Saguaro - The Underwater Museum of Art
Saguaro with jellyfish and school of fish at the Underwater Museum of Art.
Photo by Ali DeMonbrun.
About
10’ x 1’ x 1’ stainless steel sculpture made for the Underwater Museum of Art by 3 person artist team (Michael Ramirez, Bill Baron, and Ghazal Ghazi). Commissioned by CAA (Cultural Arts Alliance of Walton County) and SWARA (South Walton Artificial Reef Association). Fabricated in Tucson, Arizona. Now in its permanent location 60' underwater in the seabed of the Gulf of Mexico, where it serves as an artificial coral reef that promotes marine wildlife and supports the Gulf habitat.
Diver above Saguaro, at the Underwater Museum of Art.
Photo by Spring Run Media
Saguaro at the Underwater Museum of Art.
Photo by Spring Run Media
Deployment of Saguaro sculpture to UMA.
“Saguaros are an integral part of the diverse Sonoran Desert ecosystem, providing much need shelter, food, shade, and refuge to many creatures. We chose to honor the saguaro and the role it plays in our local ecosystem. Saguaros sustain and promote life in the desert, just as our sculpture does for marine life underwater by providing coral reef habitats to distressed marine life. In this way, the saguaro serves as a metaphor for the diversity, resilience, and interconnectedness of ecosystems - spanning from the Sonoran Desert to the Gulf of Mexico.”
Saguaro sculpture next to saguaros in the Sonoran Desert in southern Arizona, before it was shipped to Florida to be deployed to the Underwater Museum of Art (UMA).
Saguaro sculpture in the Sonoran Desert in southern Arizona, before it was shipped to Florida to be deployed to the Underwater Museum of Art (UMA).
Coral growing on Saguaro. Photo by Spring Run Media
Diver and Saguaro. Photo by Spring Run Media
Sculpture in its permanent place at the Underwater Museum of Art (UMA), 60 feet underwater in the Gulf of Mexico.
Photo by Spring Run Media