The Vero Beach Museum of Art opened its doors in 1986 and is the largest cultural arts facility of its kind on Florida's Treasure Coast. This accredited Museum offers state, national, and regional art exhibitions, a sculpture garden, studio classes, gallery tours, museum store, workshops, seminars, film studies, family events, and cultural celebrations.
The Vero Beach Museum of Art provides cultural leadership and enrichment for the public through a wide variety of educational, studio art and humanities programs; a diversity of quality exhibitions; and the collection, preservation and presentation of important American and international works of art.
The Vero Beach Museum of Art is the fulfillment of the combined efforts and vision of two community-based arts groups: the Vero Beach Art Club, a nonprofit organization established in 1936; and the Alliance for the Arts, a separate nonprofit established in 1978, solely to create a regional center for the appreciation and teaching of the arts and humanities. The partnership raised $2.5 million from private community sources. The Vero Beach Museum of Art, known at the time as the Center for the Arts, opened its doors to the public debt-free on January 31, 1986. In 1999 it launched a successful expansion campaign, which doubled the size of the facility to a total of 54,444 square feet. In 2002 it changed its name to the Vero Beach Museum of Art. The Alice and Jim Beckwith Sculpture Park, a one-acre site on the Museum's south side, opened on February 1, 2007 as an additional "changing exhibition gallery" for outdoor works of art. In 2010 further expansion included an additional sculpture park at the Museum's entrance to house works from its permanent collection and the addition of a Vestibule on the front entrance to prevent potentialy damagining air exchange as part of the plan to renovate the HVAC system. In addition its center open-air courtyard was enclosed with a sky roof allowing for more usable space all year long. The Museum is the principal visual arts facility on Florida's Treasure Coast, and serves a three-county area. Its neoclassical structure commands a premiere position on 7 acres in the 54 acre Riverside Park, along the scenic Indian River, and serves more than 80,000 residents and visitors annually. Through its exhibitions, collections, gallery tours, studio art and humanities classes for youth and adults, educational programs, school programs, outreach programs, film studies program, community events, lectures, seminars, concerts, special youth events and cultural celebrations, it is applauded as the cultural heart of the community. The Museum was awarded accreditation from the American Association of Museums in April 1997 and received Subsequent Accreditation in 2008, recognizing the institution for its professionalism, quality of programming, exhibitions, and community engagement. Over 25 years, the Vero Beach Museum of Art has grown tremendously in its service to the local community, the region, and state. The Museum's continuing growth is an expression of the community's interests, tastes and appetite for broad-based cultural offerings. Truly a "center" of high quality cultural education and enjoyment for the region, the Museum predicts continued growth and professional development as demands from an expanding audience are met. The Museum provides overall cultural leadership and balanced service to the community.