The Historic Perrine Community House on US-1 is home to ArtSouth, a Palmetto Bay nonprofit that runs year-round visual arts programming for children and seniors while bridging two communities separated by a highway.

According to ArtSouth, the organization offers after-school classes, summer camps, school-holiday workshops and weekend sessions for children ages 4–17, all taught by working artists and arts professionals. Senior adults can take age-friendly painting, drawing and mixed-media classes designed to keep participants artistically active at any skill level.

A 2023 Florida Division of Arts and Culture grant application estimated ArtSouth's annual programming engages roughly 1,724 individuals, including more than 300 youth and 1,200 adults, with 24 Florida artists directly involved. Those figures covered the 2024–2025 program year.

ArtSouth was co-founded in June 2000 by the late Ellie Schneiderman and the late I. Stanley Levine, the same duo credited with launching the South Florida Art Center on Lincoln Road in Miami Beach (now Oolite Arts). The organization started inside an abandoned historic church in hurricane-ravaged Homestead before relocating to the Perrine Community House in 2013, where the Village of Palmetto Bay provides free office and gallery space under a formal agreement.

Bridging two communities

The building sits in the center median of US-1, with Palmetto Bay on one side and West Perrine on the other. Palmetto Bay's median household income is approximately $131,605; West Perrine's per capita income is about $16,210, with 27.7% of residents below the poverty line. ArtSouth's programming intentionally bridges that divide through multigenerational workshops, festivals, performances and exhibitions.

Board Chair Janis Klein Cohen leads the current board alongside Art Director Maximo Caminero, Board Secretary Beatriz Herrmann and Treasurer Wendy Robbins. Funders include Miami-Dade County, The Children's Trust, the Village of Palmetto Bay, The Miami Foundation and the Knight Foundation.

Each month, ArtSouth hosts a "Second Saturday" gallery exhibition and reception at the Perrine Community House, co-presented with the Village of Palmetto Bay. The free events feature rotating work by local artists for sale or exhibition, with light refreshments served. The receptions give emerging artists a free venue to show and sell work while introducing neighbors to new talent.

In April 2026, featured artist KKG Art exhibited her Moonlight series at the venue. She wrote on her website:

"This is where I debuted my first solo show so it's an important part of my journey, and I love the ArtSouth program initiative." — KKG Art, April 2026

Workshops at Thalatta Estate

Beyond the Perrine Community House, ArtSouth holds seasonal community painting and ceramics workshops at the historic Thalatta Estate in Palmetto Bay. All workshops are open to the public. Revenue goes directly to programs for families and children who lack access to the arts because of economic constraints.

How to connect

ArtSouth is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., at 900 East Perrine Ave., Palmetto Bay, FL 33157. Residents can call 305-964-5662 or visit artsouthmiami.org for class schedules and upcoming Second Saturday reception dates.