If you bought tickets to attend “Viva Italia,” the Vero Beach Museum of Art Gala 2021, by all means, don’t forget it starts 6 p.m. tomorrow, Friday, Jan. 29. Your purchase of those tickets (starting at $550) was a deep-pocketed act of generosity for the museum. It should be a wonderfully romantic concert with Michael Amante and Marissa Famiglietti, and a sumptuous dinner. In addition to the Gala, museum staffers are being kept busy by two exciting art exhibitions, “Chul Hyun Ahn: New Light” and “Poetry of Nature.” Moreover, its Film Studies program is underway. It offers five-week online courses of films from classic, contemporary, domestic and international films. The courses are streamed on computer or on TVs equipped with Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Firestick and Google Chromecast. The films are presented by Film Studies coordinator Diane Thelen at 1:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. Tuesdays. The cost is $80 for members and $96 for non-members. Some films are rated R for a variety of reasons. The series includes: Film Studies 3 “To Tell the Truth: Movies Inspired by Real Events” running through Feb. 2. That section looks at films with intriguing “stranger than fiction” stories such as the French film “Le Semeur.” Film Studies 4 “Behind the Battlefield: Personal Stories in Times of War” runs Feb. 9 through March 9 and explores human interest stories depicted in a series of international films dealing with war, such as the French film “Un Sac de Billes.” Film Studies 5 “Beyond Sleepy Hollow: Stories of Early America and the Hudson River Valley” runs March 16 to April 13. This runs concurrently with the museum’s art exhibition, “Poetry of Nature: Hudson River Landscapes from the New York Historical Society.” For more information or to register, call 772-231-0707 or visit VBMuseum.org and click onto “Programs and Events” and then onto “Films.” The Vero Beach Museum of Art is at 3001 Riverside Park Dr.
Get out into the fresh air and enjoy some art by area artists in “Art by the River.” The exhibition is presented by the Sebastian River Art Club and runs 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. this Saturday, Jan. 30 at Riverside Park, 600 U.S. 1 in Sebastian. The club has more than 150 members working in a wide range of mediums and styles. The pandemic has been a challenge for the artists in getting their work out to the public, which has been understandably hesitant to leave their safe cocoons. But an outdoor show is just what people need to venture out and see what others have been up to. Just be sure to wear those masks and keep 6 feet apart. For more information, visit SebastianRiverArtClub.com or check out their page on Facebook.
The Hope for Families Center will have its annual dinner 6 p.m. Monday, Feb. 1 at the Bent Pine Golf Club. This is an important fundraiser for an important organization dedicated to helping Indian River County’s homeless families and their 145 homeless children. Monday’s fundraiser also includes cocktails and a silent and live auction. Tickets start at $250 per person. The Bent Pine Golf Club is at 6001 Clubhouse Dr., Vero Beach. For information about the fundraiser, call 772-567-5537, ext. 334 or visit HopeForFamiliesCenter.org.
The Childcare Resources of Indian River will hold its “Starfest 2021” fundraiser online 9:30 a.m. Monday, Feb. 1 to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 2 on Zoom. The event includes raffle drawings with many high-end prizes, such as laser treatment by White Orchid Spa, jewelry at Leigh Jewelers, and a case of wine donated by Matilde and Dale Sorensen. For more information, visit ChildCareResourceIR.org or call 772-567-3202.