About Us · Our Story

Born in the Florida Keys, built for the whole ocean.

Art of the Seas transforms ocean awareness into real-world impact by bringing together artists, educators, volunteers, and conservation partners to protect marine life and inspire lasting care for our blue planet.

How We Began

A lifeguard, a marine biologist, and a shared refusal to look away

Art of the Seas began with two people who could not look away from what was happening beneath the surface. Co-founder Thomas Wiecek spent nineteen years guarding the water as a Miami Beach lifeguard before captaining yachts from the Great Lakes to Central America, a lifetime spent reading the sea. Co-founder AmMathee Stott came to it as a marine biologist trained in scientific diving, drawn from the cold waters of Northern California to the threatened tropical reefs of the Keys.

Where one saw a coastline worth protecting, the other saw the science to protect it. Together they founded Art of the Seas, a Fort Lauderdale based nonprofit built on a simple conviction: the ocean does not need another bystander. It needs builders.

President & Co-Founder

Thomas Wiecek

Nineteen years as a Miami Beach lifeguard, then decades as a yacht captain from the Great Lakes to Central America. He founded Art of the Seas to build the eco-friendly reef systems the ocean needs.

Vice President & Co-Founder

AmMathee Stott

A marine biologist from Northern California, trained in scientific diving at Cal Poly Humboldt. She leads the organization’s focus on ocean health and educating future generations.

What Makes Us Different

You cannot save a reef one species at a time

Most efforts focus on coral alone. We believe you have to restore the whole living system. By rebuilding the reef from the bottom up, and by uniting art, education, and science under one mission, we help restore the balance between people and the ocean we all depend on.

We unite art, education, and science to restore marine ecosystems, and inspire people to protect our oceans for generations to come.

Read our full mission, vision, and a message from our President on the Mission & Vision page.

Our Mission

Art of the Seas protects the world we share by restoring the oceans that sustain all life. We design and install eco-friendly artificial reefs, where the beauty of human art meets the beauty of the sea, and partner with coral and marine-restoration organizations to rebuild whole reef ecosystems, from the coral heads to the sponges that keep them alive. Through art, education, and community, we help ocean lovers become ocean stewards, so people and wildlife can thrive together for generations to come.

Our Vision

A world where creativity and conservation work together to protect and restore our oceans for future generations.

Restoring the oceans that sustain all life

A Growing Movement for the Sea

Every workshop, artwork, partnership, and conservation effort helps build a deeper connection between people and the ocean.

Corals Planted

Artificial Reef Structures Deployed

Students Reached Through Education

Volunteers Worldwide

Partner Organizations & Institutions

Coral nursery tree with fragments ready for outplanting

Our Initiatives

Creative Pathways to Ocean Protection

We create experiences and initiatives that make ocean conservation more accessible, emotional, and actionable for people of all ages.

01 Ocean-Inspired Art Experiences

We use art as a bridge between people and the sea, creating exhibitions, creative projects, and storytelling experiences that turn ocean awareness into emotional connection.

02 Community Learning & Engagement

Through educational activities, workshops, and outreach events, we help communities understand marine challenges and discover practical ways to take action.

03 Conservation Partnerships

We collaborate with organizations, educators, artists, and local leaders to support initiatives that protect marine ecosystems and strengthen collective impact.

Our Pillars

Education, Preservation, Restoration

Hands planting a coral fragment onto an artificial reef base

Education

We turn curiosity into conservation, teaching the next generation to understand and protect the sea.

Preservation

We safeguard the habitats and species that keep our oceans alive and in balance.

Restoration

We rebuild what has been lost, reef by reef, sponge by sponge, and coral by coral.

Our Sponsors & Partners

Art of the Seas is proud to collaborate with organizations, brands, artists, educators, and conservation partners who share our commitment to protecting marine life and restoring ocean ecosystems. Together, we support reef restoration, ocean education, and community-driven conservation initiatives.