The Cancun and Isla Mujeres Underwater Art Museum has moved closer to becoming the world's largest underwater museum with the addition of three new sculptures.

The three new sculptures are entitled "Dream Collector," "Man on Fire," and "The Gardener of Hope," and have been submerged at various depths throughout the national park. All were placed near pre-existing, natural reefs in order to create an artificial habitat for marine life. All three works were created by British/Guyanese sculptor Jason de Caires Taylor.

"Dream Collector" features dozens of bottles containing messages of encouragement that were received from around the world - one message reads "May our hearts never become as hard as our heads." "Man on Fire" features dozens of holes, each planted with fire coral. "Garden of Hope" depicts a young girl lying on a garden patio.

The sculptures are environmentally friendly, created using a pH-neutral concrete that will allow algae and small invertebrates to flourish on their surfaces, boosting local ecosystems. The appearances of the sculptures will change over time as coral grows and other marine life enters the area.

The area receives over 300,000 tourists each year, which, combined with other human activities, has caused significant damage to natural reefs in the area over the years. The hope is that this unique underwater museum will attract at least a portion of these tourists away from natural areas, giving them a chance to recover. Ultimately, the museum hopes to install over 400 works of art created by artists from around the world. Each individual work will be life-sized and will be arranged into specific "galleries" with names like "The Quiet Evolution."

The museum has not been open long; it first debuted in November of 2009 with just three sculptures. By April of this year, the museum anticipates having at least 250 sculptures in place.