CONNECT TO THE ARTS

THIS WEEK

NOVEMBER 6 - 13

THEATER

Stand Up If You’re Here Tonight

Thursday through Saturday, November 7 - 9, 8 p.m.

Waterfront Playhouse

407 Wall St. at Mallory Square, Key West

A love letter to the theatrical experience, the show features Jim Ortlieb who delivers a tour-de-force performance as a man desperate for connection, bent by isolation and deeply in love with the audience itself.

For more information, click HERE.

ARTS COUNCIL

Members Show 2025:

CALL FOR ARTISTS

Art drop offs

Key West: by appointment

email director@keysarts.com

Upper Keys

Saturdays, November 9 & 16, 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Kona Kia Resort and Gallery

97802 Overseas Hwy., Key Largo

This season's show is open to all current members, who are encouraged to share a work or two that expresses our love of the beauty of the Keys theme: Then & Now - Artists of the Keys.

We will feature our Member artists' works along with precious artworks we are honored to share that we have received over the years from estates and families of the Keys.

Click HERE for the direct submission link.

FESTIVALS AND FUNDRAISERS

Tails on Trails

Saturday, November 9, 10 am - 12 pm

Key West Botanical Garden

5210 College Rd, Key West

Tails will be wagging at the Key West Tropical Forest & Botanical Garden and maybe you will find your new best friend! This 2nd annual pet friendly event will introduce dog lovers to the benefits found at the Garden. There are 12 trails meandering through forests, meadows, and boardwalks that are perfect for walking your dogs. Highlights include: FLSPCA Adoption & Education Booth ~ Options to volunteer ~ Dog themed vendors ~ Dog Obedience Demonstration ~ Playground & Crafts for the Kids ~ and Pet Safe Plant sale

Click HERE for more information.

Key West Annual Film Festival

Wednesday - Sunday, November 13 - 17, various times

Various locations, Key West

Showcase of films that capture creativity and diversity. Major fall films from Pedro Almodovar, Barry Jenkins, Billy Corben, Michael Gracey, Gia Coppola and others. More than 75 films will be shown during the 5-day festival.

Click HERE for more information.

An Evening Concert in the Garden (Fundraiser)

Sunday, November 17, 5:30 - 8 pm

Key West Botanical Garden

5210 College Rd, Key West

Enjoy an evening under the stars in the Garden with cocktails and dinner while listening to the musical styling of Spanish Classical Guitarist Mateo Jampol in the open-air Garden Courtyard. This will be a magical evening with dancing and a silent auction featuring original pieces from local artist Alan Maltz.e

Click HERE for more information.

Key West Sunset Celebration

Daily one hour prior to sunset

The Dock at Mallory Square, Key West

A nightly arts festival of arts and crafts exhibitors and psychics, street performers, food carts, and of course the thousands of tourists from around the world who visit this Key West art show.

Click HERE for more information.

CALL TO ARTISTS

60th annual Key West Art & Craft Festival Seeks Artists

Open through November 11. 5 pm

Calling all Artists! Apply for the 60th annual Key West Art & Craft Festival to be held February 22-23 on the Quay at Historic Truman Waterfront Park. Sponsored by the Key West Art Center Applications accepted through ZApplication.

Click HERE for more information. For online application, click HERE.

Questions? Contact the Art Center 305-294-1241 or Susann D’Antonio 305-304-6005.

Call to Artists: Anne McKee Artist's Fund Auction

Open through November 8

The Anne McKee Artists Fund of the Florida Keys, Inc. announces a Call to

Artists for the 2025 Fine Art Auction. The auction and tropical gala will be held on Friday, February 21st at The Studios of Key West. The auction will also feature a Tribute to Anne McKee, who passed away this year at the age of 100.

Each participating artist receives 50 percent of the proceeds from the sale of their work, while the McKee Fund receives the remainder to award to other Keys visual, literary and performing artists for select projects.

Only 40 entries will be accepted due to space and time limitations. The Anne

McKee Artists Fund of the Florida Keys, Inc., in its sole discretion, determines

whether art submitted will be accepted for auction.

Click HERE for more information and to apply.

Grants for Monroe County Artists & Arts Organizations

Open through November 30, 5 pm

Florida Keys Council of the Arts

Artists In Schools Grant

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

Click HERE for online application.

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 online application.

Questions email director@keysarts.com.

Call to Artists: Gardens - Winter Members’ Exhibition

Drop off: Thursday through Tuesday, Nov 14-19, 10 a.m. - 4p.m.

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.

Click HERE for more information and to apply.

A Child with the Blues by Erykah Badu, by Mary Yardley

Call to Women Artists: From a Woman's Hand

Open through January 30, 2025

Drawn entirely from the Florida Keys community, the exhibit illuminates the remarkable achievements of women artists who have been marginalized for centuries. Gender bias is less obvious today, but contemporary women artists still face many barriers and disparities, as well as continual underrepresentation in museum collections and exhibitions worldwide. The innovative exhibition concept challenges conventional boundaries, inviting artists to create artwork that expresses ideas about the natural world.

Click HERE for more information and to apply.

ARTIST RECEPTIONS

First Thursdays at The Studios

Thursday, November 7, 5 - 8 p.m.

Studios of Key West

533 Eaton St., Key West

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

Click HERE for more information.

“Sidetracking”: A Photographic Exhibit by Annette Nina

Saturday, November 9, 2 p.m.

Key Largo Public Library

Tradewinds Shopping Plaza

101485 Overseas Hwy, Key Largo

Embark on a visual adventure with Annette Nina, a Florida Keys local photographer, as she presents her captivating exhibit "Sidetracking" .

The exhibit features an eclectic mix of photographic themes that promise to engage and inspire. There will be an informational talk from the artist at 2 pm.

Art Demo by Andy Baxter

Thursday, November 14, 3:30 p.m.

Key West Art Center

301 Front Street, Key West

Keep your finger on the pulse of the Key West Art Center by joining us for our monthly meeting. Enjoy refreshments and an artist demo by wire & glass sculptor, Andy Baxter. Free & Open to the Public.

Click HERE for more information.

Underwater Photography Gallery

Thursday, November 14, 5 -7 p.m.

Underwater Photography Gallery

22627 La Fitte Drive, Cudjoe Key

The exhibit features marine life of the Florida Keys, behavior and photography techniques. Mike and Suzanne Lombard have been diving and photographing underwater around the world for over 40 years. They support ocean conservation and recovery of threatened/endangered species such as manatees, turtles, sharks, dolphin, and other rare/ endemic aquatic life.

Click HERE for more information.

ARTIST MARKETS

Waterfront Farmers Market

Thursday, November 7 (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, November 8 (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!

LECTURES

"Attracting Wildlife" with Janice Dubquesnei

Thursday, November 7, 1:30 p.m.

Key West Garden Club

1100 Atlantic Blvd, Key West

The club's first meeting of the season presentation discusses native plant options in the landscape and some of the wildlife that the use of native plants species will attract.

Click HERE for more information.

CFK Poetics: Gabrielle Calvocoressi

Thursday, November 7, 5:30 p.m.

Tennessee Willliams Theatre

5901 College Rd., Key West

Acclaimed poet Gabrielle Calvocoressi will present a live reading of her work and take questions from the audience. The event is free for all attendees.

CFK Poetics is a series that aims to develop awareness of an immersion in the humanities landscape by connecting students and the community with poetry on the national level in a way that is immediate to their own experiences.

Click HERE for more information.

Distinguished Speaker Series: Dry Tortugas, A Stronghold of Nature

Thursday, November 7, 6 p.m.

Tropic Cinema

416 Eaton St., Key West

An immersive journey into the stunning beauty, rich biodiversity, and fragile ecosystems of Dry Tortugas National Park, this presentation and accompanying book combine captivating photographs with insightful narratives to highlight a remote archipelago that has profound ecological significance. Conservation photographer Ian Wilson-Navarro shares his images and experiences created through time at one of America's most remote National Parks. 6 to 7 p.m., Tropic Cinema, 416 Eaton St.

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 Sanchez images..

LITERARY

Keys Writers Meeting

Wednesday, November 6, 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!"

Key West Writers Guild

Saturday, November 9, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.

La Brisa, Poolhouse

901 S. Roosevelt Blvd., Key West

Meets monthly for writers’ critiques, fellowship and provides workshops and advice for new writers. Newcomers welcome.

Click HERE for more information..

Literary Seminar Writers' Workshops Program Accepting Applications

Now Open

Our Writers’ Workshop Program provides writers at all stages of development with opportunities to explore the craft of writing.

Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, Small Miracles: an Exploration of Short Story; Hilton Als, Key West and the Queer Home (all genres); Lynne Barrett, Plot and Structure, Structure and Plot (all genres); Malinda Lo, Developing the Young Adult Voice (fiction); Ange Mlinko, Writing Poetry Alongside the Iliad (poetry); Safiya Sinclair, The Intersection of Home, Memory and Imagery in Memoir (nonfiction).

Enrollment is typically limited to twelve participants per workshop to ensure individual attention.

For information and application link, click HERE.

FILM

72 Hour Film Challenge

Tuesday, November 12, 7 p.m.

Williams Hall

729 Fleming St., Key West

The 72 Hour Film Challenge is back! Come support our brave local filmmakers who had just 72 hours - that's right, only three days and nights - to turn their wild ideas into cinematic “masterpieces". Expect the unexpected: from last-minute plot twists to accidental comedy gold. It's not just a film showing, it's a testament to what happens when caffeine meets creativity. Come laugh, cheer, and support your local filmmakers in this unique, sleep-deprived adventure!

Click HERE for more information..

Free Outdoor Movies: Back to the Future

Friday, November 8,Dusk

Fort East Martello

3501 South Roosevelt Boulevard, Key West

Enjoy delicious food from our vendors, including fresh-squeezed lemonade, frozen treats, and all your favorite snacks. Plus, don’t forget the free popcorn, courtesy of First State Bank of the Florida Keys which benefits the Key West High School!

Click HERE for more information..

Bob Mackie: Naked Illusion

Monday, November 11, 7:30 p.m.

Tropic Cinema

416 Eaton St., Key West

Join Tropic Cinema and Legendary Costume Designer BOB MACKIE for a special evening celebrating Mackie's remarkable career. The event will kick off with a members-only cocktail party sponsored by Julien's Auctions at 6 PM, followed by a screening of the captivating documentary which chronicles the remarkable six-decade journey of one of fashion’s most iconic figures. The evening will also include an intimate live conversation with the legendary designer, moderated by local host Randy Roberts.

Click HERE for more information..

M3M Movie: Welcome to Kutsher’s; The Last Catskill Resort

Monday, November 18 , 7:30 p.m.

Congregation B’nai Zion

750 United St., Key West

Click HERE for more information..

MUSIC

The Carole King & James Taylor Story ft. Phoebe Katis and Dan Clews

Saturday, November 9, 8 p.m.

Taking you on an incredible journey through the careers of the six - time Grammy Award winner, twenty-time platinum hit maker Carole King, five-time Grammy Award winner, and American folk legend James Taylor, this is a show not to be missed!

Rogers, Richie & Robinson

Monday, November 11, 8 p.m.

The songs of Kenny Rogers, Lionel Richie & Smokey Robinson like you've never heard them!

Andy Summers of The Police

Tuesday, November 12, 8 p.m.

In 2006 his autobiography One Train Later was released to great success and was voted the number one music book of the year in the UK. The film Can’t Stand Losing You based on the book had a theatrical release in the US by Cinema Libre in March 2015. The DVD of the film was released on July14th 2015, along with Andy’s latest CD–Metal Dog. Since that time he has recorded two more CDs Triboluminesence and Harmonics of the Night.

Dancing With The Celts

Thursday, November 14, 8 p.m.

Top Irish musicians have united with the finest Nashville players to create the new sound and energy of The Celts. TC perform a fresh hybrid of Irish Americana which combines their own rootsy originals and tight vocal harmonies with fiery Irish Trad instrumentals

Key West Theater

512 Eaton St, Key West

For more information, click HERE.

Evening Concert with Mateo Jampol in the Garden

Sunday, November 17, 5:30 - 8 p.m.

Key West Botanical Garden Society

5210 College Rd., Key West

Enjoy an evening under the stars with cocktails and dinner while listening to the musical styling of Spanish Classical Guitarist Mateo Jampol in the open-air Garden Courtyard. This will be a magical evening with dancing and a silent auction featuring original pieces from local artist Alan Maltz.

For more information, click HERE.

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

ARTIST CLASSES

Life Drawing Classes

Annamarie Giordano Artist

Tuesday, November 5, 11 - 2 p.m.

3 hours of continuous drawing. All levels and mediums are welcome. Reservations are required and classes are held in Key West.

Reservations are required text 609-884-3474 or email annamariegoirdanostudios@gmail.com.

Weekly Classes

Sacred Space

529 Southard St., Key West

Enjoy Dulce Vida snazzy margaritas while you meet more than 5 different local artists at this all female gallery. We will have Ashli Tillett Designs, Drifting Through, Washed Ashore Seaglass, pottery by Wildflower Art and Zen Jewelry by Karen Moore popping up in the gallery. You will have the chance to meet each of the artists and shop their new work during this fun event!