CONNECT TO THE ARTS

THIS WEEK

June 4 - 11

ART COUNCIL'S GRANTS CALL

Grants for Monroe County Artists, Arts & Cultural Organizations

Open through June 30, 5 pm

Florida Keys Council of the Arts

Art Builds Community Grant - Encouraging collaboration and audience building by emphasizing access to the Arts for all communities. Awards of $5,000, $7,500 & $10,000 available for projects that will spark conversations, spur social change and make our community stronger.

Artists In Schools Grant

INNOVATION and COLLABORATION equals EDUCATION. Awards of $2,000 available for teaching artists.

Special Project Grant

CREATIVITY and SUPPORT equals NEW OPPORTUNITY

Awards of $2,000 available for a project that has a beginning, middle and end.

Click HERE for details and online applications.

Questions email director@keysarts.com.

ARTIST RECEPTIONS

REUNION: Cathy Rose and Aase May

Wednesday, June 4, 5:30 - 7:30 p.m.

Jag Gallery

1075 Duval St. Suite C-23, Key West

Yhe two first exhibited together at the former Lucky Street Gallery and 28 years later they pair up again with new works in assemblage and paintings.

Click HERE for details.

Mango Madness Annual Summer Members Show

Thursday, June 5, 6 - 8 p.m.

Studios of Key West

533 Eaton St., Key West

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. The exhibit will be on view June 5 – July 31.

Click HERE for details.

LECTURES

Distinguished Speaker Series: Romance, Politics and a Lost Manuscript

Thursday June 5, 6 p.m. - 7 p.m.

Tropic Cinema

416 Eaton St., Key West

This talk will be based on the newly released book Tears & Flowers: A Poet of Migration in Old Key West. A rare glimpse into the history of the Cuban community in Key West in the early twentieth century, this book makes the poetry of Feliciano Castro available in English for the first time.

Click HERE for more information

Art by Mario Sanchez

Mario Sanchez

Daily, 2 p.m.

Gallery on Green

606 Greene St, Key West

Mario Sanchez, 1908 American, whose art tells the unwritten history of Key West and in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian American art Museum, and the American of Folk Museum in New York.

Click HERE for more information

ARTIST MARKETS

Waterfront Farmers Market

Thursday, June 5 (Every Thursday), 2-7 p.m.

Farmer's Market

Truman Waterfront Park, Key West

(end of Southard Street)

Culinary, beverages, produce, seafood, apparel, gifts, and art.

For more info contact Sean@dailyplan-it.net

Island Home: Local Artisan & Gourmet Market

Friday, June 6 (Every Friday), 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Island Home

88720 Overseas Hwy, Tavernier

Pick up and indulge in Artisan Breads, Local Honey, Nut Butters, Homemade Jams, Oils, Spreads, Dried Fruits & Veggies, Baked Goods, and more!

ART STROLLS

First Fridays on Fleming

Friday, June 6, 6 - 9 p.m.

500 block of Fleming to Grinnell St., Key West

Vibrant boutiques, galleries, antique stores, artist studios, restaurants, a cocktail lounge, bookstore, yoga

Click HERE for more information.

CALL TO ARTISTS/WRITERS

Call To Artists for the POOLSIDE 2025 juried show

Deadline July 31

Jag Gallery

1075 Duval St., Space C23, Key West

Jag Gallery announces a Call To Artists for the POOLSIDE 2025 juried show. Now in its 6th year, the call is for 2 and 3D original artwork including painting, photography, sculpture, and drawing with "swimming pool" as part of the subject or main subject. POOLSIDE 2025 runs from August 9th - 31st Prizes awarded.

Click HERE for Entry and full details.

FESTIVALS & FUNDRAISERS

JUNE: LGBTQ Pride Month

June 1 - 30

various times & locations

Pride Month, sometimes specified as LGBTQ Pride Month, is a month-long observance dedicated to the celebration of LGBTQ pride, commemorating the contributions of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) culture and community. Pride Month is observed in June in the United States, coinciding with the anniversary of the 1969 Stonewall riots, a series of gay liberation protests.

The Stonewall Uprising: The Start of A Movement Exhibit

On Display through July 5

Key West Museum of Art & History

281 Front St., Key West

Key West celebrates Pride Week June 22 - 29

Click HERE for schedule & more information.

Coralpalooza – 10th Anniversary Celebration

Thursday through Saturday, June 5 - 7, 5:30 - 7:30 p.m.

Comedy Club

218 Whitehead St., Key West

Held every year to honor World Ocean’s Day and World Reef Awareness Day, this event mobilizes hundreds of ocean lovers in Florida and around the world to take large-scale action aimed at restoring our planet’s disappearing coral reefs. It offers SCUBA-certified divers hands-on restoration opportunities while allowing snorkelers to explore the broader context of coral reef conservation.

Tourist Town Animated Short Film: First look Staged Reading and Fundraiser

Friday, June 6, 5:30 - 7:30 p.m.

Comedy Club

218 Whitehead St., Key West

The animated film is about island misfits who are tired of the tourists! When a bridge expansion project threatens to demolish their favorite bar, it's the last straw! They come up with a hair brained idea to blow the bridge, not thinking of the consequences. Acts from comedians, script reading, behind the scenes animation, silent auction and raffle.

Click Here if you can’t Make the Event But Want to Support This Performing Arts Project.

The International Ocean Film Festival

Saturday, June 7, 5 - 8 p.m.

Florida Keys Eco-Discovery Center

Truman Waterfront Park, 33 East Quay Drive, Key West

Join Reef Relief for an inspiring evening of film, conversation, and community as we honor World Oceans Day and shine a light on the challenges—and hope—for our marine ecosystems.

Sample craft brews from our new partner, Carib Brewery, and enjoy interactive educational booths throughout the Eco-Discovery Center — perfect for ocean lovers of all ages!

View five award-winning short films from around the world that reflect the global threats facing our oceans—many of which echo the challenges we face here in the Florida Keys, including resiliency adaption, declining ecosystem health, and plastic pollution.

Dive deeper into the film themes and their local relevance with a dynamic panel. Panel Discussion Immediately Following Films.

Click HERE for more information.

REEF Ocean Exploration Center: Grand Opening

Saturday, June 7, 3 - 7 p.m.

REEF Campus

98300 Overseas Hwy., Key Largo

The new REEF Ocean Exploration Center for Marine Conservation is to be unveiled June 7, 2025, in honor of World Oceans Day in a free grand opening celebration from 3 to 7 p.m. After the ribbon cutting, the center will be open with a variety of hands-on activities and demonstrations. Local food trucks and drink vendors will be there to add to the celebration. The center, located in the median of U.S. 1 at mile marker 98, is designed to inspire curiosity and wonder for the oceans, foster scientific research and collaboration, and serve as an immersive experience that helps everyone discover their unique role in protecting our blue planet.

Click HERE for more information.

Summer Solstice Celebration at Mallory Square, June 1-20

Nightly, one hour prior to sunset

The Dock at Mallory Square, Key West

Every evening in Key West, locals and visitors gather at the waterfront Mallory Square for the world-famous Sunset Celebration, to enjoy the unique gathering of skilled artisans, exciting performers, and local vendors — and to toast the setting of the sun. Beginning June 1, a colorful series of special events and performances will take place nightly from 7 p.m. until after sunset, leading up to the June 20 Summer Solstice, the official first day of summer. Please check link below for schedule.

Click HERE for more information.

LITERARY

Keys Writers Meeting

Wednesday June 4, 1 p.m.

Big Pine Library Conference Room

Winn-Dixie Shopping Plaza, Big Pine Key

Explore writing in a fun, supportive environment with the Keys Writers Group! All styles and abilities are welcome. Participants may bring up to five pages, double spaced, to read aloud. If you can, bring 5-7 copies to share. The group offers feedback in a friendly, constructive way. Not ready to share? Come to a meeting to get acquainted and offer feedback. "Writers need readers!"

Call 305-849-0294 or email joan@vestaastrology.com

THEATER

16th Annual tah-DANCE!

Friday & Saturday, June 6 -7, 4-7 pm

Marathon Community Theater

5101 Overseas Hwy, Marathon

Community Dance Showcase! Experience the Art of Dance through the MCT Dance Department, local community Dance Studios, Dance Groups and individual Dancers during an evening of dance numbers created to entertain and enthrall our audience.

For more information, click HERE.

MUSIC

Key West Jazz Society Duo

Thursdays, 4-7 pm

Hemingway Social Club

201 Simonton St, Key West

Vintage and Latin Jazz with Channing (clarinet, sax, flute) and company.

For more information, click HERE.

Jazz In The Gardens on Sundays

Sundays, 5-7 pm

The Gardens Hotel

526 Angela St., Key West

DANCE

Learn to Dance with Lucy & Friends

Tuesdays, 4:30 p.m Thursdays: 6 p.m.

Swing, Latin & Ballroom

Williams Hall, 729 Fleming St Key West

Fridays, 7 p.m.

Salsa & Salsa Rueda

CoffeeMill Dance Studio

804 White St, Key West

Private lessons for all occasions

CoffeeMill Dance Studio

For information and private lessons call or text Lucy at 305.745.5578.

Click HERE for more information and for up-to-date calendar.

ARTIST CLASSES

Workshops

Dates and Times vary

Florida Keys Watercolor Society

The mission of the Florida Keys Watercolor Society is to promote the fine art of water based painting through fellowship and education within its membership base. The Shows, Workshops, and Paint-Outs offered by the FKWCS invite its participants to immerse themselves in the joy and rewards associated with the water based medium.