Key West Art & Historical Society Museums may have closed doors but access to what’s inside remains open 

Like the many other public community entities across the globe, in order to safeguard against COVID-19, the Key West Art and Historical Society has temporarily closed all of its museums – Custom House, Key West Lighthouse & Keeper’s Quarters, Tennessee Williams, and Fort East Martello- until it is deemed safe by health officials to reopen. However, with schools on extended break, many businesses temporarily closed to the public, and people staying home, there’s no better time to learn about the history, art, and architecture of Key West and the Florida Keys. The Society will continue to offer a selection of diverse educational programs, exhibitions, and offerings remotely and is working diligently to develop and provide additional free online programming.

Right now, visitors to the kwahs.org website can explore:

  • An extensive series of online Distinguished Speaker Series presentations filmed over the last three years featuring speakers such as John Hemingway, Jeff Stotts, Seth Bramson, John Blades and Tom Hambright (kwahs.org/education/distinguished_speaker_series/videos).
  • Flagler’s Overseas Railway Timeline: An important part of Florida Keys history and the incredible engineering feat that joined mainland Florida to Key West (kwahs.org/education/overseas-railway-timeline)
  • Historic Marker Tour: A virtual tour of Key West’s historic sites including Civil War forts, famous authors homes, military history, the wrecking/salvage industry, and more (kwahs.org-click “Historic Marker Tour”).
  • “Depicting Hemingway”: an online gallery of 59 original Guy Harvey sketches which follow the narrative of Hemingway’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel “The Old Man and the Sea” (kwahs.org/exhibitions/depicting-hemingway-2)
  • “Mario Sanchez: Painter of Key West Memories”: A history of one of the nation’s greatest folk artists. Born in 1908 in Key West’s Gatoville cigar-making neighborhood, Sanchez created upwards of 600 paintings and woodcarvings in his lifetime to reveal an important and colorful doorway to the cultural history of the island and its people(kwahs.org/exhibitions/painter-of-key-west-memories).
  • “Robert the Doll”: One of the world’s most famous haunted dolls whose mesmerizing and eerie history began just after the turn of the 20th century when he was created by the Steiff Company and given to young Gene Otto, son of a prominent Key West doctor (kwahs.org/exhibitions/robert-the-doll).
  • “Hemingway in Key West”: A look at the life of the Nobel Prize-winning author who lived and wrote in Key West during the 1930s (kwahs.org/exhibitions/ernest-in-key-west).
  • “Coping with Depression: WPA Artists in Key West”: The back-story of how the Federal Art Project, a division of the Works Progress Administration was the incubator for Key West’s emergence as the “Island of the Arts.” (kwahs.org/exhibitions/coping-with-depression).
  • Online Collections: More than 35,000 objects including postcards, photographs, paintings, artifacts, textiles, ordnance and archives that highlight the people, places and events which have shaped the Florida Keys.(kwahs.org/collections)

Upcoming offerings will include additional learning activities for children, additional online exhibitions and more.

“It goes without saying, the temporary closing of our museums and cancellation or postponement of popular programs and events severely impacts the organization’s operation and finances,” says Society Executive Director Michael Gieda. “We’re encouraging community members in a position to support the Society through a charitable contribution or membership. Your support during these difficult times will ensure we are able to continue our mission of preserving the cultural heritage of the Florida Keys.”

Key West Art & Historical Society thanks the community for its continued support as they strive to inspire a sense of place and historical understanding of the Florida Keys through collecting, preserving, interpreting and exhibiting the region’s cultural heritage. For more information, to become a member, or to make a tax-free donation, contact Executive Director Michael Gieda, at [email protected] or visit www.kwahs.org. Your Museums.  Your Community.  It takes an Island.

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