Longboat Key Center for the Arts highlights community talent

From paintings and photographs to jewelry and sculptures, the Longboat Key Center for the Arts is displaying the local artists’ work one last time.

The Annual Community Juried Exhibition officially opened on March 4 and will be open until the end of the month. Because the center is  closing at the end of May, this opening marks the final community juried exhibition. The opening reception brought a bittersweet feeling to the artists.

Michael Tendall joined the Longboat Key Center for the Arts as soon as she moved to the area around 20 years ago. This was her first year submitting a piece to the Community Juried Exhibition, and though she is hopeful the center will continue its mission in a few years at the new cultural center, she is happy to be a part of the current center while it is still around.

“Just to be a part of the hype is so fun,” she said.

Sue Reese, who is also a first time contributor to the exhibition, said the current center has a rich history that will be missed. Mary Lou Johnson said she is sad to lose the north end center, but is thrilled at the prospect of a new center.

“It’s going to be in a central spot that I see as a community gathering place,” she said.