Vero Beach Museum of Art

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Mission
The Vero Beach Museum of Art provides cultural leadership and enrichment for the public through a wide variety of educational, studio art and humanities programs; a diversity of quality exhibitions; and the collection, preservation and presentation of important American and international works of art.

Vision
The Vero Beach Museum of Art will be a cultural magnet for the Treasure Coast and beyond. It will be recognized locally, regionally and nationally for the significance of its exhibitions, the excellence of its collections and the exceptional quality of its interdisciplinary public programs, Museum Art School, educational offerings, Board and Staff.

Core Values
Excellence, Integrity, Exceptional Quality, Highest Professional Standards, Pride, Commitment, Diversity, Strong belief that the Visual Arts and Humanities make a tremendous difference in our lives.

The Vero Beach Museum of Art is the fulfillment of the combined efforts of two community-based arts groups: the Vero Beach Art Club, a nonprofit organization established in 1936; and the Alliance for the Arts, a separate nonprofit established in 1978 solely to create a regional Museum for the appreciation and teaching of the arts and humanities. The partnership raised $2.5 million from local private sources. The Vero Beach Museum of Art opened its doors to the public debt-free on January 31, 1986.

The Museum is the principal visual arts facility in a region of more than 800,000 residents and millions of tourists. The Museum's neoclassical structure commands a premiere position in the 54 acre Riverside Park, along the scenic Indian River and serves more than 75,000 residents and visitors annually through exhibitions, collections, gallery tours, studio and classroom art and humanities education for youth and adults, cinema, community events, lectures, seminars, concerts, dramatic performances, special youth events and cultural celebrations. It is applauded as the cultural and recreational heart of the community.

Since 1991, the Museum has been recognized by the State of Florida and the Florida Arts Council as an important cultural institution through competitive grant programs. The Museum was awarded Museum Accreditation from the American Association of Museums in March 1997.

In the twenty years since opening, the Museum has grown tremendously in its service to the local community, the region, and state.

The excellence of its programs and the high degree of public participation and support was recognized by author John Villani in his 1994 book The 100 Best Small Art Towns in America , who acknowledged the Museum as "one of the most active small-town arts facilities in the nation, with large areas dedicated to working artists, art exhibitions, (and) student instruction..."

The Museum's continuing growth is an expression of the community's interests, tastes and appetite for broad-based cultural offerings. The Museum is truly a "Museum" of high quality cultural education and enjoyment for the region, with expectations only of continued growth and professional development as demands from an expanding audience are met.

The Museum's Board of Trustees, launched an Expansion Campaign of $2,750,000 in January 1997. This fund raising endeavor actually surpassed its anticipated goal, raising nearly $6 million, and provided the capital funds needed to expand the scope and dimension of the Museum's exhibitions, programs, facility, and endowment.

The Museum's goal to create new dimensions of cultural service for the community and visitors included new classroom/studio space, permanent collection galleries, relocated and enlarged Florida Gallery and museum store, a multipurpose Great Hall, catering facilities, a porte-cochere, conference room, new entrance rotunda, library expansion, and many other enhancements.