Adjunct Professor Donna Conklin’s Bubbly Barnacles Joins the Underwater Museum of Art in Florida
Posted in: Announcements
The Department of Art & Design celebrates Adjunct Professor Donna Conklin’s recent achievement of unveiling her large-scale underwater sculpture, Bubbly Barnacles, as part of the Underwater Museum of Art (UMA) in Santa Rosa, Florida. This past summer, Conklin witnessed her 8.5-foot-tall, 9-foot-wide sculpture being submerged 60 feet to the ocean floor, where it became a part of the United States’ first permanent underwater sculpture garden. The UMA, located about a mile off Grayton Beach State Park, invites artists each year to submit proposals for sculptures designed to transform into vibrant artificial reefs, supporting marine life and eco-tourism.
Conklin was one of seven artists selected through a juried process to create work for UMA’s 2024 installations. Drawing inspiration from barnacles, she named her piece Bubbly Barnacles, honoring these marine organisms known for their ability to cling to ships and structures, and which possess unique properties that scientists have even adapted to create high-strength glues. “Barnacles are both fascinating and practical, and their sticky resilience was an ideal inspiration for an ocean sculpture,” Conklin explained.
The rigorous design and fabrication process required Conklin to adapt to UMA’s specifications for eco-friendly materials. She could not use her usual concrete mixes or additives like fiberglass or water reducers. Instead, Conklin collaborated with a structural engineer to ensure her work could withstand the ocean’s pressures and any potential storms. She sourced stainless steel rebar, welded for the first time, and worked with Professional Reefmakers in Alabama to finalize and cast the base to anchor the sculpture.
On August 8th, Conklin flew to Florida to witness the dramatic submersion of Bubbly Barnacles along with six other sculptures, each placed precisely on the ocean floor by a crane-equipped barge. “This experience has been incredible,” she remarked. “The water is the color of emeralds here on the Emerald Coast, and it’s deeply satisfying to know my work is contributing to environmental health and the local economy.” While Conklin does not scuba dive herself, she is thrilled by the thought of the marine life enjoying her sculpture and its role in the UMA as a destination for art and nature lovers alike.
The Underwater Museum of Art continues to grow, attracting visitors worldwide while creating critical habitats for marine species and offering marine scientists and environmentalists a unique opportunity to study artificial reef systems.
The Department of Art & Design is proud to recognize Conklin’s innovative contribution to both art and environmental conservation, exemplifying how our adjuncts, faculty, and staff continually push the boundaries of traditional artwork to inspire new ways of seeing and interacting with the world around us.