Explore the unexpected with an open mind! Over the course of this generative workshop, participants can expect to draft several new poems inspired by prompts.
Tues-Sat, 10am-4pm
Sale runs online at tskw.org all day on Friday, November 24 (midnight-midnight). Or call our box office on 11/24 from 10am-4pm at 305-296-0458. Final price reflected at checkout.
Explore the unexpected with an open mind! Over the course of this generative workshop, participants can expect to draft several new poems inspired by prompts.
Using both chemistry and artistry, explore a creative way of painting through pouring different acrylic paints.
Wax on. Learn new techniques as you experiment with encaustic media with instruction from local artist Cricket.
Get your creativity flowing as you design and create your own mala with instructor and jewelry designer Karen Moore.
While Key West’s favorite artist recovers, his longtime friend and co-muralist Jack McDonald steps in as drill sergeant to help you discover talents you didn’t know you had.
Folk singer-songwriter David Wilcox tells stories full of heart, humor, and hope, substance, searching, and style, over a touring career spanning three decades.
Learn to engage in the mending traditions of Japanese Sashiko and Indian Kantha with indigo dyed textiles and threads.
Discover and recover your creative self! The Artist’s Way is an international bestseller and millions of readers have found it to be an invaluable guide to living the artist’s life.
Clothed and nude models will be available once a month for anyone wishing to brush up on their figurative work, take it back to basics, or try anatomical drawing for the first time.
Practiced improvisors and actors, Don Bartolone and Caroline Taylor, guide you through unprompted storytelling, hilarious skits and games teach you to think on your feet.
Walk through the basics of drawing, including perspective, scale and proportion, with one of The Studios’ favorite instructors, Douglas David.
Learn basic principles of oil painting overhead vistas and rooftops using short demonstrations.
Put words on the page and put yourself out there. Focus and motivate your inner writer, whether you have a novel in mind, are halfway done, or are completed.
Over the course of decades-long careers, Gilbert and Werner have built reputations as two of the country’s most compelling live performers through powerful lyrics and masterful musicianship.
A series of exercises designed to change the way you think about photography from writer and photographer Mark Hedden.
Explore astronomy over two nights! Learn what to expect from firsthand views of planets, star clusters, nebulae, and (if we’re lucky) a galaxy or two.
Sharpen your photo skills with casual guided photo walks and critiques with a local favorite photographer, Mark Hedden.
Practice intention setting, learn about essential oils, and create your own gemstone bracelet and essential oil roller blend.
Learn the basics of relief and intaglio printmaking with a DIY printing press. Get imaginative and scale it down with miniature prints on a miniature press!
Learn to write haiku and see how these powerful small poems can function as memoir, mediation, and prompts for longer poems and other creative writing.
Technical information, painting demonstrations and individual instruction, all with humor and entertaining anecdotes to help you enhance your individual painting skills.
Explore such forms as farce, realistic comedy, and high comedy through scene study and class discussion. Students present two-person scenes, with suggestions provided as needed.
Students will create their own stamps and stencils, and then use their newly minted tools to make designs on different rice papers and printed papers.
Learn the basic principles of oil painting specifically with regard to painting Key West Conch Houses and how to not overwork your painting.
Acclaimed author and journalist Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan offers pragmatic approaches to getting your nonfiction work out there.
Clip and curate. Ransome guides you through thoughtful experimentation, transforming a Little Golden Books into something brand new by collaging around and over a previous image.
Williams rose out of the vibrant mid-90’s Boston music scene, writing lyrics with bouquets of optimism, delivered on melodies alternating between beguiling lightness and understated gravity.
Two-time GRAMMY-winner Rodney Crowell arrived in Nashville in the early 1970s, coming to prominence first as a writer before establishing himself as a critically acclaimed solo artist in his own right.
Patty Larkin is a visionary of sound and wonder made of equal parts guitar wizardry, vocals shot through with soul and inventive lyrics that ripple across the terrain of the heart.
Darrell Scott is an acclaimed multi-instrumentalist/singer-songwriter and session musician with four Grammy nominations and a Nashville Songwriter Hall of Fame nomination.
Otis Gibbs is a songwriter, storyteller, painter and photographer. He has been likened to everyone from Guthrie to Springsteen, but his rare voice stands on its own.
Abbie Gardner is a fiery dobro player with an infectious smile. Her live show is truly unique, showcasing her as a songwriter, captivating vocalist, and world-class lap style dobro player.
The Studios of Key West’s mission is to support artists, inspire creativity and build community.
The Studios was founded with the vision of bringing world class artists to the island, connecting them with local audiences and artists, and offering space for both to explore their creativity. We’ve hosted Pulitzer prize winners, world renowned artists and musicians, and introduced thousands of students to different ways of seeing and working. Our Helmerich Theater stage bristles with talent, music from our rooftop concerts flood into the neighborhood, and every month hundreds of people visit The Studios to take in new experiences and catch up with old friends.
You’ll find that the Key West community is very welcoming to new people (especially creative ones!) – and there is never a shortage of things to do. Your time is yours to do with as you choose, of course, and we respect that you’ll need plenty of time to dream, reflect and create. We do ask that you join us at two events during your residency:
Depending on the time of year, a group of about 20-40 friends and community members gather together for an informal potluck and a chance to meet our residency artists. Guests bring a dish to share (bring whatever you’d like – from chips and salsa to your favorite recipe). About halfway through the night, each of the residency artists takes few minutes to introduce themselves and talk about their work or what they’re working on in Key West (remember, it’s very casual, so no PowerPoint presentations necessary!). Writers often like to read a very short bit of their work and artists often like to open their studios to show what they are working on – but neither is necessary, whatever you feel comfortable with.
Friends new and old are invited to join us for each month’s First Thursday Open House event, when we keep our lights on late and throw our doors open to celebrate the newest work in our galleries. Stop in to say hello, relax with a glass of wine on the rooftop terrace, tour the third floor artist studios and see the just-installed exhibitions in the Sanger, XOJ, Zabar Project and Zabar Lobby Galleries.
Key West is an island community, two miles by four miles wide, at the very end of the road. Most people get around on bicycle or foot, and the neighborhoods are compact and filled with lush gardens and tropical plant life. There are Cuban groceries and café con leche on every other corner, and a mix of Latin and Caribbean influences everywhere. Known for blue skies, open water and mangrove islands, and 80 degree days in winter, Key West is removed from the American mainland by 120 miles of bridges and small islands.
Long a home to artists and creative people, the ghosts of Hemingway, Robert Frost, Elizabeth Bishop, Mario Sanchez, and Shel Silverstein still haunt our Old Town neighborhood. Flowers bloom year-round, and fruit trees proliferate. And on any given day, it’s not unusual to run into modern-day creative people, such as Judy Blume, Billy Collins, Jimmy Buffett, Meg Cabot, Terrence McNally, John Martini, Seward Johnson, or Annie Dillard.
For a small community, Key West is rich in cultural events, creative projects, and celebrations of every kind. The population is diverse and compassionate, and takes to heart the island’s famous motto: One Human Family, which reflects The Studios’ commitment to living together as caring, sharing neighbors dedicated to making our home as close to paradise as we can. Our creative community is proud of this special sense of place. We embrace an independence from the mainland, celebrate our tropical and Caribbean influences, and seek out artists and cultural leaders wanting to do the same—and gain the benefit of exile in the Conch Republic.
Through generous sponsors we are able to provide the following extras to use during your residency:
BEST OF KEY WEST RENTALS. Generously provided your linens, bedding and towels.
FORT ZACHARY TAYLOR STATE PARK. We’ve got a pass for you to use during your stay.
KEY WEST YOGA SANCTUARY. The Yoga Sanctuary offers retreats and many classes in different skill levels. Yoga space is outdoor. More info on discount.
YOGA ON THE BEACH. Meet at Ft. Zach beach at 7am to flow with Nancy and Don. PEARs get your first class free!
KEY WEST PUBLIC LIBRARY. We’ve partnered with the library to offer you a library card to use during your stay. Key West Library has an extensive catalog of books and other media, plus e-books and audiobooks available for download.
LAZY DOG ADVENTURES. Kayak and paddle board tours, rentals, lessons and classes, paddle yoga, paddle fit, and fun boat adventures. They’ve generously offered paddle passed for PEARs!
WE*CYCLE. The fun way to get around town! Public transportation with 2 wheels. They provided your conch cruiser.
The Studios accepts applications on a rolling basis from January-May of each year for the following residency season. The season runs from October-September. There is a $45 application fee to apply which supports the program.
Applications are evaluated by selection committees comprised of working artists and professionals in the applicants’ respective fields of discipline under the five categories: Visual Arts, Literary Arts, Media Arts, and Musical Arts and Performing Arts.
Acceptance to The Studios’ PEAR Program is based on the merit of past work and the potential for creative, intellectual and personal growth through the time and space to imagine new artistic work, engage in valuable dialogue and explore island connections.
Key West’s official motto, “One Human Family” reflects our commitment to living together as caring, sharing neighbors dedicated to making our home as close to paradise as we can. To that end, we encourage artists of all races, nationalities, gender identities, sexual orientations, and abilities to apply.
A limited selection of short length (4′ or less) specialty hardwoods (mostly Cuban Mahogany) can be purchased from the Woodshop. Email woodshop@tskw.org for inquiries.
For a wider variety in wood types and length, we recommend our friend on Big Coppitt, Mike. He has a great selection and is nearby. His phone number is (305) 797-5747.
Address: 6810 Front Street, Key West, FL 33040
We’re located in Safe Harbor Marina on Stock Island, just down the docks from Hogfish Bar & Grill.
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With one of the tallest buildings – and most spectacular views – in town, the Hugh’s View rooftop terrace serves as The Studios’ creative space in the sky. The terrace sits four stories above street level and offers panoramic views of the island. The Kitwald Stage glows in the golden twilight of our sunset performances.
Hugh’s View offers:
—Smaller audience sizes
—Outdoor environment
—Intimate experiences
—A rooftop bar that opens one hour prior to show time
With original seating from its days as a Masonic temple, the Helmerich Theater has been updated to also include floor seating. As a black box theater, the set up is intimate but professional, and sets the stage for concerts and performances that leave guests feeling like they really got to know the performer.
Helmerich Theater offers:
—More space and comfortable chairs
—Indoor comforts
—Intimate experiences
—A walk-up counter bar that opens one hour prior to show time
The period for applying to 2021/22 residencies is now closed. We will begin accepting residencies for the 2022/23 season, which runs from September 2022-August 2023, in January 2022. If you would like to be notified by email when the application period opens again, please fill out this form.
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