April 9, 2025 – (KEY WEST, FL).  The Key West Art & Historical Society welcomes the public to a special reception on May 2 from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. to mark the opening of its latest exhibit “The Stonewall Riots: The Start of a Movement.”  The exhibition, on temporary loan from the Stonewall National Museum Archives and Library, will be on display during Pride Month at the Key West Museum of Art & History, 281 Front Street.  Museum visitors will be transported back to the iconic New York City bar hours before the historic Stonewall Riots set in motion a global LGBTQ+ human rights movement in June 1969.

The original Stonewall Inn was a mob-owned bar in Greenwich Village in an area commonly referred to as the West Village.  The quarter was home to numbers of gay and lesbian bars, many of which were raided periodically with the patrons and employees being harassed, arrested, and assaulted.  On Friday night, June 27, 1969, police raided the bar, sparking a riot among bar patrons and residents, leading to six days of protests and violent clashes with law enforcement outside the bar and neighboring streets.  These protests are viewed as the catalyst for the gay rights movement in the United States and around the world.

Visitors to the exhibition will be carried back to the gritty interior of the Stonewall Inn, featuring a ‘smoky’ bar setting with a vintage jukebox playing 1969 hits.  A virtual bartender discusses life in the West Village during that time period, while virtual bar patrons recall the night of the raid and the subsequent days when gay rights activists took to the streets of New York.  The traveling exhibit also features artifacts and educational text panels to tell the story of this pivotal moment in LGBTQ+ history.

“In bringing the “Stonewall Uprising” exhibition to the island during Key West Pride Month, it is the Society’s hope to share this powerful moment—that confrontational June evening—that inspired people from all walks of life to galvanize the LGBTQ+ movement,” says Society curator Dr. Cori Convertito.  “In the wake of the Stonewall Riots, Key West became a popular community for the LGBTQ+ community in the 1970s.  The influx of mostly gay men and lesbian women that arrived during that era established several locally cherished businesses including Key West Aloe, the Monster Bar, Fast Buck Freddie’s, the Key West Business Guild, and Gingerbread Square Gallery.  Key West is the perfect city to host this traveling exhibition.”

“The Stonewall Uprising: The Start of a Movement” runs until July 5 in the Bumpus Gallery of the Key West Museum of Art & History and is sponsored in part by Jim Speake and the Key West Business Guild.  For more information on the exhibit or the public reception, visit kwahs.org/stonewall-opening, call Convertito on 305-295-6616 x 507, or email [email protected].

Your Museums.  Your Community.  It takes an Island.

March 31, 2025 – (KEY WEST, FL).  On Thursday, April 10, join author and shipwreck enthusiast Dr. Brian Magrane as he shares his vast knowledge of Florida shipwreck treasure and the art of “reading” Spanish seventeenth- and eighteenth-century coins.  His lecture, titled “Florida Shipwreck Treasure Coins,” is part of the Key West Art & Historical Society’s Distinguished Speaker Series.  The talk takes place from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the Tropic Cinema, 416 Eaton Street.
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Historic coins provide vital clues to world events and alliances.  The heraldic symbolism stamped on both sides of European coins is imperative to archeologists’ understanding of particular time periods, turbulent political landscapes, and the history of submerged artifacts.  During this informative talk, Dr. Magrane will analyze his own extensive collection which consists of coins struck in South America and were loaded onto ships bound for Spain.  More specifically, he will concentrate on the shipwreck treasures of both the Nuestra Señora de Atocha of the 1622 Fleet and the vast gold coins of the 1715 Fleet.

Dr. Brian Magrane is an Islamorada-based physician and is the author of “Tortugas Deep-Sea: The Story of a Merchant Ship.”  In addition to being an author, he is also an avid shipwreck coin collector.  He became fascinated by Florida’s sunken treasures and has been heavily involved in maritime heritage projects and shipwreck treasure research.

“We are delighted to welcome Dr. Magrane as April’s distinguished speaker.  We had the pleasure of hosting him three years ago to speak on a different shipwreck topic,” says Cori Convertito, curator for the Society.  “He is an engaging and knowledgeable speaker who is well acquainted with coin reading, as well as being conversant in the Spanish treasure fleets, the shipwrecks themselves, and subsequent salvage efforts.”

To reserve your spot at the lecture; visit kwahs.org/whats-on.  Tickets are $13 for KWAHS members, $17 for non-members.  Tickets will also be available at the door on the night of the event.  For more information, contact Dr. Cori Convertito on 305-295-6616 x507 or [email protected].

Your Museums.  Your Community.  It takes an Island

March 7, 2025 – (KEY WEST, FL).  The Key West Art & Historical Society, in collaboration with the Tennessee Williams Museum and the Key West Woman’s Club, is pleased to present an intimate concert featuring the acclaimed singer and pianist Bobby Nesbitt, along with the versatile performer Carmen Rodriguez.  This event will celebrate the music based on the works of renowned American playwright and Key West resident Tennessee Williams.  The concert is scheduled to be held at the historic Hellings Curry Museum, located at 319 Duval Street, on March 15.  Doors will open at 5:00 p.m., with the performance commencing at 5:30 p.m.  Attendees will also enjoy light refreshments, including canapés and prosecco.

Inspired by Williams’ iconic play, "A Streetcar Named Desire," and its vibrant New Orleans backdrop, Bobby and Carmen have curated a lively musical selection designed to captivate the audience.  This engaging performance features a range of popular songs from the 1940s to the 1970s, including numerous tracks made famous by Williams’ films.  The event aligns with the annual Tennessee Williams Festival, held each March, which celebrates the playwright who resided in Key West for more than thirty years.

“It brings us great joy that Bobby and Carmen have once more agreed to take the stage as part of the Tennessee Williams Festival,” remarked Dennis Beaver, founder of the Tennessee Williams Museum.  “Last year’s performance left a lasting impression on the audience, and we are thrilled that the Hellings Curry Museum is hosting the event—it is an ideal setting for the concert.”

A limited number of tickets are available on the festival’s website, www.twfest.org/events.  The ticket price includes complimentary refreshments donated by the Key West Art & Historical Society and the Key West Woman’s Club.  For more information, contact Cori Convertito at 305-295-6616 x507.
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Your Museums.  Your Community.  It takes an Island.

March 3, 2025 – (KEY WEST, FL).  Key West Art & Historical Society, Great Events Catering, and Unity Table at Williams Hall have teamed up to present their annual picnic-style heritage dinner prepared by acclaimed chefs Martha Hubbard and Dave Fuhrman.  This year’s Conch Revival Picnic takes place from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on March 11 on the grounds of the Key West Lighthouse, 938 Whitehead Street.  The picnic pays homage to the island’s Bahamian and Cuban culture through food, music, and a convivial community atmosphere.

This year’s feast starts off with deviled crawfish, conch fritters, and picadillo arepas followed by the main course of whole roasted local fish, roasted pig, Spanish paella, Hukilau’s coconut chicken, conch chowder, and Jamaican jerked calabaza stew.  Save room for key lime pie and Miss Etta’s coconut cake.  As always, there will be a full cash bar and live music.

Inspired by The Society’s board member, the late Dianne Zolotow, the Conch Revival Picnic tradition was launched in 2016 to increase awareness of Key West/Conch culture by preserving and promoting historic recipes created and consumed by Conch families for generations, but which have, over time, been disappearing from memory and tables.  Many of the recipes presented are inspired by the postwar Key West Woman’s Club Cookbook as well as recipes from other publications in the collection of The Society.

“Key West Art & Historical Society is honored to partner with Great Events and Williams Hall to celebrate our local Bahamian and Cuban communities for this year’s picnic,” says Society Executive Director Michael F. Gieda. “It’s a marvelous opportunity for all of the island’s heritages to come together and share a meal that highlights some of our delicious culinary traditions.”

Visit kwahs.org/whats-on to purchase your tickets.  Children under 12 admitted free with adults.  For more information and to access the full menu, contact Cori Convertito at 305-295-6616 x507.  Sponsored by Great Events Catering, Fausto’s Food Palace, and Williams Hall.
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Your Museums.  Your Community.  It takes an Island.
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February 18, 2025 – (KEY WEST, FL).  The Key West Art and Historical Society announces a $15,000 donation from Save a Tree/Key West, a registered 501(c)3, to plant additional trees at Fort East Martello Museum.  The much-needed funds were raised during the Merili McCoy Royal Poinciana Red Party fundraiser held on the grounds of the Key West Lighthouse and Keeper’s Quarters Museum in June 2024.

Owing to an eventful hurricane season, many of the trees planted at the Fort East Martello Museum during a Monroe County-led water mitigation project did not survive.  The donation will allow for new quality plantings, which will be overseen by the Society and Save a Tree/Key West board members.  All trees planted will be in honor of “The Original Tree Lady of Key West” Merili McCoy, late Key West City Commissioner and wife of former Key West Mayor Sonny McCoy.

“I would like to thank the entire Board of Directors, the generous Merili McCoy Royal Poinciana Red Party sponsors, as well as the extremely generous, tree loving community of Key West and beyond for their support,” says Karen Ludwig-O’Leary, Save a Tree/Key West board president.  “We could not have done it without the community’s support.  Our motto is to Plant, Respect, and Maintain.”

Following the water mitigation project and upgrades to the Fort’s Parade Grounds that were completed by Monroe County in 2021, the rejuvenated space hosted a variety of community events and programs including concerts, music festivals, fundraisers, free outdoor movies, and youth education camps.  Trees that were initially planted during the construction phase to provide vital shade were ravaged during last year’s hurricane season.  With this generous donation, the Society will plant additional trees that will enhance the property and provide shade for year-round community programming.

“Fort East Martello has long played a key role in the Key West community since it was constructed in the mid-nineteenth century.  Local residents have customarily used the structure and the surrounding grounds for picnics and social events for years,” says Michael F. Gieda, Executive Director for the Society.  “Last year’s storms severely damaged recently planted trees on the property.  We are elated to have this support and partnership with Save a Tree/Key West.”

Save a Tree/Key West will host its next fundraiser at the Key West Lighthouse and Keeper’s Quarters Museum on Friday, May 16.  For more information about the fundraiser, or to make a donation, please visit saveatreekw.org.
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Your Museums.  Your Community.  It takes an Island.

February 4, 2025 – (KEY WEST, FL).  Key West Art & Historical Society’s month-long Tennessee Williams Key West Festival, which remembers the Pulitzer-prize winning literary icon with an array of arts and cultural events, begins next month.  Williams, who first visited the island in 1941, called Key West “home” for over thirty years after he bought a quaint clapboard house on Duncan Street.  This year’s festival theme is Williams’ iconic work, “A Streetcar Named Desire”, the story of a delicate Southern belle named Blanche DuBois who is forced to confront the harsh realities of life when she moves in with her sister and brother-in-law in New Orleans.

Events during the festival include “A Streetcar Named Desire” themed fundraiser at the home of Tennessee Williams Museum founders Dennis Beaver and Bert Whitt on March 2.  Attendees will be treated to jazz music, an open bar, and heavily passed canapes.  Tickets are available through www.twfest.org.

Every Monday during the month of March, from 6:30 p.m., the Tennessee Williams Monday Night Classic Film Series will be screened at the Tropic Cinema, 416 Eaton Street.  Films include “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,” “The Eccentricities of a Nightingale,” “The Rose Tattoo,” and “Sweet Bird of Youth.”  There will also be a free outdoor screening of “A Streetcar Named Desire,” on March 6 in front of the Tropic Cinema.  Film tickets are available exclusively at Tropic Cinema or www.tropiccinema.com.

Beaver will also host a series of curator tours at the Tennessee Williams Museum, each with a special theme.  He will share highlights of the filming of “The Rose Tattoo” and “A Streetcar Named Desire” and provide a general overview of Williams’ life in Key West.  Tickets are available through www.twfest.org.

On Saturday, March 15, at 5:00 p.m., local entertainers Bobby Nesbitt and Carmen Rodriguez will perform “The Tennessee Williams Songbook Part II: Songs of an Era” at the Key West Woman’s Club at 319 Duval Street.  Music inspired by Tennessee’s time in Key West and New Orleans, his award-winning plays, and popular songs during key moments in his life will fill the dining room of the historic home.  The program will have special references to “A Streetcar Named Desire,” and Bobby’s personal recollections of Tennessee Williams in Key West.  Tickets are available through www.twfest.org.

Friday, March 21 from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., Unity Table at Williams Hall will offer an evening of New Orleans cuisine with an exquisite four-course dinner by Chef Martha Hubbard followed by a reading of two of Williams’ short stories organized by Fringe Theater entitled “The Men of Tennessee Williams”.  Tickets are available through Williams Hall or www.williamshall.org.

Culminating the monthlong festival, the public is invited to a party and award ceremony at the Tennessee Williams Museum celebrating what would have been Williams’ 114th birthday on March 26 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.  The evening, which is free to attend, will include contest award presentations, light snacks, bubbly beverages, and birthday cake.

Visit www.twfest.org for the full schedule of events and advanced ticket purchases.  You can also contact Cori Convertito at [email protected] or 305-295-6616 x507.  The Tennessee Williams Museum, at 513 Truman Avenue, is open every day for self-guided tours from 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
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Your Museums.  Your Community.  It takes an Island.

January 27, 2025 – (KEY WEST, FL).  Florida Humanities, the Florida Keys Eco-Discovery Center, and Key West Art & Historical Society invite the community to explore the history and natural beauty of the Dry Tortugas archipelago through Ian Wilson-Navarro’s new book “Dry Tortugas: Stronghold of Nature” at a multifaceted and dynamic night of history, ecology, preservation, and art.  The free event takes place on February 1 from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Florida Keys Eco-Discovery Center in Key West and includes a live gyotaku demonstration, a photography and print exhibition, short presentations by local experts, a moderated discussion with the artists, and book signing.

The evening concentrates on Wilson-Navarro’s book, “Dry Tortugas,” published by University Press of Florida, which chronicles his 2021 artist-in-residency program on Loggerhead Key facilitated by the National Park Arts Foundation.  Accompanied by friend and fellow artist Austin Armstrong, the pair spent a month living at Dry Tortugas National Park with the goal of documenting the ecological treasures the remote location had to offer.  Wilson-Navarro, a Florida Keys native and nature photographer captured images of the park, both above and below the waterline, while Armstrong, also a Florida Keys native, thrived as a Gyotaku artist, the traditional Japanese art form of capturing exact representations of fish created by pressing paper onto the skin painted with a thin layer of ink.

A reception with light refreshments and a first-look at the joint art exhibition will kick off the event before Armstrong delivers a live demonstration of Gyotaku in the Eco-Discovery Center’s foyer.  Attendees will have the opportunity to make their own Gyotaku with simulated fish courtesy of the Society’s education department.  A short presentation in the theater by local authors and experts Nancy Klingener of Monroe County Public Libraries, Dr. Cori Convertito of the Key West Art & Historical Society, and Curtis Hall of Dry Tortugas National Park will share extracts from their contributions to Wilson-Navarro’s book.  Following their presentations, Convertito will lead a conversation with Wilson-Navarro and Armstrong that delves into the finer details of the artist residency program that enabled the pair to live at the Dry Tortugas National Park and record the environment.

At the conclusion of the moderated conversation, attendees can pick up a copy of “Dry Tortugas,” explore the newly-renovated Eco-Discovery Center, and speak with Florida Humanities staff, co-publishers of the book.

The evening is free and open to all ages.  Due to limited seating capacity, registration is required for the short talks and moderated conversation.  All other components are open and do not require a ticket.  For more information about the event, contact Cori Convertito on 305-295-6616 x507 or [email protected].  Additional details and the evening’s timeline can be found on the Society's website kwahs.org/dry-tortugas-book-talk.
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Your Museums.  Your Community.  It takes an Island.

January 27, 2025 – (KEY WEST, FL).  The Key West Art & Historical Society welcomes the public to a special reception on February 7 from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. to celebrate the work of 50 Florida Keys female artists featured in its “From a Woman’s Hand” exhibition at the Key West Museum of Art & History, 281 Front Street.  The biannual display juried by arts community leaders Emma Starr, Martha Resk, Elena Devers, and Cori Convertito, PhD, illuminates the remarkable achievements of women artists who have been marginalized for centuries.

“Our mission is to promote and elevate the humanities and arts of the Florida Keys, including an emphasis on the role of women in these cultural sectors,” says Society curator Cori Convertito.  “This exhibit features strong, thought-provoking pieces alongside nature-inspired works created by female artists of all ages.  The breadth and depth of the artists’ originality and imagination is astonishing.”

Among the artists that have work included in the exhibit are Maggie Ruley displaying a large acrylic painting titled “Your Pool or Mine?” inspired by the backyards of Key West, American Watercolor Society signature member Sandy Mezinis exhibiting a new watercolor piece entitled “Lila and Grace in Key West,” and Islamorada artist Christine O’Neill with her intensely vibrant work, “The Bounty.”  Museum visitors will also discover fresh artwork and mediums by artists whose works are rarely displayed in Florida Keys, including young artists in the early stages of their art exploration.

“It is brilliant to work with all of the artists represented in the exhibit; they offer a dynamic view of everything that surrounds us – nature, people, experiences, and materials,” says Convertito. “The quality and diversity of the artwork continually electrifies the jury.”
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“From a Woman’s Hand” runs until April 20 in the Bumpus Gallery of the Key West Museum of Art & History.  For more information on the exhibit or the public reception, visit www.kwahs.org/womans-hand, call Convertito on 305-295-6616 x 507 or email [email protected].

Your Museums.  Your Community.  It takes an Island.

January 13, 2025 – (KEY WEST, FL).  Take a trip back to the 1970s Disco Era during this season’s “Back in Time” fundraiser hosted by the Key West Art & Historical Society.  Themed “Let’s Disco: A Night of Glitter, Glam, and Groove!” the party takes place Friday, February 21, from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. under the stars in the courtyard of the Fort East Martello Museum.  Proceeds support the ongoing preservation needs of the Custom House building, the island’s architectural crown jewel that has graced the Mallory Square area for the last 134 years.

The fundraiser is the ultimate night to dance, sip, and feast in true 70s style!  The evening will be a vibrant and high-energy event where the beats are hot, the drinks are flowing at the open bar, and the food is just as fabulous as the fashion.  It’s a throwback celebration packed with nonstop fun and retro glamour.

This event combines the best of the 70s disco era with a modern twist, featuring an open seating layout that encourages mingling, dancing, and socializing all night long.  Get your 70s style on! Think bold prints, bell-bottoms, sequins, and platform shoes—come ready to turn heads and strut your stuff. The best-dressed disco diva could even win a fabulous prize!

“As stewards of the Custom House building, we are grateful for the community’s continued support of our on-going preservation efforts,” says Michael F. Gieda, Executive Director of the Society.  “The biggest challenge we face is the complete upgrade of the inoperative elevator in the building which limits ADA access to the upper floors.  Proceeds from this year’s fundraiser will help offset the steep costs associated with the replacement.”

Step “Back in Time” to invest in the future; purchase a single ticket for $200 or sponsor a table of eight for $1,600.  Proceeds will be contributed to the Community Foundation of the Florida Keys’ Custom House Preservation Fund.  For tickets visit www.kwahs.org/fundraiser or contact Event Coordinator Bonnie McInnis at 305-295-6616 x 505.

Your Museums.  Your Community.  It takes an Island.