More than 80 community members, artists and art lovers came together on a recent Wednesday evening for the grand opening reception of “A Mosaic of Keys Artists: Florida Keys Council of the Arts 2026” hosted by Kona Kai Resort & Gallery in Key Largo. The annual traveling exhibit is organized by the countywide arts council with pop-up exhibit events countywide through April.
With nearly 150 unique canvases created by artists from Key West through Key Largo, subject matter and medium varied as each artist used their talents to create work on a 6″ x 8″ blank space. For a $100 donation to the arts council, the not-for-profit local arts agency, attendees can select a canvas to take home from the events. Each of the 10 scheduled pop-ups will include new canvases from additional artists.
The Art Guild of the Purple Isles, a member-supported Upper Keys-based visual arts nonprofit, had more than 25 works on display, with many of those same artists in attendance.
“We’ve created the Connections traveling exhibit for 15 years, trying different themes and methods to keep it fresh; however, one thing never changes – the amazing talent of our Keys visual artists,” said arts council executive director Liz Young. “Most recently we added a musical component to the receptions to showcase our performing artists throughout the Keys. We have partnered with the chambers of commerce to bring art into local businesses, expanding our reach to new audiences beyond our fabulous arts community, and we’re proud this year to have received an Impact for Good grant” from Community Foundation of the Florida Keys.The next event is a booth at the Big Pine and Lower Keys Nautical Market on Saturday, Jan. 24, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m, at the Lower Keys Chamber building. An evening reception in Islamorada is set for Tuesday, Feb. 17, 5:30 p.m., at the Islander Resort in conjunction with the Islamorada Chamber After Hours. The full schedule is at www.keysarts.com.
