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Appreciation of Beauty is
a Treasure Coast Art
By Kerry Firth & Rich
Stringer
So,
you'd really like to hear a symphonic orchestra. Wouldn't it be nice to
watch a Broadway-caliber play? Come to think of it, maybe you should
purchase a bit of fine art for your second home. Sure, you could fly up to
the Big Apple to do these things, but the place still needs to thaw out, and
air travel can be such a hassle. Relax; you have a plethora of art and
entertainment options in your own backyard.
"It's
actually astounding how many cultural destinations and events there are in
our county" said Mary Jane Kelly, executive director of the Cultural Council
of Indian River County. History shows that support for the arts was the
bedrock for the foundation of our community. Noting that Indian River County
broke away from St. Lucie County during the 1920s in protest over the arrest
of a Vero theatre owner for providing a show on Sunday, Kelly explained
"those values became so deep rooted in the cultural formation of this
community that it continued to attract the culturally aware transplant."
Scenic
Beauty Inspires the Visual Arts
This
early seed of artistic freedom quickly bore fruit. In 1936 a group of five
local artists formed the Vero Beach Sketch Club that evolved into the
present day Vero Beach Art Club. The volunteer group of artists, now more
than 500 strong, meets monthly for demonstrations, holds workshops, exhibits
and continues to promote the arts, including awarding annual scholarships to
local college art students, with proceeds from its ever popular art shows
including the monthly Art in the Park exhibitions in Humiston Park, the Art
by the Sea show at the Vero Beach Museum of Art in January and the Under the
Oaks art show in March at Riverside Park.
Perhaps the Art Club's most significant contribution to promoting the arts
occurred when it teamed up with the Alliance for the Arts, a separate
nonprofit established in 1978 solely to create a regional museum for the
teaching and appreciation of the arts, to found the Vero Beach Museum of
Art.
The
Museum of Art, situated on 7.2 acres of Riverside Park on the east bank of
the Indian River lagoon in Vero Beach opened its doors on January 31, 1991
and has grown to be the largest cultural arts facility of its kind on
Florida's Treasure Coast. The museum offers national and international
traveling art exhibitions in its Holmes Gallery, as well as emerging and
established Florida artists in its Schumann Florida Gallery. The Museum also
curates exhibitions from its permanent collection in the Stark Gallery and
Stark Rotunda Gallery, and displays large-scale sculpture in its outdoor
Wahlstrom Sculpture Garden.
Additionally, the Museum boasts an education wing that includes seven studio
classrooms, an art library, seminar rooms, an outdoor studio and foundry, a
250 seat state of the art auditorium, museum store and exceptional public
spaces for art installations and public programs. The Museum is an integral
part of the community, each year offering a curriculum of over 100
accredited classes to more than 1,000 students in conjunction with Indian
River Community College.
While
classic art leads the way at the Museum, the Treasure Coast has made waves
in artistic circles with its native Florida Highwaymen art movement, which
has been recognized as for its significant contribution to African-American
and Florida folk art. The brightly-colored landscape paintings have been
displayed in the museums of New York City, used as backdrop to create
nostalgic movie sets, and one hangs in the Governor's Mansion. One of the
largest collections of these works can be found just north of the Brevard
County line at the Grant Antique Mall.
To
truly appreciate the energy of the Highwaymen, however, you should visit the
Backus Gallery in Fort Pierce. It was A. E. "Bean" Backus, a white landscape
artist in a racially divided Florida of the 60's, who took a few young
African-American men under his wing and taught them the basic techniques for
the art form. The leader of the group that became the Highwaymen, Alfred
Hair, took formal lessons from Backus and then taught others. Both Backus
and Hair (along with the Highwaymen as a group) were inducted into the
Florida Artists Hall of Fame in 1993 and 2004, respectively. Florida art
isn't just about lush landscape paintings on canvas, though.
You won't have any trouble finding Azaleas, the gallery created by local
artist Ambie Hay, because she's painted the exterior walls with murals
depicting a European village and garden. It's worth the visit just to park
and look at store. But you'll be drawn inside, where she has created her
own oasis of art and color in the back corner of a parking lot in downtown
Vero Beach, by her one of a kind cabana paintings, vintage Vero Beach signs
and eclectic decorations and accessories.
Since the day Art Deco came to Miami, Florida has been funky and whimsical,
and Azaleas is just one of a number of small offbeat galleries dot the
Treasure Coast. Just up the road in Sebastian is Coconut Bills, a fun filled
gallery of nautical gifts featuring seascape wall decorations, sculpture and
furniture. A step inside the gallery takes you on a tropical adventure
filled with brilliant color and lasting memories.
Perhaps no gallery inspires memories like the setting of the Old Opera House
Gallery on US Highway 1 in Sebastian. Originally built in 1913, the building
served as Town Hall during the formation of the city. Because it had a stage
inside, hence the name, the building was a center for community activities
such as weddings and plays. More recently, the structure had another
identity --- hurricane victim --- but owner Lisanne Monier says "after two
year of rebuilding from the hurricane, we're bringing FUN back into the
gallery".
All
the World, Even the Treasure Coast, Is a Stage
The existence of opera in early 20th Century Sebastian was not as unusual as
you may think. Theatre has been a leading force in community arts throughout
our history. The people of St. Lucie County were aware of the value of the
arts. In 1923 Rupert "Pop" Koblegard opened the largest vaudeville theatre
on Florida's east coast, the magnificent Sunrise Theatre. With its shops,
restaurant and seating for 1300, some people thought the theatre was too
ambitious for its time. Pop would answer his critics with a cheerful "It is
better to be ahead the times than behind them." How right he was, and for
the next sixty years the Sunrise Theatre was the center of the community.
During
the booming 20's the Sunrise hosted vaudeville and Hollywood stars. When
times got tough during The Depression, it sponsored cash drawings. The
elegant theatre offered an escape from World War 2, and survived the
challenges presented by the dawn of the Television Era. However, as with
most historic public theatres, the times eventually caught up with the
Sunrise and it closed in 1983.
After 24 years of silence and an $11 million restoration, in January 2006
the Sunrise Theatre reopened with all of its original splendor. Once again
the walls resound with music ranging from jazz to blues, country to folk,
and the stage again hosts productions ranging from opera to comedy and
everything in between. An evening at the theatre is now a date with history
when you attend one of the nationally acclaimed live events at the restored
1923 concert hall.
While
celebrities took center stage at the Sunrise, the birth of community theatre
on the Treasure Coast took place in the early 1950's when a group of
aspiring actors formed the Vero Beach Theatre Guild and presented shows at
the local air base. The all-volunteer, live community theatre flourished.
Continuing to provide a home for amateur actors, directors and production
crew since 1985 at its San Juan Avenue headquarters, the Theatre Guild
brings the public five major productions annually, as well as various
smaller productions and concerts.
While
local residents bitten by the acting bug can aspire to the stage of the
Guild on the mainland, over on the island sits Vero Beach's Riverside
Theatre, the first and only professional Equity theatre company on the
Treasure Coast. Built in 1973 through private donations, the theatre was
home to the Vero Beach Theatre Guild until 1984, when Riverside transitioned
into a producing professional theatre. In the twenty seasons since the move
to a professional company, Riverside has grown into one of the state's
largest programs.
In
1980, the Riverside Children's Theatre (RCT) added education and programming
for children, and with the hiring of a full-time education director in 1985,
classes and productions starring local children truly began. In 1983, the
Friends of Riverside Theatre, a fundraising group, started the Celebrity
Series which has become an integral part of the Theatre's programming. In
1991, the Agnes Wahlstrom Youth Playhouse became the home of the RCT. In
1998, the Anne Morton Theatre (AMT), Riverside's second stage, opened as the
home for RCT productions, but also serves as the host for productions by
Riverside 2, the Acting Company's second stage series, and the Actors'
Cabaret.
Those
attending recent productions have noticed that major construction is
ongoing, and in spring of 2007 the New Riverside project will open to with a
permanent home for Riverside 2, a renovated lobby and a renovated Mainstage
audience chamber.
Further up the coast, on the Brevard Community College campus is the Maxwell
C. King Center for the performing arts. This state of the art theatre
offers Broadway touring shows, classical and popular artists, ballet and
contemporary dance, opera, country music artists and family oriented events
in a 2000 seat performance hall. Florida's State Legislature provided funds
for the design and construction of the 12.3 million dollar facility that was
completed in 1988. Over the span of time, it has continued to meet its
mission to improve the quality of life for Brevard residents by providing
access to high quality, challenging and diverse touring and local performing
arts events.
As
inspiring as a Shakespearean soliloquy may be, no art form touches the human
spirit more universally than music. Whether it's the retired Big Band
crooner in the condo by the beach, a local high school band playing at
halftime of a major bowl game, or a local boy with his first country music
video on television (Yee Haw, Josh!), music is part of our lives. While
Vero's Downtown Fridays and local festivals like Sebastian's Clambake or
Jensen Beach's Pineapple Festival feature the more popular forms of music,
the classical music art form is alive and well on the Treasure Coast.
For
seventeen years during the January through March season, the Atlantic
Classical Orchestra has served the public with performances in Vero Beach at
the Waxlax Center for the Arts in St. Edwards School and at the Lyric
Theatre in Stuart. This classic-sized orchestra of professional musicians
often presents guest soloists to delight the crowds, who are further
captivated when Scottish-born Conductor Stewart Robertson engages in
pre-concert discussions about the music to be heard at a performance. The
music is live, intimate and highly stimulating.
A
Driving Force
As a
matter of image, a local art scene should appear spontaneous and effortless.
From a practical standpoint, however, cultural services need nurturing to
thrive. A driving force for arts in this area is the Cultural Council of
Indian River County, whose mission statement is "To nurture a cooperative
environment in which cultural & educational organizations and individuals
may thrive and thereby enrich the quality of life in Indian River County for
residents and visitors".
Executive Director Kelly works with a 23 member board of directors that
always includes an acting county commissioner. The group firmly believes
that, while promoting art for art's sake is a noble undertaking, a
well-developed cultural environment creates a good economic environment. The
high-tech businesses that all communities are trying to attract look to the
educational and cultural resources of an area in deciding whether their
employees will be happy and productive in a new home.
Scholarship programs encourage students to develop their skills. The Council
provides a single source for information on cultural activities in the area.
Even subtle things, like the Public Arts program that displays art shows
throughout the year in public facilities such as the county courthouse,
bring art into our daily lives.
Our
lives are, indeed, richer for the experience.
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