Organizations

Anna Maria Island’s cultural art gallery and event facility, The Studio at Gulf and Pine, offers an eclectic array of exhibits, instructional classes, lectures and the Einstein Circle and serves as a salon where artists and art aficionados interact. Founded by former First Lady of Florida, Rhea Chiles, part of the Studio’s permanent collection consists of the Chiles family collection of paintings which hung in the governor’s office. Equipped with… Continue Reading The Studio at Gulf and Pine

The Artists’ Guild of Anna Maria Island, a non-profit organization, was formed in 1989 with a goal to promote and support creative processes by bringing together all artists – visual and performing and writers – to share experiences, expertise and work together to develop and promote the artistic community on the island. They held the first weekend art festival on Anna Maria Island that fall. In February 1990, The Artists’… Continue Reading Artists’ Guild of Anna Maria Island | The Artists’ Guild Gallery

Wildlife Education and Rehabilitation Center Inc. is a nonprofit organization focused on the rehabilitation of injured and orphaned wildlife for return to the wild. It is the largest wildlife rehabilitation and rescue center in Manatee County and is supported entirely by donations and staffed only by volunteers. Founded in 1988, they treated over 3,000 birds, mammals, and reptiles in 1997, more than twice as many as in 1995. By year… Continue Reading Wildlife Education and Rehabilitation Inc.

For 28 years Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch has coordinated conservation efforts for 12 miles of the Manatee County shoreline. Every year between May 1 and October 31, 100% of AMI’s shoreline is monitored by trained staff and volunteers who walk the beach every morning around 7:00 a.m. documenting the shoreline habitat status and trends in sea turtle nesting. Walkers report the female crawls from the night before and flag the… Continue Reading Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch & Shorebird Monitoring

The Anna Maria Art League was founded in 1989 by a small group of artist with a desire to bring art to the growing island community. Located in Holmes Beach, the Art Center facility includes a large exhibit/classroom, membership gallery/conference room, photo lab, art library and picnic grounds where the League offers a broad range of classes, including a scholarship program for children and adults. Annually, the League sponsors two… Continue Reading Anna Maria Art League

Located in Anna Maria’s old ice house, which was built in 1920, inside you will find Island artifacts from the early 1900s. Also on the property is the historic Belle Haven Cottage and the Anna Maria City Jail (pictured). The Belle Haven Cottage was originally built as a fish packing plant, and since then had been used as a bait shop and rental cottage before its piers, riddled with worms, deposited… Continue Reading Anna Maria Island Historical Society Museum