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Vero Beach Museum of Art: Created Entirely With Private Funds

I love Vero Beach Florida. There’s just something about the atmosphere in this little coastal town that is warm and inviting. Vero Beach, located right along the Atlantic Ocean, is a popular vacation destination just like much of the Sunshine State, but the vibe is different here. Tourists aren’t tripping over themselves, nor stepping on my freshly painted toenails! To me, Vero Beach has a more upscale feel. The casual elegance can be felt whether you’re driving through the older affluent neighborhoods, sneaking a peek inside the chic boutique hotels, sipping champagne in the classy dining rooms like the Ocean Grill, or window shopping the posh specialty stores.

But the very heart and soul of Vero Beach is in its arts and culture scene. Embedded within the borders of this beachside beauty you’ll find theater, opera, film, music, literature, and art. A lot of art! In fact, a thriving art community like this on Florida’s Treasure Coast was a bit of a surprise to me. I didn’t realize Vero Beach was so artsy. Everywhere you turn, this laid-back little town has a quietly sophisticated art gallery… or two or three or ten.

It’s no wonder then, that the Vero Beach Museum of Art (VBMA) is the nation’s largest art museum created entirely with private funds.

 

 

 

Vero Beach Museum of Art: Free Admission with American Horticultural Society Membership

I was excited to visit the Vero Beach Museum of Art (VBMA) for the first time. The Museum is located in a somewhat secluded section of town called Riverside Park, a sprawling park with a lush tropical setting. Across the street from the Museum of Art is the Riverside Theatre, named America’s largest small town professional theatre. This complex is the cultural epicenter of Indian River County. Between theatre shows, lecturer series, comedy acts, concerts, and special events, there’s always something going on here.

As hubby and I entered the Vero Beach Museum of Art, the cashier was friendly and welcoming. We received FREE admission because we are members of Bok Tower Gardens in Lake Wales, Florida. If you’re not familiar with the reciprocal benefits of the American Horticultural Society (AHS), you can view the program details here. Additionally, here’s a printable state by state list of the participating national botanical gardens, arboreta, and conservatories. With 320 museums, gardens, and attractions offering free or discounted admission, a Horticultural Society Membership pays for itself with just a few visits. In fact, a botanical garden membership made the cut for FloridaFunAndFork’s article “8 Unique Gift Ideas for Florida Residents.”

Regular admission price into Vero Beach Museum of Art for two adults is $20 ($10 each), so we saved 20 bucks on this visit! (Enough to buy two grande Caramel Macchiato’s from Starbucks — the perfect midday pick-me-up before heading to our next attraction!)

***TIP: The last Saturday of every month (unless otherwise indicated) is free Museum admission.

***NOTE: There is ample free public parking for the Vero Beach Museum of Art.

 

 

Museum of Art in Vero Beach — Small But Impressive

Certainly, walking into Vero Beach Museum of Art doesn’t have the same WOW factor as entering the Smithsonian or The Metropolitan Museum of Art, but then again, Vero Beach is far removed from the hustle and bustle of Washington D.C. or New York City! To me, Vero Beach Museum of Art is a direct reflection of Vero Beach itself… small but impressive!

The American and international art collections are displayed in a bright and airy contemporary setting. The Museum’s permanent collection includes over 880 works of art from the early twentieth century to the present, in a broad range of media — Glass, Paintings, Photography, Screen, Sculptures, Video, and Works on Paper. Each exhibit was small, but impressive and informative.

There were also three traveling exhibitions during our visit — Shadow and Light: The Etchings of Martin Lewis; Paul Outerbridge: New Color Photographs from Mexico and California, 1948 – 1955; and my favorite, Medieval To Metal: The Art & Evolution Of The GUITAR. (The latter was extremely interesting and educational.)

***NOTE: The Vero Beach Museum of Art has received TripAdvisor’s Certificate of Excellence Award, meaning they consistently earn great reviews from travelers. Additionally, the Museum is rated #5 of 85 things to do in Vero Beach.

 

 

Helpful Docents at Vero Beach Museum of Art

As with any quality art museum, there was an abundance of personnel (security guards, staff, and docents) strategically stationed throughout the museum. Don’t let their presence intimidate you. Simply obey the rules of conduct, (standard for most art museums), and they won’t bother you. Don’t touch the artwork, don’t let your kids run wild, and don’t use flash photography. Pretty easy to comply with, eh?

The docents at the Vero Beach Museum of Art are awesome! The lady helping us was extremely knowledgeable and passionate when explaining the history and/or creative process behind any given work of art. She was unpretentious in her approach, not attempting to impress with her knowledge, only wanting to inspire. Her only desire was to humbly present enough detail to instill a greater appreciation for what we were looking at. It was not information overload, by any means. She only contributed if we showed interest in a specific work of art, otherwise, we were free to browse without interruption.

 

Favorites from the Museum’s Permanent Collection

Even though Vero Beach Museum of Art is small by most museum standards, hubby and I spent about 90 minutes there. The Museum has an incredible outdoor sculpture garden that was worth at least 30 minutes of our time. (I could have easily lingered longer, but this was a travel day for us, therefore hubby was anxious to get back on the road!)

I’m pleased to share with you some of my favorite art from the Museum’s permanent collection…

 

 

This indoor sculpture by Federico Uribe is amazing at first glance. Then, when you realize what it is constructed from, it is even more spectacular! Take another look at my close-range shot on the right. Yes, those are actually wooden chopsticks and plastic forks! The creative mind of some artists is simply astonishing!

 

 

Here’s another work of art that is not what it appears to be at first glance. Actually, I was standing in close proximity staring at its beauty for quite a while before realizing what the material was. The horse sculpture looked as if it was made with twigs and tree branches, but it was pure bronze! The docent then approached me and explained the incredible detailed process that was used to create this sculpture.

The artist is famed sculptor Deborah Butterfield. Initially, Deborah uses found tree branches and wood pieces to create the horse sculpture. She then delivers the completed sculpture to a foundry who goes through the following process to make it into a bronze sculpture:

• The sculpture is photographed and each piece documented
• The sculpture is dismantled, one stick at a time, to be cast
• A ceramic shell coating is put over each stick
• Put into an oven until the wood is completely burned away
• The shell becomes the mold which is dipped into a plaster-based material and put into another kiln
• Molten metal (bronze) is poured into the mold
• Once solidified, the mold is broke open, and the cast cleaned
• The sculpture is reassembled using the original photographs
• Patina is applied by Deborah at the foundry to give the look of wood
• The sculpture is transported by truck to its new home (museum) and strategically placed using a crane

After hearing how the wooden pieces are all transformed into bronze, I was even more impressed with Deborah’s horse sculptures. There was a small one inside the Vero Beach Museum of Art and a life-sized one outside in the sculpture garden.

 

 

The above sculpture was formed with amber onyx by African-American artist and sculptor Elizabeth Catlett. In a career spanning more than 70 years, this granddaughter of slaves used much of her art to advocate for social change in the United States with themes relating to race and feminism.

 

 

Okay, honestly… this sculpture freaked me out! The lifelike security guard sculpture was so realistic that I actually ignored him when I first entered this exhibit room, thinking he was real. Previously, I mentioned the abundance of security personnel throughout the Vero Beach Museum of Art, so I thought this guy was one of them. It wasn’t until I seen hubby checking him out that I realized he was part of the exhibit. And even then, I very slowly walked up to him. Call me skeptical, but I’ve seen too many Disney human statutes that pose motionless for extended periods of time. I was expecting him to jump up and scare me at any moment! By the way… the name on his name tag was Art. How appropriate. He sure is a work of art!

 

 

Medieval To Metal: The Art & Evolution Of The GUITAR

Medieval to Metal is a touring Exhibition of The National GUITAR Museum. It traces the history and design of the world’s most popular musical instrument — from ouds and lutes to classical acoustic and modern electric. The exhibit included a nice variety of 40 historic instruments, along with illustrations and photographs of well-known guitar players of the last 100 years.

 

A few of my favorites from the guitar exhibit:

• The eye-catching angles, sharp points, and sweeping curves of the candy apple red Warlock Guitar. This one was made from acrylic and was popular with hard rock and metal guitarists as it produced loud, forceful, in-your-face music. It was used by artists like Paul Stanley of KISS, Kerry King of Slayer, Lita Ford, and members of Motley Crue.
• The Godwin Guitar Organ was fascinating with its 19 switches and 13 knobs, the most ever applied to a guitar body! This instrument could be played as a guitar, organ, or both simultaneously.
• The Italian-made EKO 700 was a visually arresting instrument with its dramatic curves, gold sparkle paint, large swaths of chrome, and more buttons than American guitars.
• The Rickenbacker 360/12 12-String was made famous by George Harrison of The Beatles when he played one in the film “A Hard Day’s Night.” The quasi-psychedelic sound of the 360/12 became synonymous with folk-rock in the 1960s.
• The Gretsch Chet Atkins 6122 Country Gentleman with its dark wood finish is the signature guitar of one of Nashville’s greatest pickers. The Chet Atkins Line was started in 1958 and remains a staple of the company’s offerings today.
• The image of The Gibson Flying V has become one of the primary symbols of the electric guitar, used as a generic representation  for Rock ‘n Roll in everything from television commercials to clothes. In fact, the world’s largest guitar is a 43.5 foot long replica of the Gibson Flying V.
• The “Crossroads” Guitar was commissioned to represent one of the oldest myths surrounding the guitar. Legend has it that great pioneering blues guitarists who worked their way across the southern United States would cut a deal with the devil. If they sold their soul to the devil he would grant them fame and fortune as rock stars for the rest of their life. Upon death, payment to the devil becomes due… the guitarist would accompany him to Hell! The carvings on this instrument are images of guitars, guitarists, graveyards, and demons.

 

 

 

 

Vero Beach Museum of Art Sculpture Garden

I love sculpture gardens. The fact that Vero Beach Museum of Art has a generously sized one certainly influenced my decision to visit. And I was not disappointed! The monumental sculptures are perfectly placed throughout a beautiful landscape of flowering trees, perennials, towering palms, and garden paths with benches for relaxation or meditation. In Florida’s cooler spring months the Museum hosts Concerts in the Park that attract more than 200 visitors each concert. Guests can listen to smooth jazz and soulful renditions while in a unique visual arts environment.

 

 

 

Children’s Art Zone at the Museum

The Vero Beach Museum of Art is not just for adults. They love to see children come through their doors as well. The brand new Art Zone is proof of that. On January 24, 2018 the Museum celebrated the grand opening of the interactive children’s space, after nearly 18 months in the making.

The Art Zone is a great way for families to explore art together. It features hands-on activities from floor to ceiling, and encourages kids to use all five senses as they play and explore. The Art Zone includes ten different play areas including magnetic and chalkboard walls, a giant puzzle floor, a ceiling comprised of the major constellations, a puppet theatre, a gallery wall, and an interactive projector wall. As I peeked inside the Art Zone, I could tell the children also love the white modular furniture cubes, which can be turned and shifted to create tables, chairs, tunnels, and cozy little reading nooks. My favorite part was the 25-foot-long interactive Sketch Aquarium. It was so realistic that young children must think they are actually swimming amongst the various sea life.

As attendance in family programs has tripled in the last several years, it was imperative the Museum construct a family friendly space for kids to connect with art., and they most certainly succeeded. As I stood in awe of this awesome haven for kids, looking up at the dazzling starry night ceiling, a toddler boy approached me with a musical instrument. He said, “You hold.” As I received his instrument he said, “You play.” Doing my best, I noticed he was smiling from ear to ear. Then this cute kid said, “You sing!” Having a young grandson of my own, I’m known to do almost anything to make a child happy. But sing, in public? Uh, no!

As I exited the Art Zone, I couldn’t help thinking that I will likely be seeing this little boy’s creativity on display in the Museum’s Eggert Children’s Gallery in a few years. An entire section of the Vero Beach Museum of Art features exhibitions of student artwork from schools and organizations serving K-12.

 

 

 

 

In Conclusion…

Sometimes, little can be much, when done right. For a small museum the Vero Beach Museum of Art is pretty impressive. It’s in a lovely setting, they have a great selection of artwork, and the traveling exhibitions are top-notch. The Museum includes indoor and outdoor exhibits, including the outstanding sculpture garden. Plan to spend 60-90 minutes here, and grab a coffee or light lunch at The Museum Café by Wood ‘n Spoon located in the Museum atrium (11am – 2:30pm, closed Sunday’s). And don’t leave without visiting the Museum Gift Shop where the offerings are well chosen, whether for personal pleasure or to give as a special occasion or hostess gift.

For art and design lovers, I highly recommend VBMA, especially if you’re passing through Florida’s Treasure Coast. For hubby and I it was time well spent in this little town and a very positive experience.

***NOTE: If you’re an art enthusiast who lives in the Vero Beach vicinity, the VBMA offers adult and children’s art classes in a variety of mediums. The Summer Art Camp is a popular option. You’ll also want to consider a Vero Beach Museum of Art Membership, with flexible plans starting at just $45.

 

Vero Beach Museum of Art Hours:

Monday – Saturday 10:00am to 4:30pm • Sundays 1:00pm to 4:30pm • Closed Mondays from Memorial Day through Labor Day.

Vero Beach Museum of Art Address and Phone:

3001 Riverside Park Drive
Vero Beach, FL 32963
Phone (772) 231-0707