Sebastian River Art Club: Gallery, Shows and Membership

The Sebastian River Art Club is a nonprofit club of local artists, first formed in 1937, that runs a gallery and classroom at 1245 Main Street in Sebastian and stages art shows in Riverview Park.

The club history says a group of local artists formed the club in 1937, and in 1972 part of that group formed what is now the Sebastian River Art Club, recognized by the City of Sebastian (club history). The club moved into its present Art Center in 2010 and gained 501(c)(3) nonprofit status in 2016, and it marked its 80th anniversary on October 23, 2017. The club's welcome page describes a 501(c)(3) organization with over 150 members working in diverse mediums, who exhibit at local venues and in the club's own gallery space (Sebastian River Art Club welcome page).

Members meet for classes and open studio painting as well as shows. The welcome page lists classes Monday through Saturday, and the club answers at 772-321-9333 and by email at [email protected], the contact details printed on every page of its own site (Sebastian River Art Club).

The Sebastian River Art Club gallery at 1245 Main Street is open Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., most Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and by appointment.

Those hours come from the club's gallery page; the welcome page lists only the Tuesday and Thursday hours, so Saturday visits are best confirmed by phone (SRAC Gallery Space). Juried members began using the community room at 1245 Main Street for meetings and open studio painting, then received permission to repair the unused portion and open an art gallery for the citizens of Sebastian. The largest room is kept for special exhibits, including prominent non-member artists; past exhibitors listed by the club include the Stepping Stone Quilters, photographers, wood carvers and children from the Sebastian Elementary School.

The gallery is staffed by the artists themselves. Members may hang work for $5 a month, paid quarterly at $15, and each exhibitor must sit in the gallery at least 4 times a year to open and close the Sebastian Art Center; members who do not sit pay $10 a month, or $30 a quarter, instead (Sebastian River Art Club).

The Sebastian River Art Club Art Center sits at 1245 Main Street, at the end of the Sebastian City Hall campus, west of U.S. 1 across the railroad tracks.

The club's directions are to turn west from U.S. Highway 1 onto Main Street, cross the railroad tracks, and look on the right at the end of the City Hall campus for an Art Center sign on the building, a monument sign out front and a big red flower (Sebastian River Art Club welcome page). The current Sebastian City Hall is next door at 1225 Main Street, open Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., where the club hangs about 15 member works (Art Around Town).

The gallery grew out of a meeting room. Juried members first used the Community Room at 1245 Main Street for meetings and open studio painting; the club was then granted permission to make cosmetic repairs to the unused portion of the building, and a member committee repainted the walls, made minor repairs and assigned rooms for members to hang their work (SRAC Gallery Space). The club history dates the move into this Art Center to 2010 (club history).

Sebastian River Art Club outdoor shows take place in Riverview Park, the City of Sebastian's main event park on the Indian River.

The City of Sebastian lists Art Club Shows among the events held in Riverview Park and places the park at 600 U.S. Highway 1, on the corner of U.S. Highway 1 and C.R. 512/Sebastian Boulevard, and takes park rental questions at (772) 228-7054 (City of Sebastian). The park shows run under the club's Art By the River name: the membership page lists an Art By the River committee whose members staff the club tent and help other artists set up and take down, and Associate members may show at SRAC art shows once the club jury has reviewed their work (membership page). Riverview Park also offers restrooms, picnic pavilions, a playground and the twin piers, according to the city listing.

Sebastian show dates are the gap in the official record. The club's online Fine Art Show Schedule page listed no dated shows when checked on October 14, 2026, so the current season's dates are best confirmed by calling the club at 772-321-9333.

Through its Art Around Town program, the Sebastian River Art Club hangs members' work at Sebastian City Hall, the North Indian River County Library, a bookshop on U.S. 1 and the chamber of commerce on Main Street.

The club lists about 15 works at Sebastian City Hall, 1225 Main Street, on display for one month and longer in summer; about 12 paintings at the North Indian River County Library, 1001 Sebastian Boulevard, on display for two months; about 40 works at Riverview Coffee, Tea and Books, 482 US 1, on display for two months; and a single painting on an easel at the Sebastian River Area Chamber of Commerce, 700 Main Street (Art Around Town). Works are displayed for sale, and the library, City Hall and chamber displays change over on club business meeting dates.

Two permanent works in Sebastian trace to the club. The club history credits founding member Rosalee Taylor Hume with the bronze statue of Paul Kroegel, first warden of Pelican Island, that stands on Indian River Drive across from Riverview Park, and notes that the North Indian River County Library displays a bust of Bama Vickers Lawson, who moved to Sebastian in 1908 (club history).

Sebastian River Art Club membership costs $35 a year for an Individual member, $60 for an Associate member and $10 for a Spousal member, according to the club's membership page.

Individual members must attend at least three business meetings a year and serve on a committee, such as Art Around Town, Art By the River, Art Center maintenance, the gallery or fundraising; Associate members skip those duties but may show at SRAC shows once the club jury has reviewed their work; Spousal members cannot exhibit (membership page). The fundraising committee covers the Ecumenical Council (Little Gems) and the scholarship, including 50/50 raffles.

Scholarships are the main cause. The Rosalee Taylor Hume Scholarship Fund, established in 2008, is open to graduating seniors from Sebastian River High School and Indian River Charter High School who plan careers in the arts (club history). The club's pages disagree on the number: the history page offers two $1,000 scholarships, while the scholarships page says multiple $1,000 scholarships are open and reports a single $1,000 award in 2026, to the only applicant that year (SRAC scholarships). Applications are submitted in early spring, and awards weigh artistic ability, financial need, an art teacher's input and a written statement.