FOCA-Friends of Contemporary Art
The Friends of Contemporary Art (FOCA) is an informal group of people interested in learning about art trends, artists and collecting.
FOCA 2025-2026 Season Events
MARK YOUR CALENDAR
Thursday, February 26th, 4pm: Pop Up Art Talk: Join us at the Bermuda Bay Clubhouse from 4:00 to 5 or 5:30 for an informal ART TALK in line with FOCA's interests of studying Contemporary Art and A rtists. Danielle Johnson will speak about Alice Baber, a successful mid-century abstract artist who fell out of public eye after her early death and has recently experienced a resurgence of interest. Please note the recent book: 'Alice Baber: Triumph Over Tragedy', by Gail Levin.
Our speaker Danielle M. Johnson, PhD, is currently Director of Curatorial Affairs at the Eskenazi Museum of Art at Indiana University. Johnson earned an MA and PhD from the Institute of Fine Arts at New York University and a BA in Art History and French Language and Literature from Colgate University.
This event is free to all members and friends; guests are invited to attend. Please email your RSVP to attend so that we may have enough chairs and refreshments for everyone.
March 10th at 2:30pm: Collector : Beth Rudin DeWoody- The Bunker Art Space in West Palm Beach FL. Specific RSVP details for this special visit to The Bunker Artspace was forwarded to FOCA members on 2/10/26, please email FOCA if you did not receive it or have any questions. There is a limit of 20 guests. The Bunker Artspace, located in West Palm Beach, Florida, showcases contemporary art created by well-known and emerging artists currently in the DeWoody collection. Over 10,000 pieces are currently in the collection, contemporary artists whose works DeWoody collects and displays at the Bunker. DeWoody's interest in art started as child where she attended the Rudolf Steiner School after which she earned a B.A. in anthropology and cinema studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara . She then worked as a production assistant on such movies as Hair and Annie Hall . After marrying artist, James DeWoody , she began to get deeply involved in the SoHo art scene where she began to nurture young contemporary artists. In 1982, she went to work for Rudin Management Company, owned by her father, where she rose to the rank of vice president. At the same time, Beth Rudin DeWoody grew her art collection; sponsored new artists and served as the curator of exhibitions. A special thank you to FOCA member, Kim Bertin, who initiated, and generously funded our tour guide’s fee for this program.
March 17th (full): The Gallery at Windsor Private Group Visits. Reflection , an exhibition by celebrated British-Bangladeshi artist Rana Begum, opens on January 24, 2026. Curated by Daniel S. Palmer, Chief Curator of the S CAD Museum of Art in Savannah. The presentation at The Gallery builds on Begum’s acclaimed US museum debut and marks her first presentation in South Florida. The exhibition spans more than a decade of Begum’s practice, tracing her expansion of abstraction and Minimalism through a contemporary global lens. Known for her innovative use of industrial materials—including automobile light reflectors, safety tape, glass and metal panels, and chain link fencing—Begum transforms the everyday into evocative compositions that exist in dialogue with their environment.
March 25th Collector's Focus : A special
FOCA Focus will be a visit to the private collection of
Patricia and Peter Thompson in John’s Island. A special thank you to FOCA Board
Member, Mary Gallatin, who initiated and planned this special tour. Details to follow soon via email.
*Date TBD NSU Art Museum, Ft. Lauderdale: a visit to the Goodman Collection of Latin American Art.
More details will follow via emails and on the website regarding FOCA’s upcoming season. Please make sure our email address is in your safe senders list.
CONTACT: focaverobeach@gmail.com
(Image at right: Jill Kerwick , One More, 2024, Oil on Canvas)
FOCA News and Opportunities
