By Velvet Anvil

Since its inception in 2012, the Public Art Committee has added sculptures, murals, wrapped traffic boxes, and even an underwater sculpture garden to the City. As part of the Underwater Sculpture Garden Program, the committee commissions a bi-yearly artist to create a new sculpture. For the third round of this program, artist Andrew Shook, known as Velvet Anvil, was commissioned to design and install Reef Rider, which will be added to the Lady Luck ship. Installed in May 2025, the sculpture will remain on land for a year before being submerged.

Reef Rider captures the awe of the sea and the wonder of childhood, imagining the possibility of riding a seahorse. It represents generations of people who have built wooden puzzles similar to the sculpture's style.

Lady Luck is a 324 foot tanker vessel that was sunk on July 23rd, 2016 as an artificial reef 1 ½ miles off Pompano Beach’s shore. This ship is one of the biggest contributions to Florida’s artificial reef system and one of the most easily accessible major dive sites in the nation. The ship is the centerpiece of what is known as Shipwreck Park, surrounded by 16 other existing wrecks covered with marine life. Shipwreck Park is a unique underwater cultural arts park with rotating underwater art exhibits. The ship includes specific themes, exciting underwater events, artwork and rotating art exhibits to create a unique dive experience for local and international tourists.

Shipwreck Park is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the creation of an underwater park system establishing artificial reefs, utilizing public art to raise awareness of the need to preserve and conserve our natural coral reef system. The purpose of Shipwreck Park Pompano is to develop and protect our coral reefs. For more information on Shipwreck Park, visit https://shipwreckparkpompano.org/.