Narratives

Roberta Marks

8 Tuesdays, February 11 – April 1

10am-2pm

Sanger Gallery

$215, $195 mbrs.

Find inspiration in the subjects and images of your lived memories in this seminar-style class, where you’ll engage in in-depth assignments across diverse art mediums.

Photo Walks

Mark Hedden

Thursdays, January 30, February 13, 27 & March 13

3:30-5pm

Sanger Gallery / Offsite

$35, $25 mbrs. per session

Take a walkabout with photographer Mark Hedden and hone your photography skills. On these casual, guided walks, Hedden shares expert technical tips for taking better photographs and works with each student to help frame the perfect composition. All levels of experience are welcome. Just bring a camera or smartphone and a willingness to look at the island from a fresh perspective.

Guy Hermelin

Gallery Talk

Thursday, October 17, 5pm

“Cosmic Colors & Costumes” on view October 3-31, 2024

Sanger Gallery

Guy discusses his body of work currently on view in the Sanger Gallery. Experience the vibrant fusion of colorful abstract paintings, fashion illustrations, wearable art, and elaborate costumes. He’s been in the gallery crafting a spectacular 10×10 foot carnival costume in preparation for this year’s Fantasy Fest! See the progress he’s made so far and return all month to keep up with it.

Gardens of the Imagination

Winter Members’ Exhibit

Opens Thu Dec 5, 6-8pm

On view December 5-22, 2024

Sanger, XOJ, Zabar Project and Zabar Lobby Galleries

The gardens we live with are an expression of who we are as much as the clothes we wear: wild or restrained; moody or ebullient; carefully nurtured or joyfully haphazard. Each is a product of the soil from which it arises, touched by inspiration. Of course, our gardens in the Keys are stocked with shapes and colors you won’t find anywhere else – especially in December! Our annual winter exhibition is a cornucopia of ideas and images that grew in the minds of our members, or blossomed before their eyes.

image: Lori Larusso, PEAR alum

sponsored by We*cycle Bicycles

A Fifty Year Retrospective

David Wegman

Opens Thu Apr 3, 6-8pm

On view April 3-24, 2025

Sanger Gallery

Long-time resident and self-described pirate David Wegman epitomizes Key West’s bohemian spirit. His artwork vividly portrays his seafaring life, bringing to life the vibrant places he has explored and the colorful characters he has encountered along the way.

Liquid Cities

Gerson Fogaça

Opens Thu May 1, 6-8pm

On view May 1-29, 2025

Sanger Gallery

Fogaça captures the fluidity of contemporary urban landscapes. He translates Polish sociologist Zygmunt Bauma’s concept of “liquid modernity” into art, reflecting the constant transformation of cities due to technology, migration, and climate change. His vibrant paintings, characterized by fluid lines and organic forms, invite viewers to experience cities as dynamic, evolving entities, blurring the lines between reality and imagination while capturing the essence of modern urban life. “Liquid Cities” was presented at the ACA Santander Gallery in Spain in 2024.

Mango Madness

Annual Summer Members’ Show

Opens Thu Jun 5, 6-8pm

On view June 5 – July 31, 2025

All Galleries

Every member of The Studios is invited to participate in our annual members’ exhibit, and the result is a bounty of creativity in every form and style imaginable. We don’t ask artists to make work about mangoes exactly, but we do hope that the work brings them – and you – similar joy.

image: Debra Hill

sponsored by Gallery on Greene

Cosmic Colors and Costumes

a universe of fashion and fantasy by Guy Joseph

Opens Thu Oct 3, 6-8pm

On view October 3-31, 2024

Sanger Gallery

Immerse yourself in a dazzling exhibition where fine art meets couture costume design. Experience the vibrant fusion of colorful abstract paintings, fashion illustrations, wearable art, and elaborate costumes. Throughout the month, the artist will be crafting a spectacular 10×10 foot carnival costume in preparation for the Fantasy Fest parade. Return often for a unique behind-the-scenes opportunity to witness its transformation from sketch to finished masterpiece.

Raised in Key West and trained in Los Angeles and Italy, Guy Hermelin merges his fine art background with his award-winning fashion design skills. Guy’s journey from learning acrylic painting with local legend Rick Worth to becoming a prominent figure in the Key West fashion scene is reflected in this multi-media solo show. Join us for an unforgettable spectacle that showcases the talent and vision of a home-grown, award-winning artist.

Trading with the Enemy

Duke Riley

Opens Thu Jan 2, 6-8pm

On view January 2-30, 2025

Sanger Gallery

Duke Riley’s groundbreaking project Trading with the Enemy returns to Key West for the first time since its original 2013 debut. In that audacious work, Riley trained a flock of pigeons to smuggle cameras and Cuban cigars across the 90-mile stretch from Key West to Havana, transforming these unassuming birds into poignant symbols of resistance. At the center of the exhibition is Riley’s original pigeon loft, made from found materials and stocked with live pigeons. The exhibition also includes video documentation of the pigeons’ historic flights, painted portraits of individual birds on repurposed Key West roof tiles, and related works that delve into themes of migration, ingenuity, and exchange. Its resonance has only grown in recent years, with the continued US embargo, and the historic exodus of millions of Cubans in the post-pandemic era.

Duke Riley’s thoughtful, sometimes humorous and often provocative work has been featured in some of the most prestigious institutions in the world, including MoMA, the Smithsonian, and a major solo exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum in 2023. He is known for ambitious and daring performative works as well as handmade objects made from trash and repurposed materials that borrow from folk traditions to critique contemporary politics and material consumption.

made possible by Laura Lee Brown and Steve Wilson, sponsored by Little Palm Island

Submerged Serenity

Debra Hill

Opens Thu Nov 7, 6-8pm

On view November 7-28, 2024

Sanger Gallery

Drawing inspiration from the vibrant flora and birdlife of her native Australia, Debra delves into the intricate relationship between humans and nature, as well as the connections we have with ourselves and one another. She believes that nature uniquely encourages introspection, especially during challenging times. Her pieces incorporate a vibrant fantasy element, transporting the audience into an enchanted, surreal underwater world of swirling nature.

From the intense, diverse energy of New York, Debra Hill creates powerful narrative works drawn from her imagination. Her work is bold, whimsical, colorful and symbolic. Her color palette is inspired by the intense light of the southern hemisphere of her youth. Under vivid blue skies, nature’s colors pulsate with life. She is drawn to the unnatural juxtaposition of images and fantasy. Whimsy is often expressed through symbolic use of native birds.