John Baeder, Trailer, Arizona Route 66, 1975, C Print on Kodak Endura Paper, 20 x 30 in, Courtesy of the artist and Thomas Paul Gallery.
John Baeder’s American Roadside
January 21 – May 15, 2016
John Baeder’s American Roadside comprises 27 photographs of classic roadside culture, including classic diners, colorful signs, mom-and-pop motels, independent gas stations, and vintage vehicles. Baeder began his photo-documentation of roadside vernacular architecture before he became known primarily as a photo-realist painter, intuitively working in the spirit of WPA-era photographers such as Walker Evans. He continued to document roadside culture during the 1970s in the series of color photographs represented in the exhibition. While Baeder has become well-known as a painter of diners, his American Roadside images reveal the breadth and depth of his vision as both a photographic artist and preservationist. In conjunction with the exhibition, the Museum will host a book signing on January 20, 2016, celebrating the publication of the artist’s biography written by curator Jay Williams. Published by Vendome Press and distributed nationally by Abrams, John Baeder’s Road Well Taken will be available for purchase in the Museum store.
Museum in the Garden: Envisioning the New VBMA
January 9, 2026—February 7, 2027
The Museum in the Garden: Envisioning the New VBMA exhibition traces the evolution of the designs for Vero Beach Museum of Art’s new building and transformed campus created by the Allied Works architecture and Unknown Studio Landscape Architecture & Urban Design.
American Made: Paintings and Sculpture from the DeMell Jacobsen Collection
January 31–June 7, 2026
Featuring over 80 works by renowned American artists, this exhibition traces the evolution of American art with a focus on the 19th and 20th centuries. Showcasing landscapes, still lifes, and genre scenes, it highlights the influence of European training and the diverse styles that have shaped American artistic expression across generations.