staff members Witherspoon and Malone, winning sculpture artists Gilbert and Conklin King, and several other excited friends and family members. Two additional spectator boats took up posting nearby and a dive boat arrived to assess underwater conditions ahead of deployment. 

As a manned crane dropped each sculpture to the UMA’s 60-foot depth, we watched with excitement and a lot of cheering. 

“The feeling in that moment was indescribable and totally surreal,” Gilbert said. “All of the work from the past six months, challenges faced, lessons and experience gained, was solidified in that moment. I felt so proud.”

“Sea How We Flow” by Elise Gilbert being deployed from the barge carrying the sculptures. Photo by Paige Aigret

Gilbert, a Walton County local and CAA staff member, designed and created a sculpture set of yoga-inspired hands that resemble an ocean anemone. 

“Personally, this sculpture represents a period of significant change and uncertainty in my life as a young artist,” Gilbert said. “It reflects my journey of self-discovery and growth, supported by practices like meditation, prayer and art making, which help me find calm and connect with a higher power.”

“Bubbly Barnacles” by Donna Conklin King. Photo by Paige Aigret

Conklin King traveled from New Jersey to experience the moment her Bubbly Barnacles piece hit the Gulf waters. She plans on celebrating the artwork deployment in league with her and her husband’s wedding anniversary, staying several days after for some much-deserved vacation time. 

Each year, the CAA issues a call to artists and receives proposals from across the country. This year, more than 250 applicants applied for selection. Due to logistic constraints involved in the sculpture deployments, only about seven or eight proposals are annually accepted.

Artists are permitted creative freedom in theme and design, though some direction is given to ensure sustainable habitat and safety for wildlife, like requiring that any space a sea turtle can enter must be wide enough for it to exit. After completion, a limestone base is added to all sculptures to ensure stability and attract wildlife. 

Malone noted that the CAA has plans to bring the UMA to shore with several replica sculptures to be displayed in Walton County. 

“I would like to see the ripple effect of UMA continue to touch lives,” she said, “above and below sea level.”