ARTS AND CULTURAL Events ~ CCIRC

Performances & Events

Riverside Theatre presents The Comedy Zone,  Wild. Untamed. Hilarious. Riverside Theatre’s Comedy Zone Experience is the Treasure Coast’s best stage for Live Stand-Up Comedy.  December 3 & 4  featuring headliner Mutzie and opening act Mike Murillo.

Riverside Theatre presents Live in the Loop.  Come hungry, hangout, rock-out or chill-out!  December 3, The Jacks Band with holiday songs mixed with classic rock. December 4, The Real Deal a rock n’ holiday concert.

Wind Quartet Welcomes the Season At Vero’s Center for Spiritual Care December 1, 7 pm

With music from Bach to Bliss, the Tropical Winds Quartet will bring in the holiday season with its annual concert at the Center for Spiritual Care. 

The quartet is composed of musicians who spend most of their time performing with professional orchestras and chamber groups. They are Jane Weise, flute; Debbie Pillorge’, oboe; Bonnie Meyers, clarinet; and Edward Sheridan, bassoon. The program will also feature a guest performer, flutist Toby Connery.

The Center is located at 1550 24th St., at the corner of 16th Ave., in Vero Beach. Seats are available by calling 772-567-1233. 

The Environmental Learning Center (ELC) in partnership with AAG Live will welcome the holiday season with its annual WinterGreen Night Lights

December 2, 3 & 4.  December 9, 10 & 11, 5:30 – 8:30 pm

Explore the Environmental Learning Center’s 64 acre Lagoon Island campus as it is transformed into an enchanted mangrove forest professionally illuminated with endless holiday lights! Enjoy free kid crafts, music, festive photo opportunities and food concessions. ELC’s WinterGreen Night Lights features activities for folks of all ages! 

The Community Church of Vero Beach offers  “Advent Organ and Poetry”on December 2, 11am – noon.  This program features Director of Music and Fine Arts and organist Andrew R. Galuska and readings from nationally recognized poets from across the United States. Located at 1901 23rd Street, Vero Beach.

Vero Beach Art Club Annex presents “Florida Treasures”

On View December 2 – January 17. Tuesday – Friday, 11 am – 3 pm, Located at 1903 14th Avenue, Vero Beach.

First Friday Gallery Stroll December 3, 5 -8 pm

Enjoy art along the avenue as the galleries in the Historic Downtown Arts District open their doors for browsing and shopping. Light refreshments available at various locations. Free to the public. 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). Opening on December 3, 5 – 7 pm, On View through December 31. The Center is located at 1550 24th St., at the corner of 16th Ave., in Vero Beach

“Enchanted Christmas Ball” an original performing arts production on  December 5, 2 – 7:30 pm.  Join the City of Vero Beach Recreation Department’s 200-student cast as they present “Enchanted Christmas Ball”,  an original holiday production, combines amazing acrobatics, beautiful dancing and daring aerial acts into an original script. Performance at Vero Beach High School Performing Arts Center, 1707 16th Street, Vero Beach.

An Inaugural Concert featuring the Youth Winds and Percussion Ensemble will be held at First Presbyterian Church on Sunday, December 5, at 4 pm. The newly-formed Youth Winds and Percussion Ensemble features instrumental musicians from Oslo Middle School, Gifford Middle School, and Vero Beach High School. This holiday-themed performance will take place in the sanctuary at 520 Royal Palm Boulevard in Vero Beach. Admission is free to the community; a $10 donation is suggested to benefit all First Presbyterian Church Youth Music Programs.

Gallery 14 presents VISUAL POETRY: Derek Gores, Cliffton Chandler, Joan Earnhart and Maslowe

On View through January 28

Gallery receptions scheduled: December 3, 5 – 8 pm.

This multi-faceted exhibit is sure to please a multitude of tastes.

According to Derek Gores, curator of the event: “Focus will be on communicating beyond words, beyond intellect and in trusting the dream state.”

Art in Public Places Program sponsored by the Cultural Council of Indian River County at Indian River County Courthouse

Last week for viewing through December 9.

Solo Exhibit – Barbara Landry, “Freestyle”

The A.E. Backus Museum & Gallery presents the special exhibition

“Made By Hand: 50 Years of Collecting from Florida CraftArt”  On View through December 31

Featuring the artistic works of a selection of Florida’s most distinguished fine craft artists, including Laura Militzer Bryant, Kimberli Burns Cummings, John Eckert, Christine Federighi, Nneka Jones, John Mascoll, and Duncan McClellan.  Contemporary fine craft includes handmade ceramics, wax encaustic, fiber, glass, jewelry, metal, mixed media, and wood, beautifully created with expert craftmanship, design skills and the artists’ individual expression. Made By Hand features more than 50 works in a wide variety of media, technique and traditions. The exhibition celebrates the cultural significance of fine craft as art, showcasing the Sunshine State’s rich and varied traditions.

Made By Hand is organized by Florida CraftArt located in St. Petersburg, Florida. Formerly known as Florida Craftsmen, the organization was founded more than 70 years ago as a statewide association to recognize and document the artistic and cultural significance of Florida’s skilled crafts, and to elevate these art forms to the status they so rightly deserved.  

The Museum is located at 500 N. Indian River Drive in Historic Downtown Fort Pierce.

Nature-inspired Artist Series

The Environmental Learning Center presents the Nature-inspired Artist Series. Artwork will be on exhibit during the month of December in both galleries. Stop by during business hours (Monday-Friday 8-5pm Saturday-Sunday 8-4pm) to view the nature-inspired work of Trish Brannon and Sandra Johnson. General admission is required. Environmental Learning Center, 255 Live Oak Drive, Vero Beach

Vero Beach Museum of Art American Perspectives: Stories from the American Folk Art Museum Collection In partnership with the Art Bridges Foundation

On view through January 2, in the Holmes and Schumann Galleries

The exhibition includes over 90 American folk art objects, spanning from paintings and pottery, to quilts, needlework, and sculpture. The fascinating artworks span the entirety of our nation’s history, offering first hand testimony to the people, places, and events of our culture. 

Art in Public Places Program sponsored by the Cultural Council of Indian River County at the IRC Administration Buildings A & B, 1801 27th St., Vero Beach. Portraits and People ~ Member Exhibit

On View through January 5

Impressions of Light Exhibit ~  Art at The Emerson Gallery.  On view through January  6.  Local photographers exhibit. Gallery hours: Monday – Friday, 10 – 3 pm. Art at the Emerson Gallery, 1590 27th Ave., Vero Beach

Art in Public Places Program sponsored by the Cultural Council of Indian River County at the Intergenerational Recreation Center

Mixed Media ~ Member Exhibit

Feature the work of: Steve Reid,  Sheila McAvoy, Yvonne Steere, Judy Burgarella, Gail Jaffe, Mark San Souci, Richard Gillmor, Tara Rovani,  Gwenn McNenney & Ella Chabot. On View through January 26

Artists Guild Gallery is a fine-art gallery featuring original art by local artist-owners. Diverse styles and mediums are represented, and the art is changed, and rotated on a monthly basis. Classes are offered in oil, watercolor, acrylics, pastels, and drawing.  Located: 1974 14th Avenue, Vero Beach.

Gallery Hours: Tuesday – Friday, 11am – 3pm

McKee Botanical Garden presents Dinosaurs Around the World: The Great Outdoors 

Through May 1, 2022.  In this specially constructed outdoor version of the popular Dinosaurs Around the World exhibition, visitors will be whisked back in time on a dinosaur adventure and a tour of an Earth that’s very different from the one we inhabit today.  Travel back to the time before the continents as we know them existed, when arid deserts covered Brazil and polar darkness was the norm in Australia! With advanced animatronics, a multi-layered narrative, cutting-edge research, in an outdoor environment surrounded by nature, you’ll experience the Age of Reptiles brought back to life!  Dinosaurs Around the World: The Great Outdoors is open daily to the public Tuesday through Saturday from 10 am – 5 pm and Sunday from 12 pm – 5 pm. The last admission ticket is sold at 4 pm and the Children’s Garden closes at 4:30 pm. Tickets are available to purchase at McKee Botanical Garden and www.mckeegarden.org.