Anchored in Art

Freeport’s streets burst with color and history in the form of massive painted concrete anchors—each landmark telling a story. The Anchored in Freeport project transforms the city’s maritime symbol into a permanent public art installation. For a town shaped by timber shipping and quiet bay waters, the anchor feels like both memory and metaphor.

“The anchor is the symbol of our town,” says Tracy Louthain, chair of the Anchored in Freeport Committee. “It’s on our city logo. The early settlers built their lives around this port. The anchor connects our community through art, culture, and beauty.”

Each 4½-foot sculpture was handed to a local artist. Juan Francisco Adaro, known for his whimsical work depicting life on the coast, painted his anchor with scenes from his backyard—an alligator slicing through the bayou, pelicans in mid-flight across the bay.

Photos Courtesy of Cultural Arts Alliance

“I love living here where it’s small, easy to move around, and the people are friendly,” Adaro says. “This piece is for Freeport. It’s my home.”

Other anchors tie up in parks, along walking paths, and near community hubs. A QR code on each links to stories, bios, and an audio tour narrated by the artists themselves and curated by the Cultural Arts Alliance of Walton County.

“I moved to Freeport in 2008 and always thought the city had so much potential,” Louthain says. “This creative placemaking project not only brings pride to our fast-growing town. It unites us as a community through art produced here locally by people who live here.”

In Okaloosa County, a flock of 5-foot painted herons transforms sidewalks and public spaces. Known as The Heron Project, this initiative places towering birds in front of libraries, municipal buildings, and downtown squares. The herons, each uniquely styled by a local artist, honor the region’s wetlands. Some shimmer in metallic blues; others wear coats of vibrant flowers or abstract patterns. And each has a plaque with a QR code linking to the Okaloosa Public Arts web page where viewers can learn about the artists and get a map to all the herons.

Photo by Sean Murphy

Even practical tools are art in Okaloosa and Walton counties, thanks to a fishing line recycling program launched by the Choctawhatchee Basin Alliance. Along the waterfront, bins designed to collect discarded fishing line now double as canvases. Cormorants, mermaids, and sea turtles twist across their surfaces, hand-painted by local artists like Joan Vienot. What could have blended into the background now catches attention while quietly serving the bay.

In Panama City Beach, the SeeLife sculpture series introduces turtles, dolphins, and seahorses to sidewalks, boardwalks, parks, and storefronts. Brought to life by local artists, each fiberglass creature celebrates marine life and local identity. Some are wrapped in colorful mosaics; others burst with underwater scenes or pop-art flair.

Even utility boxes have become part of the artistic landscape in downtown Panama City. Wrapped in vinyl prints of local paintings, these everyday objects now feature ospreys in flight, blue herons wading through marsh grass, and coastal sunrises in hues of coral and gold.

Photos Courtesy of Cultural Arts Alliance

Finally, in Pensacola, a parade of pelicans claims the streets. The Pelicans in Paradise path includes dozens of statues—some adorned with historical flags or Navy garb, others as a tribute to indigenous peoples, mermaids, and even a Dolly Parton-inspired Dolly Pelican. Locals and tourists follow the trail using an interactive online Pelican Passport, snapping photos along the way.

Across the Emerald Coast, public art is more than ornament. It’s a way to connect place, people, and purpose. From the bright anchors of Freeport to the seaside creatures of Panama City Beach, these installations turn the everyday into the extraordinary and honor the rich history of our small towns along the Emerald Coast.