Great Moments

As the Vero Beach Museum of Art ends its 30th anniversary year, we take a look back at some of the great moments on the journey from a local community art center to a major accredited regional art museum. 

Two significant building expansions, one in 1999 and the other in 2011 and 2012, brought the facility to its present 75,200-square-feet. The expansion of programs is just as impressive. The museum has continued to look outward to the needs of residents and has sought local collaborations and partnerships to frame activities to better serve the ever-changing challenges of this diverse community. The institution has accomplished this while staying focused on its vision and core values.

Filling the galleries, halls and studios with family-oriented activities and events from the summer camp to the year-round interactive programs is a non-stop endeavor. The public programs for adults – the art school, lectures and seminars, film and opera studies, jazz and chamber music concerts, and ballet performances – have expanded as well. 

Two giving societies took on important challenges and now play significant roles. The Athena Society supports acquisitions to the permanent collection and to date has added 17 works of art that include paintings, sculptures, prints, drawings, glass and other media. The Circle, a group of more than 100 women, focuses its philanthropy on ensuring the viability of the education and outreach programs.