Turn left onto East Sunrise Boulevard. Then turn right onto Northeast 14th Street. It will be on the right. That’s right, ArtServe is where we are going this month. This nonprofit organization is for everyone, which is why admission is always free to view its exhibitions and attend its receptions. The gallery’s capacity, however, holds up to around 200 people, so be sure to come on in. Its new showcase will be held from July 18 through Sept. 19.
ArtServe. This arts venue first opened to the Fort Lauderdale community in 1989. Since then, it has grown into a vibrant arts incubator and cultural hub, supporting thousands of local artists and nonprofit organizations across Broward County. It’s not just a gallery—it’s a creative laboratory where exhibitions, performances, and workshops come together to spark connection and innovation.
ArtServe focuses its efforts on lower-income communities, typically west of I-95, offering not only opportunities for local artists, but also free workshops for small art businesses, teaching grant writing, marketing, and even how to start a small business. ArtServe serves to inspire artistic development, supporting the advancement of its diverse members, including artists and the community, through education and creative exploration and presentation opportunities in both the visual arts and performing arts.
“Walk the Runway.” Highlighting South Florida’s local fashion scene, ArtServe is currently showcasing local fashion designers, bringing individuality, liveliness, and, even more fascinating, its call for oceanic awareness to center stage.
Recently broadcast on Local 10, Young At Art presented “Reef Restyled,” a fashion phenomenon set to raise awareness out to the public about the coral reefs and the need to save them. These vibrant ecosystems support about 25% of all marine life, despite covering less than 1% of the ocean floor.
Currently, 84% of the Earth’s coral reefs are in danger. Runoff from agriculture, sewage, and plastic waste smothers reefs, blocks sunlight, and introduces toxins. Even sunscreen chemicals like oxybenzone can damage coral DNA.
Young At Art brings this pollution problem to the forefront, using fashion to come to the ocean’s defense. Seventeen participating local high school–age artists in the program used 75% upcycled and/or recycled materials to showcase their reef collection. Coral reefs aren’t just beautiful—they’re vital for human life. In the Walk the Runway showcase, the Young At Art collection will be exhibited in one of ArtServe’s solo galleries.
Chelsea Rousso. Another exhibitor is the esteemed glass artist and fashion designer Chelsea Rousso, who bridges the boundaries between the two media and is an innovator in her use of fused glass in fashion. While her work has been exhibited in numerous museums, galleries, and art shows across the nation and in Canada, Rousso, aside from her glass sculptures, is best known for her exquisitely wearable glass swimwear, corsets, bow ties, and masks.
Rousso’s book, “Fashion Forward: A Guide to Fashion Forecasting,” is being used in several colleges and universities around the world. Her installation for this showcase heavily features her Alice and Wonderland Collection.
Rousso holds a bachelor of fine arts from Pratt Institute and a master of fine arts from Goddard College. For more information, visit https://chelsearousso.com.
More about ArtServe. For most exhibitions, ArtServe does a call to artists (CTA), typically advertised through its social media or e-blasts. There are both long-term and short-term artists who keep up involvement with the organization.
ArtServe is self-affiliated, and its funding goes to operational costs of the building, its employees’ salaries, artist fees, and exhibitions. ArtServe’s artists always get paid for their work, and they are promoted via ArtServe’s social media and e-blasts.
Aside from CTAs, artists may also come from the Broward County Cultural Division for exhibition space to carry out its grants, or through collaborations that ArtServe does with other nonprofit organizations. Some of these past initiatives were set to amplify the healing and transformative power of the arts, reflecting ArtServe’s mission to be not just a gallery, but a community catalyst for good.
In 2020 and again in 2025, ArtServe has been the recipient of the Community Care Plan Non-Profit Awards hosted by 211 Broward, as the Non-Profit Organization of the Year. In 2024, ArtServe received Yelp’s “People Love Us” award.
ArtServe has been said to be a cultural trendsetter, due to its leadership role in the local arts community. It supports more than 350 nonprofit cultural organizations and around 10,000 artists across Broward County.
Some of ArtServe’s sponsors include FPL, Seacoast Bank, the Hudson Family Foundation, Topo Chico, and OutClique Magazine, all of which are local supporters invested in the creative economy.
For more information about ArtServe or how to respond to its calls for artists, visit https://artserve.org.
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Some other exhibitions