The City of Key West welcomes Wyland back to town! The artist has worked his way down the Keys repainting his three murals, first in Key Largo, then Marathon, and now Key West.
​
The iconic mural graces two sides of the Waterfront Brewery building at the Historic Seaport.

Key West Art Center & Gallery, which is celebrating their 62nd year in its present location at 301 Front Street, will present the 14th annual Plein Air Key West on Saturday, March 12, 2022. Artists in all media are welcome and can register at the gallery between 8:30 and 9:30 a.m. to participate, or pre-register online, with artists returning completed art work back to the gallery by 1:30 p.m.

Plein Air Key West is an all-inclusive and fun event that attracts local artists and talented amateurs throughout the Keys with many visiting artists planning their trips to Key West around this time to participate. Watercolor, acrylic, oil and pastel paintings, charcoal, and pencil sketch artists are all welcome.

​A reception will be held the evening of March 12, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. in the rear courtyard of the Art Center and people’s choice awards will be announced. All artwork from the event will be for sale and will hang until March 19.

​For information, a show application and registration, go to keywestartcenter.com or stop by Key West Art Center & Gallery at 301 Front Street daily from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

The Key West Art Center proudly presents the 57th annual Old Island Days Art Festival at the beautiful Truman Waterfront Park. This year’s show brings back some of your favorite artists and will introduce you to many new talented ones. The waterfront setting has given us the opportunity to set up more booths and our artists responded with over 110 artists scheduled to attend.

Artists and crafters will line the quay showing watercolors, oil/acrylic, mixed media, photography, and more works for your home. In addition, you will find jewelry, clothing, sculpture, glass, and wood along with plenty of fun funky tropical arts and crafts. This group of artists has something for every taste and budget, and we hope you will stop down to stroll the waterfront and meet this great group of artists, some of whom have traveled from as far as the west coast, and others much more local.

Drive, bike, walk or bus down to see us as there is plenty of parking and bike racks and we are steps away from the Duval Loop stop. Artists will greet you from 10-5 each day. We look forward to seeing all our locals and visitors for a wonderful art filled weekend!

The Old Island Days Art Festival is sponsored by the Key West Art Center & Gallery, located at 301 Front Street. The non-profit Community Art Center is Key West’s oldest gallery and features original works of art by over 50 local artists.

​For more information contact us at 305-294-1241 or email at [email protected]

The History of Diving Museum invites you to visit the new featured exhibit Dive Into Art: FantaSea. This is the fourth collaborative art show with the Museum, Art Guild of the Purple Isles (AGPI) and local students. The limited-time show encompasses fantasy elements tied to the ocean: mermaids, pirates, sea monsters and more, as well as literary themes such as fairytales, fantastical poems and epics.
 
The museum celebrated the opening of the exhibit by inviting teachers and students from the eight participating schools; Coral Shores High School, Key Largo School, Key Largo Middle School, Ocean Studies Charter School, Plantation Key School, Stanley Switlik Elementary School and Treasure Village Montessori, to an afternoon preview. Students were delighted to see their work on display and be able to share the experience with family members. Following the preview, Art Guild of the Purple Isles board members hosted a virtual walkthrough and in-person tour.   
 
The exhibit would not have been possible without the help of members and donors contributing to our Giving Tuesday campaign. In addition, the Featured Exhibit is sponsored in part by the Florida Keys Council of the Arts, Florida Keys & Key West Tourism Development Council, State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Arts and Culture and the Florida Council on Arts and Culture. The History of Diving Museum greatly appreciates these wonderful organizations that support outreach programming and events.
 
The exhibit will be on view through April 20th, and the student art will then travel to the Monroe County public libraries. 
 
The History of Diving Museum is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit located in Islamorada (MM83). Open daily 10am-5pm, both divers and land-lovers alike are amazed by over 4,000 years of “the quest to explore under the sea.” From early breath-hold diving to venturing into the abyss, see how pioneers shaped our understanding of the world below, and the special role that South Florida and the Florida Keys played in this untold story. Check out DivingMuseum.org to find out more, become a member to support this important history and shop for unique items in the Museum Store. 

The Studios of Key West is pleased to announce Helen and Ben Harrison as the recipients of this year’s Golden Mango Award. The award was established in 2015 “to recognize persons who make aesthetic, social, intellectual, and philanthropic contributions to our island arts community and its reputation as a center for the arts.” The Harrisons were recognized during The Studios’ Annual Patron Brunch on January 16, and were presented with a striking mango sculpture designed by artist Adam Russell.

“Helen and Ben’s story is as Key West as it gets; it's almost like a fairytale,” says Executive Director Jed Dodds. “They came here on a boat, put down roots like a tree and just started gifting us with the fruits of their creativity. Now, a generation or so later, they’re still providing shade for us to relax in, and a reminder why we love it here."

The Harrisons first arrived in Key West in 1979 in a 38’ sailboat they built by hand, docking at one of the submarine finger piers of the yet-undeveloped Truman Annex. Ben quickly got a job playing guitar and singing at Two Friends Patio Bar, and has entertained the island with his music ever since. In 1986, the Harrisons purchased the cinder block 1950’s era shop at 825 White Street, turning it into Harrison Gallery, which over the past 35 years has presented 172 artists and is widely recognized for the eclectic contemporary works exhibited inside its walls.
 
Helen is a well-known activist and artist whose work is impactful and widely collected. A longtime board member of The Studios, she now serves as an Artistic Advisor. She spearheaded the conservation group Save our Pines to help protect the Australian Pines at Fort Zach. As a curator of art, she counts among her proudest accomplishments the 2019 Tom Majors “With the Grain: Tribute to Wood Art” exhibition at The Studios.

Ben is an author, musician and playwright with a distinctive voice and a delightful sense of humor. His gift for storytelling truly captures the unique history and character of Key West. He’s written many original songs, penned several books, and his most recent musical, “Undying Love”, played for ten sold out evenings in 2018 at The Studios.

Together, Helen and Ben have raised two sons. They’ve served as advocates and mentors to countless artists, writers, and musicians, and helped to grow and preserve Key West’s reputation as an Island of the Arts.

The Studios of Key West has presented a Golden Mango Award to an individual or couple for the past six years. Prior recipients include Judy and Stanley Zabar (2015), Ann and Bill Lorraine (2016), Anne McKee (2017), John Martini (2018), Judy Blume and George Cooper (2019), Christopher Peterson (2020), and Lynn Kaufelt (2021).

Beginning Friday, February 18, the Key West Art Center & Gallery will be displaying works of its associate members daily from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at 301 Front Street, Key West, Florida. A reception will be held outdoors behind the building on Friday, February 18, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m.

The Key West Art Center & Gallery is beginning its 62nd year as Key West’s oldest continually operating art gallery and the only gallery whose members are all Keys resident artists. The associate members contribute to the nonprofit organization’s mission of encouraging local artists and of bringing programs to the public that encourage an appreciation of the arts.
​
The show will continue through March 4, with all works for sale. For further information please contact Haley Herriott at (305) 906-1832.