WEST PALM BEACH, FL.- The Herencia Experiential Art Center isn’t your typical retail art gallery. It’s an art gallery with a mission: To promote vitality in the community through the arts. The unique combination of offering both affordable art and emotional wellness has put the gallery well on its way to bringing healing and hope to the underserved , working-poor community it calls “home.”
When Herencia’s owner, Veronica Sirotzky, first envisioned opening a gallery, she wanted a location where she could nurture as well as showcase the community’s natural resiliency through the visual arts. So when space became available on Military Trail and Cherry Road in suburban West Palm Beach, Sirotzky jumped at the opportunity of opening up shop in the neighborhood. “While Northwood and Antique Row are top-of-mind locations to open a gallery, the vibrant culture and hard-working, resilient people found within this community is undeniably the reason I’m here.”
The gallery is supporting the local community by way of featuring variety of work from local Palm Beach County artists. One such artist is Dr. Andres Suarez, a Peruvian-American medical doctor and role-model to Hispanic/Latino youths. The West Palm Beach resident’s “photoart” adds an original twist to photographs of ordinary objects and activities by adding his signature abstract editing effect. “Variety” also applies to the range of ages of local artists found at the gallery with works by up and coming sketch artist, Katie Dominguez, a Suncoast High School student, and veteran Palm Beach county sculpture, Peter Otfinoski sitting side-by-side.
The Center’s focal point is undeniably the Listening Center that is located in the center of the gallery. It is here that Sirotzky hopes to encourage emotional wellness without feeding into conventional stereotypes or stigmas currently associated with mental health services. The Listening Center is a place where individuals can share their problems with someone who will unconditionally listen. Sirotzky, a trained clinical social worker, guides the sessions herself. “At only $30 per session, we want to encourage people to use these sessions as a resource to overcoming life’s challenges. They are not meant to replace traditional therapy sessions, but rather enhance them.”
‘Herencia’ is the Spanish word for ‘heritage’ and ‘inheritance’ and Sirotzky wanted to find a way to have the center live up to its name. So, she set up the Herencia Scholarship Program for college-bound underserved youths in Palm Beach County. A portion of all art sales from the Herencia Experiential Art Center go towards supporting this cause.
