The tide has turned, and we said farewell to our popular Splash! exhibition, which closed on Sunday, September 27. 180 guests caught the last wave to celebrate the Florida artists who have created captivating images of marine life and underwater wonders. Our in-house social media team interviewed our special guests, and we were delighted to welcome students studying broadcast journalism and film at NSU University School. They captured our Last Splash event for the Student Television Network (STN) challenge, which will be held in California next March. This talented Florida team has won or placed in the top three for the last four competitions.
Grace Chepenik provided beautiful photo opportunities in her stunning sea nymph costume designed for the wearable glass fashion show at the 2026 GAS conference in Corning, New York. Grace also explained her fascination with shark teeth, which she sculpts from molten dichroic glass at the Benzaiten Center for Creative Arts, where she is the Hot Shop Manager. Chadd Lacey is the Benzaiten Director of Operations, and he joined us to talk about his flameworked glass art, notably his pod of dolphins in Splash!
Luis Montanez, who builds all our WMODA exhibition installations, is also inspired by the Fired Arts on display. In his spare time, Luis runs his Matchless Glass jewelry business, turning vintage and modern Murano glass beads into necklaces and bracelets to sell in the WMODA Museum Shop. His wife, Nini, the award-winning founder of Candle Nerds, showed her latest Evolution wax sculptures reminiscent of crashing waves on sandy beaches. Nini will be leading another of her popular candle-making workshops at WMODA on Saturday, October 17.
Making her debut in the WMODA Museum Shop is Natalya Frolova from Living Force Jewelry. Natalya has been making jewelry since 2011 and handcrafts pure metals and natural gemstones into personal talismans. She makes soulful jewelry for people who choose meaning over trend, craftsmanship over fast fashion, and authenticity over perfection.
Fine art photographer Suzanne Barton presented a pop-up exhibition of her work in the WMODA Studio Collection, and guests were mesmerized by the ethereal beauty of her underwater world. Suzanne aims to induce the rejuvenating “blue mind” effect by transporting viewers into the tranquil depths through her images and forging a deeper connection to our planet’s vital aquatic ecosystems.
The Last Splash event was the perfect opportunity for Suzanne to meet Dr. Shelby Thomas, the founder of Ocean Rescue Alliance International. They discussed the newly opened Reef Discovery Center in Fort Lauderdale, dedicated to coral reef awareness, marine research, public education, and active restoration through their on-site coral nursery. Shelby’s goal is to integrate art and nature into the new center, as with the 1,000 Mermaids Project, and Josh Fradis, one of the Splash! stars, has already donated a glass wave and a turtle.
Our museum’s latest collaboration between art and nature conservation is with the Sea Turtle Oversight Protection (S.T.O.P.), a grassroots non-profit organization founded in 2007 and based in Fort Lauderdale. Their dedicated volunteers rescue and release disoriented sea turtle hatchlings that become confused by artificial coastal light pollution rather than heading toward the ocean. WMODA guests enjoyed a private screening of their documentary film Lost in the Light, introduced by the director Stephen Sarsfield.
Thank you to the brilliant WMODA team of staff and volunteers for making this event so successful for guests of all ages to dive into the Fired Arts. Save the date for the opening of our next exhibition, the Enchanted Garden, on Saturday, October 31.
Read more about the Stripes of Inspiration Candle Workshop on October 17.
