Stories of the Sea
Jennifer Callahan
- Artist
- Jennifer Callahan
- Location
- Marathon Public Library, Marathon, FL
- Installed
- May 12, 2021
An immersive painted mural wrapping the children's reading room, depicting an underwater world of coral reefs, sea turtles, and tropical fish. The mural transforms the space into an imaginative ocean environment that inspires young readers.
“Stories of the Sea” turns the children’s reading room at the Marathon Public Library into an underwater adventure. Artist Jennifer Callahan designed the mural as a continuous, room-wrapping seascape that envelops young visitors in the vibrant marine world just beyond the library’s walls.
The mural features scientifically accurate depictions of species found in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, including loggerhead sea turtles, nurse sharks, queen angelfish, and elkhorn coral. Callahan worked with marine biologists at the Turtle Hospital in Marathon to ensure the accuracy of her depictions, creating a work that is both artistically engaging and educationally valuable.
Hidden throughout the mural are visual references to classic children’s literature, from treasure maps to message-in-a-bottle motifs, encouraging young readers to make connections between the world of books and the natural environment around them. The installation has been credited with increasing children’s program attendance at the library and has won recognition from the Florida Library Association for excellence in public space design.