Glass art pops up at Whitney Beach

Longboat Key is a mecca for glass art, at least for the month of February.

In addition to the glass art exhibition at the Longboat Key Center for the Arts, there is a pop-up gallery at Whitney Beach Plaza’s former marketplace space.

While the exhibit at the arts center focuses on more figurative glasswork from 21 artists, the pop-up gallery features abstract work from 20 artists. Both galleries feature renowned artists from around the world.

“You don’t realize what you have here,” LBKCA Director Jane Buckman said. “You find something like this in a big city, not a little place like Longboat Key.”

The galleries mark the second year LBKCA has collaborated with Habatat Galleries in Royal Oak, Mich.

“It’s been absolutely wonderful,” said Habatat Galleries founder Ferdinand Hampson. “It’s sometimes hard to do things long distance, but Jane and the Longboat Key Center for the Arts have been wonderful.”

Buckman and Hampson decided in the fall to have a pop-up gallery, and Buckman thought Whitney Beach Plaza would be the right place.

After negotiations, Whitney Beach Plaza owner Ian Black leased the space for $1.

“It was virtually unoccupied for four or five years,” Buckman said. “And it was close to the Arts Center, so it just made sense.”

The 20 artists featured at the pop-up gallery each have two sculptures on display.

“The artists you see here and at LBKCA, these artists are on the forefront, the current hot artists in contemporary studio glass,” Buckman said. “These artists are from all over the world, not just the U.S. Nowhere else will the caliber of this art be shown. ”

Work is for sale in both galleries, which will be on display until Feb. 26.

If you go:

When: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday through Feb. 26

Where: Whitney Beach Plaza, 6810 Gulf of Mexico Drive

Cost is free.

Call 383-2345.