7 new sculptures join the Underwater Museum of Art

SANTA ROSA BEACH, Fla. ( WMBB ) — The Underwater Museum of Art (UMA) in Walton County continues to grow.

On Aug. 8, curators expanded the world-famous exhibit to a total of 47 unique sculptures from artists across the globe.

“It is the nation’s first permanent underwater sculpture exhibition. It’s a fantastic dive site, but also creates valuable habitat for marine fisheries,” said Walt Hartley, South Walton Artificial Reef Association (SWARA) President.

The 7 new sculptures made by local and foreign artists are unique and interactive.

“Poseidon’s throne is pretty awesome,” Hartley said. “It looks big going down, but then when you actually get down there and a diver sits in it, you realize how actually huge it is. And then another one by a local artist called Ring My Bell by Bradley Touchstone.  It has a bell that you can actually ring down there. Sounds a little different underwater than it did topside, but still really cool.”

After the 6th annual deployment, Hartley said the project was a success.

“It’s also really exciting to see as the years have gone on, how quickly the marine life jumps right in there. We had turtles, goliath groupers, and sharks like day of deployment, so really, really exciting to see,” Hartley said.

New for 2024, the groups found a way to connect all of the structures for easier navigation.

“You can anchor in a safe zone that’s away from the sculptures and then just kind of swim from one sculpture to the next,” Hartley said.

UMA is a partnership between the Cultural Arts Alliance(CAA) of Walton County and SWARA. Hartley said they will continue to expand the site for years to come.

The CAA will be announcing an artist submission process in the near future.

Learn more about UMA here.

Watch the full Livestream below:

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