Keys Arts & Culture

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The Florida Keys and Monroe County Arts
The Keys are made up of small towns and communities. However, due to the strong economy from our tourist base, the Arts are a primary part of our culture. Most weekends bring festivals and street parties throughout the Keys and especially in Key West. Photography of wildlife here is also great.
The Florida Keys Council of the Arts does a great job in supporting Art in the Keys
Also, see the Key West Arts and historical society
http://www.keysarts.com/

Festivals

Gallery Guide

Theatre

Film

Music

Dance

Literary

Museums/History and Nature

Also, see the Key West Arts and historical society http://www.kwahs.com/
• The Keys Community Concert Band. Susan Bazin 451-4530.
Keys Chamber Orchestra. Call Inga-Lisa Wright, 305-744-0508
The Key West Pops, Inc. - 305 293-7658, P.O. Box 6206

Note to musicians-There are about a zillion Tiki bars etc, that have live music. The times range from the afternoon through the evening. The pay is generally better than you'll find working in a regular club in the rest of the country. In addition to that most outdoor venues shut their music down about 11-so the hours
are shorter.

Museums and Culture
Ernest Hemingway Home & Museum - 305 294-1136, 907 Whitehead St., Key West FL
Flagler's Station Historeum®-901 Caroline St., 1-305-295-3562.
Key West East Martello Museum - 305 296-3913, 3501 S. Roosevelt Blvd.
Key West Lighthouse Museum - 305 294-0012, 938 Whitehead Street
Key West Museum of Art & History - 305 295-6616
Key West Shipwreck Historeum - 305 292-8990, 1 Whitehead Street
Little White House Museum - 305 294-9911
Lofton B. Sands African Bahamian Museum - 305 293-9692,
Wrecker's Museum - 322 Duval St., 294-9502.Theater/dance
Middle Florida Keys
Marathon Community Theatre, 5101 O/S Hwy.....305 743-0994
Key West Theatre
• Island Opera Theatre.....305 296-1520
Red Barn Theatre, 319 Duval St (Rear).....305 296-9911
Waterfront Playhouse, Mallory Square.....305 294-5015Art Galleries/ Visual Arts
• Over 90 galleries throughout the Keys

Note to Artists; regardless of the medium, there is a place for you in the Keys. The Keys strongly support resident artists. Writers groups in all genres (from screenwriting to novels) are spread throughout the Keys.

There is definitely a reason so many world-class writers and Play-rights have made and do make the Keys their home. Especially Key West. (“Ernest Hemingway” )

The musician and actor community here is strong. In conclusion, the arts community in the keys is strong and will even grow stronger. If you like the arts and a small community with lots of outdoor opportunities, The Florida Keys could be just your place. Wouldn’t it be nice to vacation here and not have to leave?

KEYS ARTS DIRECTORY

Writers groups in all genres (from screenwriting to novels) are spread throughout the Keys. There is definitely a reason so many world-class writers and Play-rights have made and do make the Keys their home. Especially Key West. (“Ernest Hemingway” ) The musician and actor community here is strong.

The Florida Keys Council for the Arts is the primary cultural umbrella for the Florida Keys and serves the population from Key Largo to Key West. A non-profit local arts agency, it makes grants, operates the Monroe County Art in Public Places program, sponsors seminars, and manages the online cultural calendar for the region.

It also manages the County's Tourism Development Council arts marketing grants and serves as a leading advocate for cultural tourism in lower Florida. In 1998, the Florida Keys Council of the Arts was designated by the Board of Monroe County Commissioners as the area's Local Arts Agency as provided by Florida Statute 286.011. Established in 1997 as the Monroe Council of the Arts Corporation.

The name was changed to the Florida Keys Council of the Arts in 2001. Today the organization is the liaison among cultural organizations, all levels of government and the private sector in encouraging and promoting the arts throughout Monroe County. The council endeavors to make the arts a part of the fabric of daily life.

From its inception through fiscal year end 2006, FKCA has awarded $433,916 in privately-raised funds and grants to literary, visual and performing artists and cultural organizations. Add to that sum the Cultural Umbrella event funding, the South Florida Cultural Consortium Visual & Media Artists Fellowships and The Art in Public Places commissions, and the total distributed in the Keys cultural community through FKCA’s efforts come to $2.5 million to date. The annual economic impact of the non-profit cultural community in the Keys is estimated at over $22 million.

The Florida Keys Council of the Arts, a non-profit,501(c) (3) corporation in a public-private partnership with local county government since 1997 serves 76,329 local residents and three million visitors annually. A ten-member board of directors guides the council, assisted by three alternate directors, two directors Emeritus and twenty-five advisory board members.

In conclusion, the arts community in the keys is strong and will even grow stronger. If you like the arts and a small community with lots of outdoor opportunities, The Florida Keys could be just your place.

Wouldn’t it be nice to vacation here and not have to leave?