Thank you to everyone who helped us celebrate the topping off of Sabbia Beach, the first ultra-luxury “toes-in-the-sand” oceanfront residential development in Pompano Beach in almost a decade. We couldn’t ask for a better community to be a part of! View the event video below!

Although your beautiful new condo at Sabbia Beach might give you the feeling of living on a deserted tropical island, you are in fact at the center of myriad cultural and artistic events.

Here’s a sample of what’s happening this month in and around Pompano Beach, Florida.

Bailey Contemporary Arts (BaCA) is a veritable hotbed of contemporary art and performance nestled unassumingly in the Pompano Beach community. For example, every Wednesday, you’ll be able to nourish your creative side when you bring your own lunch or pick up a little nosh at their in-house café and settle in for an hour in galleries among the art and artists. Lunch with Art features something different and captivating each week, whether special guest-artist speakers, simple hands-on activities, or just an inspiring lunch backed by music and art. Blooming Bean Coffee Company serves up freshly brewed, locally roasted coffees, along with sweet and savory baked goods like empanadas, scones, and cookies. Call in the morning (954-295-2225) to see what’s on the menu. Lunch with Art is free, and Wi-Fi is available. At BaCA, 41 NE 1^st Street.

Richard “Byrd” Wilson, an award-winning poet and public speaker, will host one of his bi-monthly writing workshops on June 21 at BaCA, 41 NE Street, from 7-8 p.m. Every first and third Wednesday of the month, Wilson’s popular “Fresh Air with Byrd” classes assists all levels of writers and performers to improve their craft in conjunction with Lyrics Lab. Tickets are $15 and are available through pre-registration at Eventbrite or by calling (954) 786-7824.

Also on June 21, the critically acclaimed Lyrics Lab presents its program of the area’s best spoken-word and musical artists, open to all, including beginners. Held from 8 to 11 p.m. at BaCA, 41 NE Street, you will be inspired, moved, and motivated by the performances of these talented artists. Live music accompanies all performances, and cocktails and refreshments are available for purchase. Pre-register at Eventbrite or phone (954) 786-7824.

June 22 features the popular Ali Jam Sessions, hosted by Eccentrich Displays. All levels of singers, musicians, and poets are welcome to take center stage on the fourth Thursday of every month to jam alongside the special guest band of the month, which in June is Juggernaut Music. The house band Ellison Kendrick and the Black Suit Band are in residence at Historic Ali Cultural Arts, 353 Martin Luther King Boulevard. Tickets are $10.

June 22 and again June 29 are the days to explore the BaCA exhibits on the weekly tour led by acclaimed curator Terry Davis. Tour with Terry will take you on an exciting journey through the minds of the BaCA artists, as Davis leads you through the emotional impact of each creation every Thursday from 2-3 p.m. His extensive insight provides an interesting, interactive, and entertaining experience as you trail along, coffee from the café in hand, while he opens to you a whole new way of looking at art. With 40 years’ experience curating exhibits in New York, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., Miami, Paris, Cannes, and Tokyo, he’s sure to bring a fresh perspective to art you thought you knew. Blooming Bean Coffee Company provides the brew, along with light, sweet and savory bites. Call daily to find out what freshly baked goods are on the menu (954-295-2225). Pre-registration is available on Eventbrite.

Also on June 22, at Historic Ali Cultural Arts, the works of La’Vaughn (aka Eddie Wright) will be presented in an exhibit-closing reception from 6-10 p.m. La’Vaughn is an abstract expressionist whose work can best be described as eclectic—not following one style of art, but selecting and using the elements derived from a wide range of styles. He attended the Broward County school system graduating valedictorian, and later received his BFA from Florida Atlantic University. He has worked in the art field as an artist, designer, and consultant. The exhibit will close permanently on June 27.

On June 23 and June 30, and every Friday, you’ll want to explore your inner artist by sketching a painting a live model at BaCA from 10:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. This is your own effort: no instructor will be there. Cost is $10. Call (954) 284-0141 ahead of time, as spaces and easels are limited.

For you lovers of every shade of pink, you won’t want to miss Lisa Rockford’s BaCA lecture from 1-3 p.m. on June 24. She will outline the permeation of the color pink into Western culture, and highlight examples of the use of pink by historic, global, and contemporary professional artists. The lecture will be followed by a panel discussion with four artists from the exhibition.

At last, the long-awaited and eagerly anticipated Pompano Beach Cultural Center and Library will host a World Premiere Party Weekend to help set the stage for South Florida’s cultural arts movement. The first event at the center will be the Preview Party, sponsored by Sabbia Beach and presented by Pompano! Magazine. This fundraiser will take place May 12th and will feature live spontaneous performances by top regional talent, along with tours of the world premiere exhibit, “Shipwrecked of Reason: Half a Century in Cuban Art”, which is on loan from the Cuban government.

The two-story structure, which planners envision as a beacon for culture and learning in South Florida, spans 88,000 square feet and includes the Cultural Center and the brand-new Broward County Library, slated to open in the fall. The Cultural Center comprises an art gallery, a digital-media arts center, and a flexible space for performances.

The new Center is programmed and managed by the Cultural Arts Creatives, a 501(c)(3) non-profit cultural organization focused on the exploding arts landscape of Pompano Beach. In addition to the Cultural Center, the group, also known as The Creatives, programs and promotes a host of arts and cultural happenings in various venues around the city.

Planners envision the Cultural Center as “a catalyst for economic growth, a cultural haven for artists, and the destination for cutting-edge culture in Pompano Beach, using the power of the arts to uplift, revitalize, and build a stronger community.” They see it offering “cultural opportunities in many artistic disciplines while providing the public access to world-renowned music, dance, theater performances, and art exhibitions.”

Thanks to the determination and foresight of City and County visionaries, Pompano Beach will now join the ranks of other great municipalities who have a state-of-the-art facility which serves as a beacon for culture and learning.

“My hope is that the center fills a niche that no one else can offer: providing educational opportunities with the media center; providing opportunities for new and upcoming artists to display their talents; offering a venue for weddings, private corporate events; and showcasing our all-around and well-rounded city as one of the finest in America,” said Mayor Lamar Fisher.

The venue scored a major art-world coup by securing a world premiere collection from the top 20 Cuban contemporary artists. Through collaborative efforts with the Latin American Art Pavilion, the Center is honored to present “Shipwrecked of Reason: Half a Century in Cuban Art”, curated by the internationally renowned Isabel María Pérez Pérez. Isabel is the Chief Curator Editora Ejecutiva del sello ArteCubano. She is regarded as the leading authority on contemporary Cuban Art and is celebrated as one of the top curators worldwide. Her expertise has resulted in a multitude of projects spanning the globe, from curating internationally acclaimed exhibits to presenting symposiums on the contemporary art movement in Cuba.

From the multiple visions of 20 artists, “Shipwrecked of Reason: Half a Century in Cuban Art”, seeks to present a condensed multigenerational mapping of pivotal moments over the last 50 years of Cuba’s evolution. This vision is marked by the consensus and the coexistence of these creative agents who have the most diverse artistic talents and perspectives. Each artwork deals specifically with such themes as memory, identity, body and portrait, territory and landscape, and the construction of history. The collective dynamics of these artists and their work epitomize the idea of change.

If you’re interested in the arts, then the new center will likely become a focus of your lifestyle when you’re living at the ultra-luxurious, ultra-modern residences of the Sabbia Beach condominiums, just steps away from your door.

Tickets for the Preview Party are $100, $80 of which will be tax deductible. Guests will also receive a complimentary ticket to a show of their choice by a Cultural Alliance member, complimentary drinks, dinner-by-the-bite with a private chef, and a special commemorative issue of Pompano! Magazine.

Event sponsors include: Sabbia Beach, Pompano! Magazine, NBC 6, Telemundo, PDQ, Isle Casino Racing Pompano Park, John Knox Village, Bateman Gordon Sands, Inc. and Ainsworth Gaming Technology. This is a “don’t miss” so be sure to add it to your calendar!

For more information call 954-839-9578 or visit www.ccpompano.com