Swing into spring with Jazz Brunch @ The Backus
The A.E. Backus Museum’s Spring Signature Event is blooming on a new date, with a new name – but brings back the same Jazzy Fun on the Outdoor Mural Plaza with “Jazz Brunch @ The Backus,” on Sunday, April 6, from 10:00 a.m. to noon. Nestled along the scenic Indian River, this harmonious blend of live music and brunch delights promises to hit all the right notes.
The Fort Pierce Jazz & Blues Society returns to set the tempo with a setlist that will take you back to the days of “Bean” Backus. Guests will indulge in an assortment of sweet, savory and fresh brunch bites, sip on fresh orange juice from Natalie’s Orchid Island Juice Company, and refreshing brunch cocktails—all while soaking in the riverside ambiance.
Tickets are $30 each (with reservations for groups of 8 available) can be purchased online, by phone, or in person at the Backus Museum – 500 North Indian River Drive in Historic Downtown Fort Pierce. With limited seating, jazz lovers and brunch enthusiasts alike are encouraged to reserve early! This event will take place rain or shine, with proceeds benefiting the museum.
But the groove won’t stop there, at 12 Noon, the event crescendos with the annual Win a Masterpiece of Florida Art Raffle drawing. This year’s featured masterpiece is Distant Rain (2016), a 30 x 40-inch oil on canvas by the late James F. Hutchinson (1932-2023)—a master of Florida landscape art and a Florida Artists Hall of Fame inductee – Valued at $10,000.
Raffle tickets are available for $25 each, $60 for three, or $100 for six, with only 2,400 tickets up for grabs. You do not need to be present to win; the winner will be contacted. Full details and ticket purchases are available at www.backusmuseum.org/raffle.
The Backus Museum extends its deepest gratitude to its sponsors of Jazz Brunch @ The Backus: Presenting Season Sponsor – The Brown Family Charitable Fund, Contributing Season Sponsor – Veterinary Medical Center, In-Kind Sponsor – Natalie’s Orchid Island Juice Company as well as our anonymous donor who provided Distant Rain expressly for Fundraising Purposes.
On view at the A.E. Backus Museum & Gallery March 7 through April 27, 2024 is Daydreaming – Niki Butcher’s Hand-Painted Photography. Daydreaming invites you to see the historical, beautiful, and sometimes quirky aspects of our world through the eyes of a thoughtful optimist. Niki Butcher has focused her camera on the fading facades of old Florida, capturing funky “mom & pop” wayside businesses, lonesome sandy beaches, and the beauty of the Everglades. Remembering the gentle feeling of old Florida postcards, she hand paints her black and white photographs in vibrant tones and pastel hues that breathe life and imagination into these scenes, creating a picture of life far beyond what a camera could capture. Through her photography, Butcher captures places and people that stand out as beautiful, unique, endangered, and authentic, with a view that adds a bit more color, a good dose of humor, and an infusion of positivity.
ALL DATES AND PROGRAMMING SUBJECT TO CHANGE; PLEASE CHECK THE WEBSITE FOR ANY UPDATES OR CANCELLATIONS.
About the A.E. Backus Museum & Gallery
Since its founding in 1960 and the first day the doors opened in 1961, the A.E. Backus Museum & Gallery has been a center and catalyst for creativity and culture in our region. The Museum houses the nation’s largest public presentation of artwork by Florida’s preeminent painter, A.E. “Bean” Backus (1906-1990), and also continues its more than sixty-year tradition of exhibiting and celebrating the paintings of the original Florida Highwaymen, who got their start here. In addition, the Museum organizes and hosts changing exhibitions from artists of regional, national and international acclaim. The Backus Museum was recognized as the 2024 Best Art Gallery by Hometown News; 2022 Best of the Best Community Choice Award for Best Art Gallery; and the 2021 Best Tourist Attraction – 2018 Best Museum / Best of the Treasure Coast by the readers of Indian River Magazine.
Schedule: Regular Hours Wednesday – Saturday, 10 AM to 4 PM; Sunday, 12 Noon to 4 PM. Admission is $5 per person; AARP, AAA, and Veterans with appropriate ID receive a $2 discount. Students with school ID, children under 18, active duty military, and current members are always free. Visitors are asked to follow the latest public health guidance for the safety and comfort of guests, staff, and volunteers.
Treasure Coast Business is a news service and magazine published in print, via e-newsletter and online at tcbusiness.com by Indian River Media Group. For more information or to report news email news@indianrivermedia.com