Rae Marie Crisel, Rosemary Polsky-Newman and Dorothy Napp Schindel [Photo: Mary Schenkel]

A steady stream of visitors wandered into the newly opened Vero Beach Art Club Annex during the March First Friday Gallery Stroll, following a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Its location, in the same Corner Shoppes complex that also houses the Raw Space Gallery and Project Space 1785, makes it the perfect addition to the Downtown Arts District.

VBAC president Rosemary Polsky-Newman said that when it was first founded in 1936, the club held classes, workshops and a variety of other community-centered activities.

“Over the years, we have gotten to be a show-producing organization more than a community serving organization. And we really, a lot of us newer members, felt that the club was not serving the community’s needs,” said Polsky-Newman. A survey of club members indicated that roughly 80 percent agreed they needed their own space.

She explained that while shows helped artists who wished to exhibit at the club’s regularly scheduled Art in the Park or annual Under the Oaks events, it did not help artists who didn’t produce pieces very often or other people who might just want to take classes.

“We’re going to have a schedule of classes, which we’re going to start the week of March 23,” said Polsky-Newman. In addition to creative classes, they plan to hold some in areas such as the business of art, how to frame and mount paintings properly and even Photoshop for artists.

During Friday Gallery Strolls and those Saturdays, their classroom space will become a gallery of art club members’ works, reverting back to a classroom on Sunday.

“We also are going to have salons and meetups where artists can get together to paint together or schmooze or have meetings. It’s our clubhouse,” she added. “We’re very, very excited to be able to be doing this. We haven’t had our own space for over 20 years.”

When the Vero Beach Museum of Art first opened its doors, the Art Club had gallery and classroom space, but as the museum grew it modified its focus, serving the greater community rather than the community of artists. Although the VBAC will continue to have a small office at the museum, all of its classes will now be run out of the Art Club Annex.

The works of Vero Beach Art Club members can be viewed at galleries and public venues around town, as well as at Art in the Park, various Sundays by Humiston Park.

For more information, including an Annex class schedule, visit verobeachartclub.org.