Key West, an Artistic Collage
• MY ORIGINAL ART COLLAGES ARE -MIXED MEDIA ARTS-(PAINTINGS, DRAWING PHOTOGRAPHS).
• EACH COLLAGE TYPICALLY EVOLVES FROM A THOUGHT, A VISION, MEMORY OF A TIME AND PLACE, HISTORY, SPIRITUALITY. OFTEN ALLOWS PIECES OF THESE VARIED MATERIALS TO GUIDE MY CREATIVE FLOW
• THIS ARTISTIC COLLAGE IS A MIXED MEDIA IMPRESSION WHICH IS UNIQUELY CRAFTED TO BRING NEW DISCOVERY TO KEY WEST, COLLAGE.

• MY KEY WEST, ARTISTIC COLLAGE DESIGN WILL BE A GREAT ADDITION FOR ANY COLLECTOR

• EACH ARTISTIC COLLAGE IS MIXED MEDIA DIGITAL IMPRESSION IN A STANDARD IMAGE SIZE OF 11’’ BY 14’’.

• WE CREATE HIGH RESOLUTION PRINTS ONE-AT-A-TIME USING A PHOTO PROCESSING LAB & USE ARCHIVAL INKS DESIGNED TO LAST FOR GENERATIONS.

• THE KEY WEST, WILL MAKE AN EXCELLENT GIFT FOR ANY SPECIAL OCCASION OR A EXCITING ADDITION TO YOU HOME, OFFICE, OR PERSONAL ART COLLECTION.

• THE PRINTS ARE UNFRAMED (TO KEEP THE PRICE OF SHIPPING DOWN AND BECAUSE IT IS A MATTER OF TASTE).

• IN MY OPINION THIS 11X14 PRINT IS BEST DISPLAYED IN A 16 X 20 MAT & FRAME.

• WE ARE HAPPY TO SHIP MULTIPLE PRINTS TOGETHER AT NO ADDITIONAL COST, SO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS GREAT-OFFER!

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ABOUT THE KEY WEST, AN ARTISTIC COLLAGE:

Key West is an island in the Straits of Florida on the North American continent, at the southernmost tip of the Florida Keys. The island is about 90 miles (140 km) from Cuba.
Key West is politically within the limits of the city of Key West, Monroe County, Florida, United States. The city also occupies portions of nearby islands.
The island is about 4 miles (6.4 km) long and 1 mile (1.6 km) wide, with a total land mass of 4.2 square miles.[1] Duval Street, its famous main street, is a mere 1.1 miles in length in its 14-block crossing from the Gulf of Mexico to the Florida Straits/Atlantic Ocean. In the late 1950s, many of the large salt ponds on the eastern side were filled in, nearly doubling the original land mass of the island. The island is 3,370 acres (13.6 km2) in area.[2]
Points of interest
Southernmost city

Monument marking the southernmost point in the continental United States accessible by civilians, located at the corner of South Street and Whitehead Street.
One of the biggest attractions on the island is a concrete replica of a buoy at the corner of South and Whitehead Streets that claims to be the southernmost point in the contiguous United States (see Extreme Points). Erected in 1983, the famous brightly painted and labeled "SOUTHERNMOST POINT CONTINENTAL U.S.A.", it is one of the most visited and photographed attractions in Key West.[32]
However, the marker is not located at the southernmost point in the continental United States, as discussed below:
• Whitehead Spit, on the Truman Annex property just west of the buoy, is the true southernmost point, but it has no marker since it is U.S. Navy land and cannot be entered by civilian tourists.
• The private yards directly to the east of the buoy and the beach areas of Truman Annex and Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park also lie farther south than the buoy.
• The farthest-south location that the public can visit is the seaward end of the White Street Pier.
• Florida's, and by extension the continental United States', true physically southernmost point is Ballast Key, a private island owned by David W. Wolkowsky, a wealthy developer, about 10 miles (16 km) west of Key West. Although Ballast Key is located within both the Key West National Wildlife Refuge and the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, signs on the island strictly prohibit unauthorized visitors.
The claim "90 Miles to Cuba" on the monument is close to correct, Cuba at its closest point has been measured at 94 statute miles (151 km) from Key West.[33]
Old Town
The original Key West settlement on the western part of the island is called "Old Town" and comprises the Key West Historic District. It includes the major tourist destinations of the island, including Mallory Square, Duval Street, the Truman Annex and Fort Zachary Taylor. It is where are found the classic bungalows and guest mansions.
Generally, the structures date from 1886 to 1912. The basic features that distinguish the local architecture include wood-frame construction of one- to two-and-a-half-story structures set on foundation piers about three feet above the ground. Exterior characteristics of the buildings are peaked "metal" roofs, horizontal wood siding, gingerbread trim, pastel shades of paint, side-hinged louvered shutters, covered porches (or balconies, galleries, or verandas) along the fronts of the structures, and wood lattice screens covering the area elevated by the piers.
Old Town is comparable to the "New Town" section of the island, which was created when the island of Key West was more than doubled in size via landfill. New Town, on the eastern part of the island, contains shopping centers, retail malls, residential areas, schools, ball parks, and Key West International Airport.
Key West Naval Air Station

USS Stephen W. Groves (FFG-29) as seen at sunset in Key West on July 22, 2007. This ship is typical of the frigates, destroyers, and smaller military vessels that call at the port. Larger ships, such as aircraft carriers, are prohibited because of their deep draft and the shallowness of the harbor.
Key West was always an important military post, since it sits at the northern edge of the deepwater channel connecting the Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico (the southern edge 90 miles (140 km) away is Cuba) via the Florida Straits. Because of this, Key West since the 1820s had been dubbed the "Gibraltar of the West." Fort Taylor was initially built on the island. The Navy added a small base from which the USS Maine sailed to its demise in Havana at the beginning of the Spanish–American War.
At the beginning of World War II the Navy increased its presence from 50 acres (200,000 m2) to 3,000 acres (12 km2), including all of Boca Chica Key's 1,700 acres (7 km2) and the construction of Fleming Key from landfill. The Navy built the first water pipeline extending the length of the keys, bringing fresh water from the mainland to supply its bases.[34] At its peak 15,000 military personnel and 3,400 civilians were at the base. Included in the base are:
• NAS Key West – This is the main facility on Boca Chica, where the Navy trains its pilots. Staff are housed at Sigsbee Park. In 2006 there were 1,650 active-duty personnel; 2,507 family members; 35 Reserve members; and 1,312 civilians listed at the base. In the 1990s the Navy worked out an agreement with the National Park Service to stop sonic booms near Fort Jefferson in the Dry Tortugas. Many of the training missions are directed at the Marquesas "Patricia" Target 29 nautical miles (54 km) due west of the base. The target is a grounded ship hulk 306 feet (93 m) in length that is visible only at low tide. Bombs are not actually dropped on the target.
• Truman Annex – The area next to Fort Taylor became a submarine pen and was used for the Fleet Sonar School. President Harry S. Truman was to make the commandant's house his winter White House. The Fort Taylor Annex was later renamed the Truman Annex. This portion has largely been decommissioned and turned over to private developers and the city of Key West. However, there are still a few government offices there, including the new NOAA Hurricane Forecasting Center. The Navy still owns its piers.
• Trumbo Annex – The docking area on what had been the railroad yard for Flagler's Overseas Railroad is now used by the Coast Guard.
Notable residences
Winter White House
Main article: Truman Annex
Several U.S. presidents have visited Key West. Harry Truman visited for 175 days on 11 visits during his presidency and visited several times after he left office (see Truman Annex).
Key West was in a down cycle when Franklin D. Roosevelt visited in 1939. The buildup of military bases on the island occurred shortly thereafter.
In addition to Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower stayed in Key West following a heart attack. In November 1962, John F. Kennedy visited Key West a month after the resolution of the Cuban Missile Crisis. Jimmy Carter held a family reunion in Key West after leaving office.
Ernest Hemingway house[edit]
Legend has it that Ernest Hemingway wrote part of A Farewell to Arms while living above the showroom of a Key West Ford dealership at 314 Simonton Street[35] while awaiting delivery of a Ford Model A roadster purchased by the uncle of his wife Pauline in 1928.[36]
Hardware store owner Charles Thompson introduced him to deep-sea fishing. Among the group who went fishing was Joe Russell (also known as Sloppy Joe). Russell was reportedly the model for Freddy in To Have and Have Not. Portions of the original manuscript were found at Sloppy Joe's Bar after his death. The group had nicknames for each other, and Hemingway wound up with "Papa".
Pauline's rich uncle Gus Pfeiffer bought the 907 Whitehead Street house[37] in 1931 as a wedding present. Legend says the Hemingways installed a swimming pool for $20,000 in the late 1930s (equivalent in 2013 to $330,000). It was such a high price that Hemingway is said to have put a penny in the concrete, saying, "Here, take the last penny I've got!" The penny is still there.
During his stay he wrote or worked on Death in the Afternoon, For Whom the Bell Tolls, The Snows of Kilimanjaro, and The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber. He used Depression-era Key West as one of the locations in To Have and Have Not—his only novel with scenes that occur in the United States.
Pauline and Hemingway divorced in 1939; Hemingway only occasionally visited when returning from Havana until his suicide in 1961.
The six- or seven-toed polydactyl cats descended from Hemingway's original pet "Snowball" still live on the grounds and are cared for at the Hemingway House, despite complaints by the U.S. Department of Agriculture that they are not kept free from visitor contact. The Key West City Commission has exempted the house from a law prohibiting more than four domestic animals per household.
•
The Silver Slipper dance hall adjacent to Sloppy Joe's, painted in the 1930s by Waldo Peirce.

One of the more than 50 polydactyl cats that live at the Hemingway house. This particular cat has seven (two extra) toes on each paw.
Tennessee Williams house
Tennessee Williams first became a regular visitor to Key West in 1941 and is said to have written the first draft of A Streetcar Named Desire while staying in 1947 at the La Concha Hotel. He bought a permanent house in 1949 and listed Key West as his primary residence until his death in 1983. In contrast to Hemingway's grand house in Old Town, the Williams home at 1431 Duncan Street[38] in the "unfashionable" New Town neighborhood is a very modest bungalow. The house is privately owned and not open to the public. The Academy Award–winning film version of his play The Rose Tattoo was shot on the island in 1956. The Tennessee Williams Theatre is located on the campus of Florida Keys Community College on Stock Island.[39]
Williams had a series of rented homes all over the United States, but the only home he owned was in Key West.
Even though Hemingway and Williams lived in Key West at the same time, they reportedly met only once—at Hemingway's home in Cuba, Finca Vigía.
Attractions, events, recreation, and culture
Many visitors rent a bicycle and explore the history and architecture of Old Town Key West. Walking tours, including a tour of the unusual Key West Cemetery, are available. The Sunset Celebration at Mallory Square is a daily spectacle for visitors and residents. Boat excursions and tours provide a great way to view Key West from the water.
• The Duval Street bar and restaurant district includes many different entertainment options, all within walking distance of each other.
• The Audubon House and Tropical Gardens is a museum dedicated to the art work of John James Audubon and history of Key West. This was founded by the Wolfson Family as they purchased the home of ship wrecking captain Geiger. John James Audubon painted many of the birds of Key West in this garden.
• The Studios of Key West, founded in 2006 and based at the island's historic Armory building, was established as a new model for an artist community. It comprises a dozen working studio spaces, a main exhibition hall, a sculpture garden, and several adjoining residences and cottages. Its programming continues to grow and includes an extensive series of creative workshops, free humanities lectures, cultural partnerships, and innovative ideas for artists and audiences.
• The Florida Keys Council of the Arts serves as the primary cultural umbrella for Monroe County, from Key Largo to Key West. A non-profit local arts agency, it makes grants, operates the Monroe County Art in Public Places program, sponsors seminars, and manages the on-line cultural calendar for the region. It also manages the County's Tourism Development Council arts marketing grants and serves as a leading advocate for cultural tourism in lower Florida.
• Key West Contemporary Dance Company is a 501c3 nonprofit organization based out of Key West, Florida. Composed of local and visiting professional dancers, it performs at various venues throughout Key West and rehearse at The CoffeeMill Dance Studio in Old Town.
• The Tennessee Williams Theatre is a performing arts center, a civic center, and a community center. It is based at the Florida Keys Community College.
• The Key West Literary Seminar, a celebration of writers and writing held each January, attracts an international audience to hear such writers as Ian McEwan, Margaret Atwood, Billy Collins, and Joyce Carol Oates.
• The Key West Botanical Forest and Garden is a frost-free arboretum and botanical garden containing a number of "champion tree" specimens.
• Nancy Forrester's Secret Garden is a one-acre (4,000 m²) garden resembling a lush, predominantly green rainforest. It is an exhibit of nature's artistry in a woodland garden.
• The Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservatory features a 5,000-square-foot (460 m²) glass-domed tropical butterfly habitat.
• A permanent AIDS Memorial is at the White Street Pier.
• The Mel Fisher Maritime Museum showcases gold, silver, and treasure recovered from shipwrecks around the world.
• One can shop, and dine at the Key West Historic Seaport at the Key West Bight.
• The Key West Lighthouse and Keeper's Quarters Museum preserves the history of the Key West Lighthouse, built in 1847.
• Nobel Prize–winning author Ernest Hemingway's former home is now open to the public as the Ernest Hemingway House, and is populated by as many as 60 descendants of his famous polydactyl cats.[40]
• Many visitors like to spend the day out on the water seeing the more nature oriented side of Key West. People have many different types of fishing favorites including backcountry fishing, reef and wreck fishing, as well as offshore deep sea fishing trips. There are many companies to choose from like All Water Charters out of Hurricane Hole marina who can take you out to do many of these Mother Nature infused journeys. Fishing guides on the island are typically very knowledgeable about the area and can give you insights on other fun things to do while you are in town.
• PrideFest is seven days of events, presented by the Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Key West during the first week in June. The schedule includes the Pride Follies talent extravaganza; contests to select a Mr., Ms. and Miss PrideFest; parties; a tea dance; and the PrideFest Parade down Duval Street.
• In 1979, the Key West Tourist Development Association, Inc., started Fantasy Fest to attract tourists at the traditionally slow time of Halloween, which is at the end of the hurricane season. Fantasy Fest regularly attracts approximately 80,000 people to the island and has become a huge success.
• In June 2006, the Key West Gay & Lesbian Museum & Archive opened at the Gay and Lesbian Community Center at 513 Truman Avenue. Featured exhibits include a Tennessee Williams typewriter as well as an extensive collection of memorabilia and papers of Richard A. Heyman, who was one of the nation's first openly gay mayors before dying in 1994 of AIDS.
Popular annual events
• Key West Half Marathon & 5K Run, January 19, 2014, 7 AM
• Key West Race Week – international sailing event – January
• Key West Literary Seminar – January
• Kelly McGillis Classic – Flag Football Tournament – February
• Key West Fishing Tarpon Season- April–June
• Conch Republic Independence Celebration – April 23
• Taste of Key West – April
• Red Ribbon Bed Race – April
• Key West Songwriters Festival – April / May
• Survivors Party – May
• Queen Mother Pageant – May
• PrideFest – June
• Cuban-American Heritage Festival – June
• Hemingway Days Festival – July
• Key West Lobsterfest - August
• WomenFest – September
• Bike Week – September
• Fantasy Fest – October
• Goombay Celebration – October
• Robert the Enchanted Doll Day – October 24
• Parrot Heads in Paradise Convention (aka Meeting of the Minds) – Oct. 30 to Nov. 3 (2013)
• Boat and Holiday Parade – December

Media
Main article: Media in Key West, Florida
See also: List of television stations in Key West and List of radio stations in Key West
The television stations received in Key West are the stations in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale Designated Market Area with rebroadcast transmitters in Key West and Marathon. Comcast provides cable television service. DirecTV and Dish Network provide Miami-Fort Lauderdale local stations and national channels.
The Key West area has 11 FM radio stations, 4 FM translators, and 2 AM stations. WEOW 92.7 is the home of The Rude Girl & Molly Blue, a popular morning zoo duo; Bill Bravo is the afternoon host. SUN 99.5 has Hoebee and Miss Loretta in the p.m. drive. Island 107.1 FM is the only locally owned, independent FM station in Key West, featuring alternative rock music and community programs.
The Florida Keys Keynoter and the Key West Citizen are published locally and serve Key West and Monroe County. The Southernmost Flyer, a weekly publication printed in conjunction with the Citizen, is produced by the Public Affairs Department of Naval Air Station Key West and serves the local military community. Key West the Newspaper (known locally as The Blue Paper due to its colorful header) is a local weekly investigative newspaper, established in 1994 by Dennis Cooper, taken over in 2013 as a fully digital publication by Arnaud and Naja Girard.[41]

Notable people
• Dick Vermeil, Former Super Bowl Champion NFL Coach
• Vic Albury, MLB pitcher
• Judy Blume, author
• Bronson Arroyo, baseball player[42]
• Jimmy Buffett, musician[43]
• David Allan Coe, musician[44]
• Stepin Fetchit, comedian (deceased)[45]
• Mel Fisher, treasure hunter (deceased)[46]
• Robert Fuller, actor
• Khalil Greene, Major League Baseball Player
• Ernest Hemingway, author (deceased)[47][48][49]
• Calvin Klein, fashion designer[49][50]
• Mike Leach, college football coach [51]
• Stephen Mallory, U.S. senator (deceased)[52]
• Amber McDonald, actress
• George Mira, football player[53]
• John Patterson, MLB second baseman
• Boog Powell, baseball player[54][55]
• David Robinson, basketball player[56]
• Shel Silverstein, author, cartoonist and musician (deceased)[57]
• Shane Spencer, MLB outfielder
• Randy Sterling, MLB pitcher
• Harry S. Truman, U.S. president (deceased)[47]
• Tennessee Williams, author (deceased)[48]
• John James Audubon (deceased)[47]
• Kelly McGillis, actress[47]
• John Dewey, philosopher and psychologist (deceased)[58]
• Stuart Woods, author[59]
• Paul Cotton, musician