Nature's palette may work its magic on Florida's landscape of sand, sea and sky, yet artists here also do their part to beautify the environment. In fact, many Florida micro-neighborhoods have developed into full-fledged arts districts with multiple galleries, studios and in some cases, performance venues and unique retailers. Stimulating and relaxing at the same time, they invite groups to stroll, stop, shop and soak in local culture.
Following are a few examples.
Boynton Beach Arts District
Don't let the street name, Industrial Avenue, mislead you. Owing to all the warehouses, you might not realize you've entered an artistic neighborhood; that is, until you look closely and see that the warehouses have been painted and surrounded by urban gardens. That and the fact that you're surrounded by murals and large-scale sculptures, all part of a flourishing Art in Public Places program implemented by the Boynton Beach Arts District (BBAD).
Yet this is hardly a place where art stands still, waiting to be observed.
"We have live glassblowing going on in a kiln set up in a trailer," says Rolando Chang, director of BBAD and co-founder of Art Synergy, a countywide organization promoting art and culture.
Chang says he was part of the original group of artists who started ArtCenter/South Florida on Lincoln Road in South Beach, and he's brought that idea of participatory art experiences northward. Hence, be prepared to watch artists at work, see musicians perform, listen to poetry readings, participate in educational programs and attend monthly art walks.
"We can coordinate almost any event that a group would like. For example, if they're coming on a Wednesday night, I'll contact the artists to make sure they're open," Chang says. "We want people to leave awestruck."
Matlacha
Set west of Fort Myers on the southwest coast, the tiny island of Matlacha is making big news in the art world, and angry fishermen are to blame. In 1992, the county banned net fishing and commercial fishermen responded by torching their boats and abandoning the shacks and bungalows they once called home. Tourism took over, converting the vintage buildings into art galleries, gift and island wear boutiques, seafood restaurants, rental cottages and small hotels.
One resident artist, impressionist-expressionst painter Leoma Lovegrove, has enjoyed commissions by Richard Branson and Jimmy Carter but is also known for painted coconut postcards that are actually processed by the U.S. Postal Service. She is also president of the Matlacha Island Chamber of Commerce and is passionate about promoting the island village where shrimp boats still tie up at the docks and bait stores are interspersed with the art galleries.
"If you want some art and some hand-picked shrimp to go with it, you've come to the right place," Lovegrove says. "It's one of the last Florida fishing villages left."
At her gallery on Pine Island Road, Lovegrove welcomes visitors to relax in an on-site botanical garden, sip some coffee and paint their own coconuts.
Arts & Culture
When they're not boating or fishing, residents of the Florida Keys are creating. There are art galleries literally from one end of the Keys to the other, while on Duval Street and the surrounding streets of Old Town Key West, it's one gallery after another showcasing the work of local and international artists, jewelry artisans, sculptors and other craftspeople.
Farther up the island chain on Islamorada, the Morada Way Arts and Cultural District is home to an eclectic collection of galleries as well as a monthly "walkabout" that includes food, music and performance artists.
