Key West Artists Open New Exhibit at Duval Square Gallery

Duval Square’s Jag Gallery will welcome the new year with a joint exhibition by two recognized Key West artists, opening Wednesday, January 7. The gallery will host an opening reception from 3:30 - 7:30 p.m., and the exhibit will remain on view through January 25 at 1075 Duval Street, Duval Square. For additional information, the gallery asks interested residents to contact them directly.

Tory Mata, whose practice centers on ceramics, handmade paper and natural materials, will present new work grounded in quiet observation and repetition. Her pieces draw from the visual language of landscape without direct representation, distilling place into texture, rhythm and form and incorporating clay, wild grasses and elemental materials. Carole Faye brings an approach rooted in foraging and reuse, assembling expressive mixed media paintings and constructions from found objects, oil paints and fragments of local quotidian materials gathered from life in Key West, New York City and Shanghai.

The exhibit offers more than a display of local creativity; it functions as a neighborhood resource that contributes to community resilience. Local art spaces like Jag Gallery create settings where social connection, reflection and cultural expression intersect with public health goals. Viewing and participating in arts programming has been linked to mental health benefits and social cohesion, particularly in communities that face economic or environmental stressors. For Monroe County residents, an accessible gallery show centered on local materials and perspectives can strengthen cultural identity and provide constructive public space during a period when community wellbeing is a priority.

Supporting artists who work with reclaimed and local materials also intersects with environmental equity. The emphasis on foraged and quotidian elements in this show highlights practices of reuse and local material economies that often arise where resources are constrained. Elevating artists who engage with those practices can expand opportunities for creative livelihoods and broaden who sees themselves represented in the local cultural economy.

The exhibition is an opportunity for residents, workers and visitors to engage directly with Key West perspectives on place and materials. Jag Gallery is located at 1075 Duval Street in Duval Square; contact information for hours and visitor access is available through the gallery. The show runs January 7 through January 25, with the opening reception scheduled for January 7 from 3:30 - 7:30 p.m.