FLORIDA KEYS COUNCIL OF THE ARTS
Press Release
Contact: Liz Young
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 305-295-4369
4/17/18

Arts Council presents The Connections Project plus Two Additional Exhibitions
6th Annual Arts Event Arrives at Gato Building on April 26th!

The Florida Keys Council of the Arts works to support all the arts, in all the Keys, all the time. The local arts agency launched its sixth annual Connections Project road show in Key Largo a few months ago and it has arrived in Key West at the spacious lobby at the Gato Building. The Reception is Thursday, April 26th from 5:30-7:30. The community is invited to visit the vibrant 24-foot mosaic mural created by local artists and art lovers. After connecting with the art, patrons can also collect art by making a $50 donation for one canvas or a $125 donation for three at the reception or online at www.keysarts.com. Once the show has ended, donors receive a randomly selected piece of the mosaic in the mail. Each work includes an artist statement providing insight into the origin of the work and the artist’s thoughts and inspiration. Proceeds from Connections Project directly benefit Keys’ artists and arts organizations through Arts Council grants. The reception is open to the public. Free parking is available at the Gato Building located at 1100 Simonton Street, so please join us. In addition to the Mosaic Project, we will have two other attractive exhibitions to view: “Tamiami Trail: In the Beginning” on the first floor, and “Colors of Spring” Members & Friends show on the second floor.

 “Tamiami Trail: In the Beginning” is an exhibition of original artworks by members of the Miami-based Tropical Botanic Artists collective. The botanical subjects were selected to mark the 100th anniversary in 2015 of the start of work on Tamiami Trail, a roadway begun in 1915 in Miami. Today it stretches across the Everglades from Miami to Naples and northward to Tampa, through areas that were largely wilderness a century ago. The exhibition’s 30-plus plant portraits depict species found then and now in multiple vegetation zones along the route. Due to human intervention and changes in water flow, some of the plants illustrated are rare or endangered, and their predominant locations may have shifted, but all persist in South Florida’s landscape.

“Colors of Spring” is an exhibition of original artworks by members and friends of the Florida Keys Council of the Arts. This exhibit, located on the second floor of the Gato Building, is a celebration of the beautiful hues of spring. With vibrant flowers and landscapes, “Colors of Spring” showcases the joy of color, and the hope that accompanies each spring season. These two additional shows are part of the Art Council’s “Art in Public Buildings” Program.

For more information call the Florida Keys Council of the Arts at 305.295.4369 or visit www.keysarts.com.

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