Art Galleries and Art Spaces in Palm Beach and West Palm Beach

Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens, West Palm Beach

The Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens occupies the former residence of sculptor Ann Weaver Norton and her husband, Ralph, on two acres in the El Cid neighborhood of downtown West Palm Beach on the Intracoastal Waterway. Ann Norton lived and worked at 2051 S. Flagler Drive for 34 years until her death in 1982. She established the gardens in 1977, the same year the organization became a 501(c)(3) operating foundation.

The home was designed in 1925 by architect Maurice Fatio; Marion Sims Wyeth later redesigned it in the Monterey Revival Style. In 1948, the widowed Ralph Norton married Ann Weaver, a sculptor instructor at the Norton Museum, and that same year Norton invited Wyeth to design Ann's studio. The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1990.

The gardens were designed by Ann Norton and botanist Sir Peter Smithers and hold a collection of over 250 rare species of tropical palms, cycads and native plants. That palm collection is recognized as one of the largest public collections in Florida, and the gardens are an officially designated international arboretum. The largest tract of garden, containing the great brick sculptures, is designed in a natural, unmanicured style. The property is also described as a natural sanctuary in an urban area.

More than 100 works by Ann Norton are displayed throughout the house, studio and gardens, including nine monumental sculptures, eight in brick and one in granite. The artist studio displays larger-than-life models, armatures and studies that evolved into her monumental works. The home features coquina pathways and pecky cypress ceilings.

The gardens offer a schedule of exhibitions by recognized artists in an intimate residential setting, along with guided tours of the gardens and Ann Norton's original sculpture studio. Educational programs include Art and Healthy Hearts, Literacy Days, Earth Day, Garden Day and Annie V. Visits. The calendar also includes concerts such as Jazz in the Gardens, a Master Gardener in Residence Tour with CJ McCartney, Storytime in the Gardens, and the annual exhibition Sculpture in Motion: the Art of Pre- and Post-war Automobiles.

Ann Norton was born in Selma, Alabama, and received her first sculpting tool at age eight. She studied at the National Academy of Design, the Arts Student League of New York and Cooper Union, and with artists William Zorach, Leon Kroll and Jose de Creeft. She was a studio assistant to Alexander Archipenko, participated in group shows at the Museum of Modern Art and the Whitney Museum of American Art, and received two Carnegie Traveling Fellowships. In 2019, she was inducted into the Florida Artists Hall of Fame.

The site is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a member of the Historic Artists Homes' and Studios Program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Its mission is to enrich lives with nature, art and history.

Group tours cost museum admission plus $5 per person and require a minimum of ten people. Service animals are welcome and must remain on a leash or in a harness at all times. Access to the Norton House is via a vertical platform lift (32.5 inches wide by 53 inches deep) with a maximum capacity of 750 pounds. The gardens are wheelchair accessible via paved and gravel paths. On-street parking is available on Barcelona Road.

2051 S. Flagler Drive, West Palm Beach, FL · Official website

Armory Art Center, West Palm Beach

The Armory Art Center is housed in a 1939 Art Deco building in West Palm Beach, FL. The building was constructed in 1939 by the Works Progress Administration and designed by William Manley King in the Art Deco style. It served as a National Guard Armory from 1939 to 1982. The Art Deco stars on the façade date back to the summer of 1939. Before, during and after World War II, the Armory served as a training center for soldiers and National Guardsmen. The main building still houses a vault where the guns were stored, and the building behind it was the motor pool for repair and maintenance of jeeps and other military vehicles.

The Armory Art Center was formed after the Norton Museum closed its art school in 1986. A group of artists, art teachers and community activists then formed the center. Robert and Mary Montgomery provided $100,000 to renovate the National Guard building. The Armory Art Center, Inc., was incorporated as a Florida not-for-profit corporation on November 21, 1986, and commenced operations on July 1, 1987, as a community arts organization. The main building was renamed The Robert and Mary Montgomery Historic Armory Building. Montgomery Hall, the main exhibition hall, was dedicated on April 11, 1992. The building was certified on the National Register of Historic Places on June 11, 1992.

With a contribution from Jerold Kaplan in 1999, the Armory began converting the motor pool garage into a ceramics/sculpture complex named the Muriel S. Kaplan Building after an original Armory faculty member. In 2001, the Armory built the Young Artist Studio Facility, a two-story building dedicated to painting, drawing, printing and fiber arts. The Ansin Kiln Complex was dedicated in 2003. In December 2016, the Armory established the two-day West Palm Beach Arts Festival.

The Armory's mission is to inspire the creation and experience of art. It offers nearly 100 courses in 12 state-of-the-art studios, with hundreds of courses annually. Classes are for artists of all ages and abilities. It also offers workshops taught by national and international visiting master artists, summer art camps for thousands of youth, and is home to artists-in-residence from the United States and abroad. The center is a space for exhibitions, art salons, lectures and special events. It has taught thousands of emerging artists of all ages and cultures and has exhibited art in hundreds of shows.

The BraveHeARTS program promotes the rehabilitation of military service veterans through visual arts and the power of creative expression. In Spring 2023, the Armory Art Center launched a restoration project of the Old Armory Building.

Jill Brown is the Chief Executive Officer. The Board of Directors is an all-volunteer board that supports and advances the mission of the art center. The Armory Art Center is a not-for-profit, 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. It received a fifth-place prize of $70,000 from Wellington International's Great Charity Challenge.

Read our full profile of Armory Art Center

West Palm Beach, FL · Official website

The Peach, West Palm Beach

The Peach describes itself as PB County's Freshest Art Collective. It is located at 3950 Georgia Ave WPB 33405. The gallery building contains six studios, a gallery and a stage.

The Peach hosts monthly art walk weekends with live entertainment, creative vendors, open art studios and El Segundo restaurant. During the rest of the month, it hosts creativity, education and community events. The Peach is open Wednesday, Friday and Saturday 5:30–8:30. Individual studios and artists have their own hours and contact info on their studio pages.

Studio 1 features Victoria Monell and Nick Albano. Studio 2 features Anthony Burks and Erica Kyle. Studio 3 features Craig McInnis. Studio 4 features Scott Jeffries. Studio 5 houses the No More Starving Artists Foundation. Studio 6 features Kass O'Brien.

3950 Georgia Ave, West Palm Beach, FL 33405 · Official website

Oditto Gallery, Palm Beach

Oditto Gallery is a hybrid gallery that also provides digital assets with tangible art. It is located at 205 Worth Ave, Palm Beach, FL 33480, in the heart of Worth Avenue. Visits are by appointment only. The phone number is 561-490-3221.

Oditto Gallery is also a virtual art gallery showcasing contemporary artworks from both established and emerging artists. The gallery's collection includes a wide range of art styles and mediums, from renowned artists' masterpieces to new talent, including pop art and modern and contemporary artworks. It offers an immersive online experience. The website invites visitors to view the gallery online or on Instagram.

The gallery has access to many world-renowned artists, including blue chip artists Mr. Brainwash, Damien Hirst, Roy Lichtenstein and Petra Cortright. An interior design team helps create pieces to enhance a space. The gallery accepts Bitcoin as a digital currency.

The gallery has upcoming events in Palm Beach, FL and Newport Beach, CA. It also has a Jupiter, FL gallery and art galleries in Wellington, FL. The gallery is also referred to as Blue Chip Art Gallery in Palm Beach.

205 Worth Ave, Palm Beach, FL 33480 · Official website