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Cultural Arts Alliance of Walton
County and South Walton
Artifi cial Reef Association Reveal
Seven Designs Selected For First
Underwater Museum Of Art
Installation
The Cultural Arts Alliance of Walton
County(CAA) and South Walton Artifi cial
Reef Association (SWARA) are proud to
reveal the seven sculpture designs selected
by jury for permanent exhibition in the fi rst
installation of the Underwater Museum of
Art (UMA).
The 2018 Spring/Summer installation will
include the following sculpture: “Propeller in
Motion” by Marek Anthony, “Self Portrait”
by Justin Gaffrey, “The Grayt Pineapple”
by Rachel Herring, “JYC’s Dream” by
Kevin Reilly in collaboration with students
from South Walton Montessori School,
“SWARA Skull” by Vince Tatum, “Concrete
Rope Reef Spheres” by Evelyn Tickle, and
“Anamorphous Octopus” by Allison Wickey.
UMA is presented as part of CAA’s Art
In Public Spaces Program and will augment
SWARA’s mission of creating marine
habitat and expanding fi shery populations
while providing enhanced creative, cultural,
economic and educational opportunities
for the benefi t, education and enjoyment
of residents, students and visitors in South
Walton.
With support from the National
Endowment for the Arts, Visit Florida
and the Alys Foundation, UMA will be
deployed with SWARA’s existing USACOA
and FDEP permitted artifi cial reef project
that includes nine nearshore reefs located
within one nautical mile of the shore in
approximately 50-60 feet of water. A one-acre
permit patch of seabed off Grayton Beach
State Park has been dedicated for UMA, the
nation’s fi rst permanent underwater museum,
which will be installed in the late spring or
early summer of 2018.
Membership information, grant and
scholarship applications, and more can be
found at Culturalartsalliance.com.
Mattie the Giraffe mural graces
wall at Destin Commons
Local artist Andrea “Andi” Scurto just
completed the ninth mural as part of an
extensive, ongoing collection or wall art at
Destin Commons located adjacent to the
Center Plaza Playground.
Scurto’s work is entitled “Mattie in the
Sky with Birds”, one of many scenes Andi
has developed for Mattie the Giraffe and her
whimsical adventures. Mattie the Giraffe
fi rst became popular in the area after Andi
won the poster art competition with her
character for the Mattie Kelly Arts Festival in
2015. She hopes to one day create a children’s
book based on the adventures of Mattie as
inspiration from her other scenes.
Andi Scurto, a resident of Destin, FL, is
an award-winning artist recognized for her
imaginatively colorful illustrations and life-
like portraits. A true creative, she is rarely
lacking in inspiration - “I’m continually
amazed by the loveliness of this planet and her
expanding universe…I’ve got a cornucopia of
art ideas I’m waiting to explore.”
Amidst her determination to fi nd the
balance between artistic expression and
pleasing her audience, Andi creates pieces
that ignite a playful spirit in onlookers. A
gifted youngster from an early age she is
primarily self-taught in watercolor, acrylic,
and colored pencil. A child of the 80’s,
benefi cial technology is not lost on her so
her menu now includes digital paintings via
Photoshop and Illustrator. Additionally,
she received training in Lucca, Italy under a
master restorer of fi ne Italian art thus fl ushing
out her artistic playlist. You can check out
more of her work at www.andiart.com .
The murals have been well-received at
Destin Commons, making perfect photo
backdrops for both locals and Destin’s many
tourist visitors.
Northwest Florida’s award-winning
premier
outdoor
lifestyle
center, Destin
Commons
is located at
the corner of
Highway 98
and the Mid
Bay Bridge
Road. Visit www.DestinCommons.com,
Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for more
information.
Emerald Coast Foundation
Donates to Children in Crisis
The Emerald Coast Foundation recently
showed their support to Children in
Crisis, Inc. by awarding a grant to help
sustain operations of the CIC Children’s
Neighborhood.
Chris Sehman, President of the Foundation,
presented the donation to Ken Hair, CIC
Executive Director, at the October Fort
Walton Beach Chamber of Commerce First
Friday Coffee. The donation clearly showed
their continued commitment of support
to the kids living at the CIC Children’s
Neighborhood.
Ken Hair commented, “Before CIC
built the Children’s Neighborhood, our
community didn’t have an emergency shelter
for young children removed from an unsafe
home on short notice. Our foster homes help
with the severe shortage of traditional foster
homes in our community and keeps brother
and sister sibling families together and safe.”
The CIC Children’s Neighborhood has
provided a home to over 175 at-risk foster
children since opening in 2008. Children in
Crisis, Inc. is a non-profi t, 501(c)(3) charity
of caring people from the community. To
learn more about Children in Crisis and
the Children’s Neighborhood visit www.
childrenincrisisfl .org or call 850-864-4242.
Photo left to right: Ken Hair, CIC
Executive Director and Chris Sehman,
Emerald Coast Foundation President.
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