Client: Vero Beach Museum of Art

Overview

As it enters its fourth year, Art After Dark at The Vero Beach Museum of Art, curated and produced by aweStruct, has become a beacon for light art enthusiasts. Intimate and thoughtful, the limited engagement is a unique collection of light experiences in the public park surrounding the Museum.

With little in the way of light pollution, the Museum building itself transforms to a canvas for never-before-seen nighttime projection. This ideal setting encourages the exploration of a wide variety of digital art forms; an average of nine installation areas showcases 18 artworks on different playlists. Art After Dark bathes the Museum’s exterior to integrate the adaptability of digital mediums with museum experiences for a special exhibit like none other. A traditional viewing path wends its way into a communal atmosphere that’s characteristic of an outdoor film festival and attendees bring lawn chairs for both an evening under the stars and watching reactions to captivating imagery.

Goals

Art After Dark was conceptualized for the purpose of attracting a diversified Museum audience especially in winter months when Vero Beach becomes a snowbird roost. Having successfully broadened its demographic to include teenagers and pre-teens, Art After Dark is now a much-anticipated community event. The festival aims to expose digital art's versatility and to cultivate in the viewer a perspective of seamless fusion of new media with architecture and nature as day turns to night.

Process

Submissions for Art After Dark are both free and open to anyone six months in advance. By late September, curators from aweStruct and the Museum develop a shortlist of approximately 18 finalists. These entrants undergo site-specific testing and installation designations that take into consideration most contingencies. During the week leading into the the weekend event, the infrastructure for projectors and foot traffic is laid out and finalized for all concerned. Finally, when projectors and media players are installed, a dress rehearsal at the two-day mark ensues. Then, over the course of two evenings, magic unfolds.

Additional Information

Experience a glimpse of Art After Dark in the video (left).