Marshall J. Gardner Center for the Arts

The Marshall J. Gardner Center for the Arts is the gallery and gathering room of the Miller Beach Arts & Creative District, a nonprofit founded in 2011 to bring back Lake Street through the arts. Jeff Gardner donated the damaged storefront at 540 S Lake St, and the 6,000-square-foot center is named for his father, who ran Miller Drugs on the same street from 1959 to 1974. The calendar is rotating exhibitions, a Sunday farmers market from June through September, free yoga and the Fest in the First street festival. In spring 2025 the group bought a 1929 Illinois Bell building next door for studios.

What to know

• The center is at 540 S Lake St, run by the Miller Beach Arts & Creative District, a nonprofit founded in 2011.
• The building is named for Marshall J. Gardner, who owned Miller Drugs from 1959 to 1974.
• Exhibitions rotate roughly every five to six weeks; fall 2026 shows include Shape Games and Ways of Seeing.
• A farmers market runs Sundays from June through September, and Fest in the First is the annual street festival.
• The 541 Annex, a 1929 Illinois Bell telephone building, was bought in spring 2025 for studios and classes.