Flourishing Morada Way Arts District Helps Define Islamorada

ISLAMORADA, Florida Keys — Fine art, music and the culinary nuances of Islamorada are reflected in the flourishing Morada Way Arts & Cultural District that showcases eclectic galleries rich in affordable original artwork. 

Morada Way’s inviting blend of visual artistry, fine crafts and great food can be experienced virtually any time. However, monthly evening "walkabouts" enable residents and visitors to take in the sights, flavors and offerings of a group of Islamorada galleries, restaurants and shops while soaking up the sounds of live music.

Since 2011 the monthly evening Art Walk has been the district’s landmark event, a vibrant visual feast held the third Thursday of each month from 6-9 p.m. National and Keys-based fine artists, musicians, chefs and local retailers display their works within a six-block corridor between mile markers 81 and 82.

The Morada Way galleries host a selection of artists and share sculpture, ceramics, photography, silversmithing, design, gyotaku (fish printing) and more.

Find collections of Florida's offshore and inshore saltwater fishing art at  Pasta Pantaleo Signature Gallery. 

The gallery and ceramics studio of Morada Way Clay features local potters and offers pottery painting, multisession clay classes, single-day workshops, open-studio experiences and individual private instruction. 

Guided classes for all ages and a gallery full of the work of owners Jul and Susan Jankowski, alongside other local artists, brighten the district’s Limelight Studio & Gallery. 

Home-based in Islamorada, the artist-owners of the Rum Brush focus predominantly on large-scale mixed-media paintings. Their unmistakably colorful marine life and conservation-focused murals can be found on Keys businesses such as Morada Way’s leader in libations, Florida Keys Brewing Co. The “Legend of Scarface” tarpon wall is a highlight at Robbie’s Marina, and other murals adorn several roadside businesses in Key Largo and the Stock Island Art District.  

Jessica Ann Art also inspires art lovers to protect the oceans and shorelines through her brightly colored brushstrokes. Her mission is to connect people to conservation and to a moment they shared in, on or by the sea. 

Many other enticing galleries enliven the Islamorada art scene as well. For example, artist Michelle Nicole Lowe operates a gallery bearing her name where she showcases vivid creations of indigenous fish, birds and sea turtles. 

For more information about the Morada Way area, visit moradaway.org. For information about the Islamorada area overall — including its restaurants, boutiques, galleries and attractions — visit fla-keys.com/islamorada.