Image: Norton Museum of Art
The Norton Museum of Art will mark Disabilities Pride Month with a July 17 edition of 'Art After Dark' that combines short films, gallery activities, a fashion show and market, an open studio project and docent-led tours. The program runs from 5 to 10 p.m. at the museum in West Palm Beach, with admission set at $10 for adults and seniors, $5 for students and free for members.
According to the museum’s event listing, the evening is built around stories of resilience. The short film lineup includes 'The Rescue', directed by Seth Bakke; 'Apple Juice with No Ice', directed by Jillian Caforio; and 'The Calm Under the Water', directed by Cam Brooks. The first film follows a nonverbal young man struggling to communicate with the help of a new therapist; the second centers on Joey, who takes a weekly dinner job with Miles and discovers friendship; and the third follows an artist paralyzed from the neck down as they navigate obstacles toward happiness and inner peace.
The Norton is using the event to fold film into its broader Friday-night format, which the museum describes as an eclectic mix of live performances, film screenings, workshops, tours and more. For this edition, the schedule also includes a slow-looking activity led by Lisa Mazzola in the galleries. The museum says the exercise focuses on observation rather than perfection and invites visitors to spend quiet time noticing details, shapes, textures and relationships in works on view. The activity is limited to 15 visitors, with in-person registration on the day of the event.
Another component is a fashion show and market by aZul Fashion, Art & Design, identified by the museum as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that offers art-focused programs for adults with disabilities and their caregivers and families. The museum’s materials say the organization emphasizes creative strengths, self-expression and opportunities to develop social, workforce and personal skills through therapeutic and artistic activities. An open studio in Classroom 2 will run from 6 to 9 p.m., with participants using acrylic markers on canvas and referencing photos of activities in motion to create what the museum calls an active masterpiece.
Docent tours are also scheduled for the evening. Visitors can choose between '60 Seconds: Polaroids from the Collection' and 'Recognition of Art by Women: In Retrospect' at 5:30 p.m., and between 'Recognition of Art by Women: In Retrospect' and 'Highlights of the Collection' at 7 p.m. Tours are limited to 25 visitors, and wristbands are available at the Membership Table one hour before each tour. The tours meet in the Great Hall.
The museum’s event information notes that parking for 'Art After Dark' is available across the street from the museum at 1501 South Dixie Highway, with a $9 flat rate on Friday evenings and free parking for members. The Norton also says its Summer at the Norton season includes free Saturday admission for Palm Beach County residents through September 5, 2026. In the same period, the museum is presenting '60 Seconds: Polaroids from the Collection', through August 16, 2026, and 'Recognition of Art by Women: In Retrospect', through September 27, 2026.
