Rosemary Beach's new sculpture exhibition runs for about a year, and its visitor parking allows three hours. The 2026–27 Rosemary Beach Sculpture Exhibition opened Saturday, Oct. 17, and is scheduled to close in October 2027. 30A.com notes that visitor parking in Rosemary Beach is limited to three hours.
For a Watersound Beach household, the time limits matter less than the distance. Rosemary Beach sits roughly three to four miles east along the Timpoochee Trail. Several of this year's new pieces were also made to look different in December than they do in October, and different again by summer. Living a short ride away makes it easy to come back and watch those changes happen.
Eleven new works, chosen from 54 artists
This is the fifth biennial edition of the juried exhibition. The volunteer committee chose 11 new sculptures from submissions by 54 artists across the country. The pieces stand in Rosemary Beach's town center and residential areas, on its pocket parks, gardens and greens. The 2024–25 show had nine new works and six permanent pieces. This round has 11 new works and seven permanent pieces.
Here are the new works, numbered as they appear on the exhibition's site map, with prices as listed in the official catalog:
| Map # | Artist and hometown | Work | Material | Catalog price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kat Warwick, Dallas, Texas | The Spirit of Hope | White Darby marble | $14,500 |
| 2 | Justin Gaffrey, Santa Rosa Beach, Florida | Crab 1939 | Corten steel | $42,500 |
| 5 | Earl Dismuke, Oxford, Mississippi | Big Dreamer | Welded steel | $15,000 |
| 6 | Corrina Sephora, Atlanta, Georgia | Bridge Beyond Time | Steel, copper, bronze | $18,000 |
| 8 | Adam Walls, Tryon, North Carolina | Core Deep Red | Powder-coated steel | $6,000 |
| 9 | John Bannon, Chicago, Illinois | Drop | Stainless steel, cast urethane | $18,000 |
| 11 | Michele Moushey Dale, Edgerton, Wisconsin | Natural Wonders | Bronze | $32,000 |
| 12 | Kyle Ocean, Shelton, Washington | Mobalisk | Corten steel | $8,000 |
| 14 | Eric Lynn, New Orleans, Louisiana | Wings of Serenity | Weathered steel | $11,500 |
| 15 | Morgan Lugo, Atlanta, Georgia | Mind's Eye | Stainless steel, acrylic | $30,000 |
| 17 | Chris Plaisted, New Milford, Connecticut | Wind in the Waves | Enamel-painted steel | $6,000 |
The pieces made to change while they stand
Four of the 11 are made of materials meant to change outdoors or to react to the sun.
Eric Lynn's "Wings of Serenity" shows three herons taking off. In his catalog statement, Lynn says he chose weathering steel so the piece would weather in its setting and change through the seasons, the way migrating herons do. Kyle Ocean's Corten steel "Mobalisk" is meant to draw viewers in close, where fine surface details show up through the patina. Justin Gaffrey's "Crab 1939" is welded from quarter-inch Corten steel plate. It is built to let light and air move through it, so it reads as light despite its size.
Morgan Lugo's "Mind's Eye" changes by the hour. Lugo combined mirror-polished stainless steel with clear colored acrylic in an open design made specifically for Rosemary Beach. The exhibition catalog quotes the artist on what happens as the day goes on:
"As the sun moves, the work functions as a temporal instrument, marking time through light rather than mechanics."
Its colors and shadows shift from morning to late afternoon, and again as the sun's angle changes with the seasons. Chris Plaisted's "Wind in the Waves" was sandblasted and finished in several reflective blues meant to shimmer in the light. John Bannon's "Drop" uses colored light, reflection and illusions of weight and depth. Both depend on the light at the moment you see them.
A returning winner and a piece with Walton County roots
Two names connect this show to the area's own art scene. Earl Dismuke won first place in the 2024–25 People's Choice Award for "DINGBAT." Raine Bedsole's "An Oar for Odysseus" placed second. Dismuke is back this round with "Big Dreamer," built from found fabrication drops, with a repeating circle and an eye at the top.
Justin Gaffrey lives in Santa Rosa Beach. His crab takes its form from Alexander Calder's 1939 stabile "Spiny." The crab itself came from Gaffrey's surroundings along Hogtown Bayou, on the bay side of the county. At 160 inches tall, it is the largest new work by height. Its $42,500 catalog price is also the highest among the new pieces.
The permanent collection adds familiar works. George Rodrigue's "Colors of My Mind" is a three-sided Blue Dog in chrome, aluminum and steel. Charles Pilkey's "Extinction Blues" is in painted steel and bronze. Gregory Johnson has two stainless steel pieces, "Nucleus" and "Votive." The others are Kimmerjae Macarus's stone "Holds Water: Kneeling Rock for Standing Rock," Nathan Pierce's "Empress" and Kirsten Kainz's "Bradbury," a giant butterfly made from household items. Molly Johnson, gallery director at Curate 30A, told VIE magazine that the exhibition started in 2017 to complement Rosemary Beach's architecture and natural beauty. The plan was to put art in its pocket parks, greens, gardens and town square.
Getting there on the Timpoochee Trail
Visit South Walton's mile-by-mile guide to the Timpoochee Trail shows how short the trip is from home:
- Mile 14. The WaterSound entrance, just past Deer Lake State Park.
- About mile 15.2. A view of Camp Creek Lake, the last dune lake along the trail.
- Mile 16. Seacrest, with The Sweet Peddler and La Cocina beside the trail.
- Mile 17. Alys Beach, marked by its white butteries and line of palms along 30A.
- Just before mile 18. Rosemary Beach, right after Alys Beach.
Driving takes more planning. Visit South Walton says Rosemary Beach has no public beach access. It lists first-come, first-served shop parking along Barrett Square. Arriving by bike avoids the hunt for a parking space, and Rosemary Beach's community terms allow bicycles on its sidewalks, boardwalks and bike paths.
On the ride home, Alys Beach has an art trail of its own along its paths and parks. According to SoWal's guide to Alys Beach outdoor art, last updated in August 2026, the pieces include "Leda the Mermaid" at Arboleda Park, "Tänzerin" at Caliza Courts Park and the "Metal Dragon" on the Alys Beach Nature Trail. Together, the two collections make one outing.
The catalog, the app and a docent
The printed catalog includes a numbered site map, and copies are available at several merchants in town. You can also use your phone. Download the free Otocast app from the App Store or Google Play and search "Rosemary Beach, FL." You'll find photos, written notes and recordings of the artists talking about their own sculptures, and they play anywhere you have cell service, including right in front of the work.
For a guided walk, committee member Johnny Mutina leads docent tours at various times during the year, and his tour schedule is posted online. Large groups can arrange a docent tour by emailing [email protected]. The exhibition is free and open to the public.
A vote with no posted deadline, and a sale when the show closes
Viewers vote for the People's Choice Award online, on the exhibition's 2026–27 Artists & Sculptures page. On a computer, hover over a sculpture's photo and click the heart. On a phone, tap the photo first to bring up the heart. Only the new works are eligible, and the instructions don't give a voting deadline. With the vote open-ended and pieces like "Wings of Serenity" and "Mind's Eye" changing over the months, your favorite in October may not be your favorite by spring.
All of the new sculptures will be for sale when the exhibition closes, at the prices in the catalog. The permanent collection is not for sale. Catalog prices for the new works run from $6,000 for "Core Deep Red" and "Wind in the Waves" to $42,500 for "Crab 1939." The show is funded by private donations and in-kind sponsors, with support from the Rosemary Beach Property Owners Association, its staff and volunteers. The Joyce Family Foundation is among the named donors.
Until October 2027, "Mind's Eye" will keep casting its colors and the herons in "Wings of Serenity" will keep weathering, all a short ride east of the Watersound entrance.
The team at Geppert Beeker Group keeps a close eye on what's new along eastern 30A, from new public art to the trails that connect our communities. If you'd like a neighbor's view of the places worth visiting near home, we'd be glad to share it. Schedule a Personalized Consultation.
