The life and adventures that brought Helen and Ben Harrison to Key West nearly 50 years ago sounds like something that only happens in books and movies.
In fact, it’s a book Ben Harrison wrote himself in 2014 and titled “Sailing Down the Mountain.”
The Key West they discovered upon arrival from Costa Rica in 1979 was an island that no longer exists, but it’s the one we all wish we’d experienced. And it’s an island that still exists in the 800 block of White Street, at the property Ben and Helen bought in the 1980s, after living on their handmade boat that was docked at what is now Truman Waterfront Park, but was back then a sprawling military property that the U.S. Navy had largely abandoned.
“Back then, Truman Annex looked as if the Navy had just picked up and left one day, planning to return shortly, but never making it back,” Ben recalled.
The Harrisons’ early Key West years were spent living on the 38-foot boat they’d built by hand in Costa Rica. (See? I told you it’s the stuff of adventure tales.)
That property at 825 and 827 White St. ultimately became their home — and their livelihood — when they first opened a combination music store and art gallery to suit both of their passions. Ben had always written music, songs, stories and books, while also performing his own music. He had gotten a job playing music at Two Friends on his second day in Key West.
Ben Harrison has since become an accomplished author and musician, perhaps best known for his meticulous research and retelling of “Undying Love,” one of Key West’s most macabre but true love stories.
Helen was an art school-trained sculptor who worked mainly with wood. But her truest art education didn’t come from any classroom.
“She learned the most when we were building our boat in Costa Rica from 1972 to ’77,” Ben recalled, scrolling through digitized photos of their old 38-foot La Dulce Mujer Pintada (The Sweet Painted Lady).
“She learned to expertly use all the tools and mastered the art of shaping and turning wood into what she wanted it to be while we were building that boat together,” Ben said. “I always say we built the boat, but in a real sense, the boat built us as well.”
The art gallery eventually subsumed the music shop. Harrison Gallery became a full-time home for Helen’s own work and that of others in 1986.
The love and admiration Ben still shows for his wife is as unmistakable as it is mutual.
“I couldn’t do any of the things I do without him,” Helen said, as she has countless times before. “He’s my technical adviser and engineer who figures out how to execute whatever I envision.
“This gallery has been my door to the world, given all the artists I’ve shown from everywhere. And we’re so blessed because Key West has always attracted such a wealth of good people, talented artists and enthusiastic collectors,” Helen said.
The gallery currently features vibrant paintings by Jean Carper alongside Helen’s intriguing wooden sculptures, handmade jewelry and more.
The pair has planned an entire year of art shows and musical performances for the gallery’s 40th anniversary. For a schedule of each, visit harrison-gallery.com — but more importantly, stop into 825 White St. for a glimpse at the extraordinary lives and art that Key West helped to cultivate.
