The cultural arts scene in Florida is exploding with new theaters and museums, expansions and organizations pursuing new marketing strategies. A few arts organizations are celebrating milestone anniversaries, and gallery districts throughout the state are drawing visitors with special events. A roundup of some of the cultural happenings around the state:

Art Gallery Districts

Miami

Galleries and shops stay open late and stage special exhibitions during Art + Design Night, held every month in Miami's Design District.

» The Wynwood neighborhood is now considered one of the burgeoning arts districts in the state. Tony Goldman, the real estate maven and art lover who jump-started the revival of South Beach, has spent $35 million on 25 properties, hoping to create a thriving arts hub. The Wynwood Art District extends approximately from I-95 on the west and Biscayne Boulevard on the east and runs from 20th to 36th Street. It is home to more than 50 galleries, four museums, numerous arts complexes and artist studios, as well as an increasing array of satellite fairs affiliated with Art Basel. A highlight is Wynwood Walls, an outdoor street art museum with large murals and metal works. On the second Saturday of the month from 7 to 11 p.m., the area hosts a gallery walk, which is free and open to the public.

» Just to the north of Wynwood in Midtown, Miami's Design District spans about 18 square blocks and is a collection of primarily old low-rise warehouses that have been converted into design showrooms, retail spaces, more than 130 art galleries, restaurants and cafes. One of the largest developers in the Design District, Craig Robins, plans to bring 40 to 50 luxury retailers such as Louis Vuitton to the neighborhood by 2014, competing with long-established Miami shopping areas such as Lincoln Road and Bal Harbour Shops.

» Next page: Arts Districts in Delray Beach and St. Petersburg.

Delray Beach

The Arts Garage in Delray Beach

» Some of the galleries along East Atlantic Avenue downtown from around Swinton Avenue to the Intracoastal Waterway sell everything from silk art to glass art to Contemporary American art and include the well-known Blue Gallery and Ora Sorensen Gallery. Every third Friday night, the area hosts a gallery walk from 7 to 10 p.m. Galleries in the district open their doors and many serve drinks and hors d'oeuvres. New restaurants have opened in recent months along the avenue, drawing tourists and locals.

St. Petersburg

Artist Donna Gordon holds one of her sculptures outside her studio and art gallery on the 600 block of Central Avenue in St. Petersburg.

» The once-dilapidated 600 block of Central Avenue in St. Petersburg's downtown has become a vibrant new art scene. The block has attracted gallery openings and relocations, fueled by cheap rents offered by Thomas Gaffney, who owns most of the block. Sculptor Donna Gordon and the Bluelucy gallery are among the tenants along the block, which is now home to more than a dozen art studios, galleries and boutiques.

» Next page: Museums in St. Petersburg and Jacksonville.

Museums

St. Petersburg

Artist Dale Chihuly (right) walks through his Chihuly Collection in St. Petersburg. [Photo: James Borchuck/St. Petersburg Times]

» The Chihuly Collection opened downtown more than a year ago. It has quickly become a must-see for anyone living in or visiting the Tampa Bay area. The Morean Arts Center owns and operates the collection designed by Dale Chihuly, who is known for colorful glass sculptures often made from hundreds of individually blown glass pieces. Art Keeble, executive director of Arts Council of Hillsborough County, says the community has been impressed by the museum's architecture and the brilliantly lighted pieces. "It's like a stroll through fantasyland," as he puts it.

» The Dali Museum opened in a new, larger facility in January and already has seen a 50% increase in traffic. The museum, on the city's waterfront, features works from Salvador Dali's early career through his final years and is considered the world's most comprehensive collection of the Surrealist master's work outside of Spain. Visitors might consider the building itself an attraction; Architect Yann Weymouth, who had a hand in creating the glass pyramid at the Louvre in Paris, designed the museum.

Marcelle Polednick [Photo: Mario Peralta]

Jacksonville

» With a new director, Marcelle Polednick, the Museum of Contemporary Art/Jacksonville is moving to become more edgy. Beginning in January, the museum will feature three exhibitions focusing on major art scenes and artists from the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. Its current exhibition is called "Shared Vision: The Sondra Gilman and Celso Gonzalez-Falla Collection Photography," one of the top 10 photo collections of the world. The museum started Project Atrium, with large-scale works of art, photography or sculpture by emerging national artists displayed in its four-story atrium.

» Last page: Museums in Tampa and Tallahassee.

Tampa

The Tampa Museum of Art has a large collection of ancient Greek and Roman antiquities, such as the Greek black-figure column krater, circa 510 B.C. (below). [Photo: James Borchuck/St. Petersburg Times]

» The Tampa Museum of Art, which reopened downtown in 2010 with a $33-million price tag, has been awarded the prestigious American Architecture Award. The sleek museum with a view of the Hillsborough River, displays everything from antiquities from the permanent collection to visiting national exhibitions. Robin Nigh, manager of the arts program division for the city of Tampa, says the museum's strength is its ancient Greek and Roman antiquities. "There's no place in state that has as big a collection."

Tallahassee

The Mary Brogan Museum of Art was granted custodial care of the painting titled "Christ Carrying the Cross Dragged by a Rogue." The painting is believed to have been stolen by Nazis.

» The Mary Brogan Museum of Art and Science, a Smithsonian affiliate, beefed up its mission in 2009 to reflect the role of humanities education in its offerings, allowing it to provide a wider array of offerings. The museum recently made national news over a 16th-century painting on loan from an Italian gallery. Federal officials ordered the Brogan not to return the painting because it was believed to have been stolen by Nazis during World War II. The museum had been granted custodial care of the painting by the Italian government until Nov. 20, but in early November, U.S. officials seized it. In September, the museum lured "Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition," a traveling exhibit that chronicles the construction of the Titanic, as well as its sinking, nearly 100 years ago.