GALLERY ONE
Gallery One, located in the front of the Fifth Avenue Art Gallery, features a new themed exhibition every month. The shows are open to the public, admission is free. Please see EXHIBITIONS for a complete list of our upcoming shows.
Gallery One Exhibit September 2026
KELLY BERNING, 1st Place Winner of our 2026 100% Pure Florida Juried Exhibition
ARTIST STATEMENT
My ceramic work explores memory, transformation, time, and the emotional landscapes that shape human experience, often through themes of ritual, hope, and imagination. Through figurative sculpture and functional forms, I create objects that invite reflection, tell stories, and carry symbolic intention. Influenced by surrealism and psychological storytelling, my work often occupies a dreamlike space between memory and imagination, where personal experience becomes universal.
Across several interconnected bodies of work, I investigate the ways identity is formed through relationships, ritual, nature, and change. Many figurative sculptures draw from my experiences as both a woman and a mother, exploring the joys, vulnerabilities, and quiet complexities of raising children in a world that often feels divided and uncertain. These figures invite viewers to reconnect with the wonder and curiosity of childhood while reflecting on growth, protection, resilience, and the ways our identities continue to evolve throughout our lives.
Recurring symbols create visual threads throughout the exhibition. Figures emerging from heads represent growth, imagination, and expanding consciousness, while maternal forms nestled within the body speak to nurturing, connection, and the enduring bond between parent and child. Dangling arms suggest the helplessness that can accompany caring deeply for another person. Many recurring symbols serve as metaphors for memory, transition, hope, freedom, and the passage of time.
My Juju pieces extend these ideas through ceramic dolls often named after individuals who embody kindness and positivity. Adorned with pearl pins with affirmations such as Love, Strength, Joy, Health, and Gratitude, these works invert traditional voodoo imagery by amplifying positive energy rather than diminishing it. Similarly, many of my figurative sculptures are designed to hold sage for smudging, transforming them into ritual objects for cleansing, balance, and renewal. As the sage burns, these affirmations become active intentions, allowing the sculptures to function as both contemplative objects and participatory experiences.
My most recent functional work, The Absurdity Series, embraces humor and whimsy as a response to the surreal nature of contemporary life. When reality itself feels upside down, chickens riding bicycles and flamingos flying on spaceships become surprisingly honest reflections of the world around us. These playful narratives offer moments of levity while reminding us that imagination can be a powerful way of navigating uncertainty.
Although these bodies of work differ in subject and form, they are connected by a shared interest in transformation of material, memory, emotion, and perspective. Together they invite viewers to pause, reflect, and discover moments of hope, positivity, wonder, and connection within both the extraordinary and the everyday.
Across all of my work, I am interested in the transformation of material, memory, and emotion, creating opportunities for reflection and connection. ~ Kelly Berning
OUR SEPTEMBER POP-UP EXHIBIT
AMANDA HERNANDEZ
A Virtual Visit
MEMBER ARTISTS
Fifth Avenue Art Gallery is an artist owned co-op. Our gallery member artists are local professional artists, many are nationally recognized! They are what makes our gallery the best in Central Florida.
Gallery Members
Our Artists at Work
Reviews & Comments
Kevin Roberts Local Guide·16 reviews·5 photos
a year ago
Fifth Avenue Art Gallery has been my neighbor for something like 20 years now over here in Eau Gallie. Always beautiful and intriguing art of every description. A credit to the the Arts District, a gem!
5 STAR REVIEW
D SMITH
6 years ago
Went by to pick up my 100% Pure Entry and met Mark Mittleman. He was getting the next sjow set up for March. He was so bubbly and excited about his artwork. It was contagious! I enjoyed talking to him about his art and the upcoming show, “DOUBLE VISION”. Opening Friday, March 1 at 5:30pm. Looks good!
5 STAR REVIEW
8 years ago
What an awesome find, a true gem. It’s wonderful that Melbourne has an arts district and Fifth avenue Art Gallery really stands out. Its a must visit place in Melbourne, tucked away near the water. The variety of art done by local artists is noteworthy. I’m a recent transplant to the area from San Diego CA and I found more quality pieces in Fifth Avenue art Gallery than I did in San Diego arts district. Places like this really mark Melbourne as an up and coming area. Support the arts and visit this gallery, purchase original art, you will be glad you did!
5 STAR REVIEW
Patricia Foster (Mayalilium)
Local Guide·1,151 reviews·6710 photos
2 months ago
Very lovely display of unique art and creations. Nice people working here too
5 STAR REVIEW
D WELLER
11 months ago
Beautiful art in this gallery. So glad we stopped to see it. As artists from Florida’s west coast, we appreciated touring this gallery. …
GALLERY HOUR
WEDNESDAY-SUNDAY 11:00-4:00. (Or by appointment)
We will be closed for Thanksgiving, Christmas day, New Year’s Eve, and New Year’s Day.
