arts & entertainment

For its December gallery offering, the Center for Spiritual Care will feature a group show of artist members of Vero’s Friends of Contemporary Art (FOCA).  The Center is located at 1550 24^th St. in Vero Beach, two blocks north of the main public library.

Opening Dec. 3 with a reception from 5 to 7 p.m., “Viva FOCA!”  will feature two- and three-dimensional works by Vero artists Rita Barone, Ellen Fischer, Xaque Gruber, Susan Hale, Jill Kerwick, Charlotte Cain LaJoie, Madeline Long, Gustav Miller, Janvier Miller, Suzanne Roff, Barbara Rowles, Janet Kipp Tribus, Emily Tremml and Tim Sanchez.  Each artist will present one artwork fresh from the studio.

The exhibition will be open by appointment only throughout the month.  Call 772-567-1233 to arrange a time and date.  Further information about the show is available at the Center’s website, centerforspiritualcare.org.

Center Director Carol Ludwig said that some of the show’s artists have lived in Vero Beach for years, while others are relative newcomers. What each has in common, is their membership in Friends of Contemporary Art.  FOCA is a local group of art lovers who wanted to gather with like-minded others to visit artists’ studios, hear lectures by experts in the field, and visit museums that focus on the art and artists of today, she said.

The idea for FOCA came from Bernadine Speers, a member of FOCA’s board of directors. The former Indiana resident remembered her days with the Contemporary Arts Society (CAS) of the former Indianapolis Museum of Art. Unlike CAS, however, Vero Beach’s FOCA is not affiliated with any other institution. 

Ludwig pointed out that it is unnecessary to be an artist to join the group.  She said FOCA is open to anyone interested to experience and learn about new art by artists from around the globe.  Membership information is available at 772-226-9483.