It was another magical day of fantasy, fashion, and fun at WMODA as we wished Mershark Rhanu bon voyage on her new adventure. Rhanu enchanted our guests with tales of the sea and invited everyone to enjoy mermaid cupcakes and rainbow lemonade at the party held in her honor.

Rhanu, aka Alexandra Barth, has been our mermaid-in-residence for the last nine months and she has shared her passion for sharks and ocean conservation with visitors of all ages. She is off to a new teaching position in the Florida Panhandle but plans to keep in touch with WMODA as we continue to combine art, science, and the wonders of the deep in our entertaining programs.

Alex has also enhanced our special events by wearing the glass top designed especially for her by Chelsea Rousso. The distinctive markings of the whale shark mermaid tail have been brilliantly captured by Chelsea in kiln-formed wearable glass.

WMODA is on fire this month with a rainbow of glass art in honor of Pride Month. Diane and Mauro Gennaretti set up their Italianissimo pop-up shop and presented their jewelry in a rainbow of colors. Anne Orvieto featured more of her dazzling designs and talked to visitors about the magic of rainbows in her glass art. Several visitors signed up to “Chase the Rainbow” with Anne and Chelsea Rousso at our next Creative Glass workshop on Saturday, August 14.

Guests had fun with our scavenger hunts around the museum, including The Mermaid Quest and Tiny Treasures Trail pirate map. Throughout the day, they arrived at “the end of the rainbow” in the Hot Glass Gallery to redeem their prizes. Kids particularly enjoyed hunting for miniature ceramics hidden around the museum. They could also watch the minis being made on the potter’s wheel by master craftsman, Alex Meiklejohn.

Some of Alex’s minis are now on display in Judith Rudin’s dollhouse, which is on loan to WMODA, and Judith delighted visitors with her passion for designing dollhouses. Dania Beach City Commissioner Joyce Davis was particularly captivated by Judith’s miniature world as her childhood dream was to have a dollhouse.

Many visitors are enjoying our challenge to guess how many porcelain fairies are hanging on the Lladró chandelier - only one person has ever guessed the correct answer! The participants were included in a prize drawing and Rhanu drew the name of the lucky winner who will receive a glass butterfly necklace donated by Heart Junky Jewelry.

Beautiful fairy music, composed by Dave Rosenthal, plays in the Fantastique gallery to create a truly magical experience when viewing the chandelier. Dave took videos of the event and talked to visitors about his vision to “Bring your world to life… through the Power and Emotion of imagery and sound.”

Thank you to all the artists, volunteers, and WMODA staff for making the Mermaid’s Adventure such a wonderful day!