Lectures and Performances
Public Programs Inspired by Exhibitions on View
The VBMA is excited to offer a selection of public programs designed to complement and enhance the vibrant array of exhibitions on view.
Click here for Art Talk and the International Lecture Series.
- To register for any program, use the links provided, or call us at 772.231.0707
- By entering the Museum, you consent to be photographed and filmed for promotional purposes.
- All programs are subject to change.
- ALL SALES ARE FINAL
Spring Break at VBMA
Monday, March 30–Friday, April 3 / 10 a.m.–1 p.m.
Laura and Bill Buck Atrium
Free; No preregistration required.
While school is out, bring the family to VBMA for creative, drop-in art making! Start with a look at the American Made exhibition, complete the family guide, then participate in a hands-on project you can take home.
Selections from The Great American Songbook
Saturday, April 18, 2026 at 3 p.m.
Leonhardt Auditorium
$20 per person for VBMA Members ; $25 per person for non-members
Space is limited; pre-registration required.
Tickets include admission to the galleries. Come early to see the exhibition.
Join us for a special piano performance inspired by American Made: Paintings and Sculpture from the DeMell Jacobsen Collection. Pianist Tom Servinsky, joined by vocalist Lisa Macalaster, will present selections from The Great American Songbook, offering a musical journey that echoes the creativity and spirit reflected in the exhibition. Enjoy an afternoon of art and melody celebrating American culture across the centuries.
Free Film Screening and Chat with the Director – The Painted Life of Gregory Gillespie
Saturday, May 9, 2026 at 2 p.m.
Leonhardt Auditorium
Free; Registration required.
After four years of research and production, the award-winning film The Painted Life of Gregory Gillespie arrives as the first feature-length documentary examining the life and art of this extraordinary late-20th-century painter and iconoclast. Drawing on previously unseen archival footage and extensive interviews with artists, family, and art world insiders, director Evan Goodchild uncovers the full story about an artist’s escape from an insular New Jersey upbringing to study in New York and Italy.
Following the screening, join Goodchild and Rick Segal, collector, friend of Gillespie, and VBMA Board Chair, for a conversation about the project and the artist’s legacy. Having lived in Gillespie’s studio after his passing, Goodchild brings a uniquely personal perspective, while Segal reflects on his many encounters with the artist, some of which remain immortalized in paint.
Vero Beach Opera
Puccini’s Girl of the Golden West
Sunday, May 17, 2026 at 2:30pm
Leonhardt Auditorium
$20 per person for VBMA Members and Vero Beach Opera Members; $25 per person for non-members
Space is limited; pre-registration required.
Tickets include admission to the galleries. Come early to see the exhibition.
The first opera to have its world premiere at the Metropolitan Opera, The Girl of the Golden West confused audiences and critics in 1910. It had a different shape from Butterfly and Tosca, it seemed to lack arias, and Puccini was trying to create a new musical style for the twentieth century. In this lecture, Ian Campbell, Vero Beach Opera’s master of ceremonies, will discuss the impact of the libretto and its historical background, as the California gold miners of 1849 come to America from all corners of the world seeking their fortunes. Minnie, the beautiful, chaste owner of the Polka Saloon, is courted by lonely miners, the sheriff, and a Mexican bandit. She finds love with her first kiss but must save her chosen man from a lynch mob. Is it the first “spaghetti western”, an “American opera”, an “Italian opera” set in America, or a story of love, hope and moral redemption?