Vero Beach Art Club members expanded their reach west of town with an inaugural On Location Fine Arts Festival at the Pointe West Country Club’s Heritage Pavilion.

Tented exhibition spots were spaced out along the park’s paved walkways for the two-day event, which featured works by local and regional artists. That left ample room for visitors to view the collections, which included a wide range of works, from paintings and ceramics to jewelry and woodworks.

Interspersed with musical entertainment and raffle drawings for donated prizes, some of the artists offered demonstrations from the pavilion, sharing glimpses into their techniques and talents.

Event chair Michelle Nevaeh of Nevaeh Creates, who makes stunning hand-carved exotic and live edge wood creations, came up with the idea. She also serves on the VBAC board, and said membership spiked after the onset of the pandemic, increasing from 300 members to almost 600.

“And we’re getting a lot more diversified artists, a lot better caliber of artists,” said Nevaeh. “As I was getting more entrenched into the club, I thought, we need art shows to support all these artists that are coming our way.”

She began approaching local country clubs to ask if they would be open to having a show, and is currently in talks about having another one in December 2024 at the Vero Beach Outlets.

“We’re calling it Vero Beach Art Club On Location, and it’ll be at different locations,” said Nevaeh.

“My goal is, in season, to have at least one substantial art show every month, in addition to what we’ve traditionally done, so that more of our artists can get out there and get more exposure and opportunity to show and sell their work. Because we’ve got a formidable sized group at this point.”

This inaugural show took about a year and a half to plan, she said. It evolved from a small show with tables in the clubhouse, to a one-day show and finally to a two-day juried show to ensure quality.

“The sales were good and overall, we’re really happy with the results,” said Nevaeh. “We believe this can grow into a sizable show in time.”

The event also featured a Motor City Classic Car Show, with unique, colorful beauties gracing the street behind the pavilion. After visiting their showroom, Nevaeh said she spoke to owner Adam Logemann about exhibiting at the show. He not only brought a selection of his own beautifully restored, rare vehicles for viewing on Saturday, but he also enlisted two other classic car groups to bring a selection of their cars on Sunday.

“I think that in time, this is going to be like a mini Under the Oaks. I think that we’ve got a good plan to really elevate the level of art and keep this show growing up,” said Nevaeh.

“From my understanding there’s going to be a lot of construction going on in this western corridor and so I believe that in time the show is just going to keep growing in attendance.”

For more information, visit VeroBeachArtClub.org.

Photos by Joshua Kodis