Florida_Keys_Council_of_the_Arts
Florida Keys Council of the Arts
American cultural organization
Florida Keys Council of the Arts is a leading cultural organization in the Florida Keys, and serves the population from Key Largo to Key West. A non-profit local arts agency, it makes grants, operates the Monroe County Art in Public Places program, sponsors seminars, and manages the on-line cultural calendar for the region . It also manages the County's Cultural Umbrella grants process, under the Tourism Development Council and serves as a leading advocate for cultural tourism on lower Florida. In 1998, the Florida Keys Council of the Arts was designated by the Board of Monroe County Commissioners as the area's Local Arts Agency as provided by Florida Statute 286.011.
The Florida Keys Council of the Arts is currently the main source of information on arts and culture in the Keys. The Council also presents residencies and concerts by performing and literary artists, rotating exhibits in public buildings by visual artists, and music in public places by local musicians in a hospital, a convalescent center, two airports, three government buildings, four senior citizen centers, five county commissioner offices, and six to twelve schools.
The Council also maintains an artist registry; publishes and distributes a weekly and quarterly Cultural Calendar, gallery guide, and a map to historic WPA artwork in the Keys; as well as maintaining the website, www.keysarts.com. The executive director, Elizabeth S. Young serves as staff and liaison to the County Art in Public Places Committee and the City of Key West Art in Public Places Board. Other ongoing initiatives include managing a county-wide Performing Arts Network, a Children's Festival of the Arts, and (with The Studios of Key West and Sculpture Key West) helped facilitate the 2007 Arts Speak gathering for local cultural leaders.