Cultural Council for Palm Beach County Announces 2024-25 Season

Posted by: Linnea Bailey

October 1, 2024

Thirteen inspiring exhibitions featuring local artists and thought-provoking discussions will be presented at the Robert M. Montgomery, Jr. Building in Lake Worth Beach

LAKE WORTH BEACH, FL — The Cultural Council for Palm Beach County is bringing a dynamic season of arts, culture and community to The Palm Beaches, Florida’s Cultural Capital®!

Reflecting the Cultural Council’s mission to nurture, promote and support a healthy, diverse, and inclusive cultural sector, the Council’s 2024-25 season of exhibitions and events will showcase a spectacular variety of work by Palm Beach County-based creative professionals at the Council’s downtown Lake Worth Beach headquarters. Opportunities to experience the magic include a full schedule of engaging exhibitions in the Council’s three gallery spaces.

“Our new season kicks off with our Main Gallery exhibition ‘Quintessentially We’ this fall,” said Dave Lawrence, the Council’s president and CEO. “It is an exhibition celebrating shared experiences and cultural connections. In January, we will present ‘Reflections of a Century: Celebrating Boca Raton’s 100 Years through Art’ an exhibition that celebrates the 100th Anniversary of Boca Raton, followed by the juried show ‘Biennial 2025’ and our ‘2024 Artist Innovation Fellowship Showcase,’ which will showcase our 10 Artist Innovation Fellows and their work over the past year.”

Nine other vibrant exhibitions will also be featured throughout the season in the Cultural Council’s Gayle and Paul Gross Gallery (solo exhibitions) and Donald M. Ephraim Family Gallery. Discussions and special events with artists and members of the community will also be offered alongside the four Main Gallery exhibitions. All exhibitions and their related programs are free and open to the public. The Council will also host a free series of Culture Talks in partnership with The ArtsPaper, a monthly arts-focused publication distributed inside The Coastal Star newspaper.

“We are proud to be a voice and venue for Palm Beach County-based creative professionals,” Lawrence said. “For our main gallery exhibitions, we use open calls and studio visits to find new visual artists, and we’ll be bringing in accomplished guest jurors from across the country to give additional exposure to our artists. We employ a competitive process to select artists for our solo exhibitions as part of our ongoing commitment to equity and inclusion.”

Upcoming programming highlights include:

Gallery Exhibitions

Main Gallery: From November 22 through January 18, visitors are invited to experience Quintessentially We, an exhibition that celebrates quintessentially “we” experiences and cultural connections in everyone’s lives. From January 31 through March 29, the exhibition Reflections of a Century: Celebrating Boca Raton’s 100 Years through Art will honor the 100^th Anniversary of Boca Raton, featuring both historical images of the city and contemporary works by Palm Beach County artists.

Gayle and Paul Gross Gallery Exhibitions: Celebrate the work of individual artists, starting with Aldo Cherres: Horizons, featuring the work of an artist who draws inspiration from the endless shapes, forms, and colors in nature, October 25 through November 30. Next up is Debra Robert: HumanUnity, an exhibition of ceramic sculptures that reflect the artist’s experience of living with multiple sclerosis, December 6 through January 11.

Exhibitions in the Donald M. Ephraim Family Gallery: Visitors can take in Portraits of Community, in collaboration with the Children’s Services Council of Palm Beach County, an exhibition that highlights BRIDGES sites (community hubs that connect families with essential support and resources across Palm Beach County), on display November 8 through January 18. Next up is Memories of Boca Raton, an exhibition that explores the people and events that shaped the city’s heritage, on display from January 24 through March 29.

Artist Talks and Lectures

Culture Talks: The ArtsPaper, a publication founded in 2008 by a group of Palm Beach County-based arts journalists and part of The Coastal Star newspaper, has partnered with the Council to offer this popular discussion series (now in its third year) on select dates from November through March. Upcoming talks will feature Alastair Willis, principal conductor and artistic advisor of The Symphonia, in conversation with Greg Stepanich (November 16), and Ben Childs, leader of the band Killbillies and co-producer/co-presenter of the 561 Music Podcast, in conversation with Bill Meredith (January 11). All Culture Talks will take place at 2 p.m. at the Cultural Council in downtown Lake Worth Beach. Free admission; registration recommended by visiting www.palmbeachculture.com/council-events.

Palm Beach County Open Studios, MOSAIC and Professional Development

Other programs this season include Palm Beach County Open Studios (May 17 and 18, 2025) and the eighth annual MOSAIC (“Month of Shows, Art, Ideas and Culture”) program in May. Free professional development opportunities for cultural organizations and creative professionals will also be offered all season through the Institute for Cultural Advancement, the Council’s signature professional development program. The series culminates with the third Art & Tourism Summit: Access for All on August 12, 2025.

Culture & Cocktails

The Cultural Council’s popular Culture & Cocktails series returns for its 20^th season at The Ben in West Palm Beach, with fun and fascinating conversations scheduled for January through April. And save the date for the Council’s annual fundraising event An A-Muse-ing Evening: Art in Motion, a not-to-be-missed evening that will immerse guests in art and movement on Thursday, March 27, at The Hangar in West Palm Beach.

As a not-for-profit organization, the Cultural Council relies on donations from individuals, businesses and organizations to continue its mission to nurture, promote and support a healthy, diverse, and inclusive cultural sector here in Palm Beach County. Supporters are members of the Council who connect with other arts and cultural enthusiasts through engaging special events, programs and advocacy work to elevate the cultural sector. For additional information, visit palmbeachculture.com/support.

Sponsors for Quintessentially We include Florida Weekly and The Palm Beach Post, and sponsors for Reflections of a Century: Celebrating Boca Raton’s 100 Years through Art include Florida Weekly, Boca Magazine, WLRN and Legends Radio 100.3 FM. Sponsors for Biennial 2025 include Ellen Liman, Florida Weekly, Palm Beach Media Group, WLRN and ArtiGras Fine Arts Festival.

For more information on upcoming events or to become a member or sponsor of the Cultural Council and its programs, please visit www.palmbeachculture.com or call (561) 471-2901.

About the Cultural Council for Palm Beach County
The Cultural Council for Palm Beach County is the official support agency for arts and culture in The Palm Beaches, Florida’s Cultural Capital®. Headquartered in the historic Robert M. Montgomery, Jr. building in Downtown Lake Worth Beach, the Council presents exciting year-round exhibitions and performances featuring artists who live or work in Palm Beach County. The Council features spectacular work by Palm Beach County-based professional artisans in its Roe Green Uniquely Palm Beach Store and offers complimentary resources for visitors in its Jean S. and Frederic A. Sharf Visitor Information Center. The Council is open to the public Tuesday through Saturday from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. For more information and a comprehensive calendar of cultural events in The Palm Beaches, visit palmbeachculture.com.

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Media Contact:
Linnea Bailey (561) 713-0673
[email protected]