- April 16, 2026
Artist Paul Baliker with sculpture, "Running out of Time: Your Choice." Photo by Sierra Williams
Artist Paul Baliker creates artwork that he hopes will change people's perspectives on the environment. Photo by Sierra Williams
Artist Paul Baliker with sculpture, "Running out of Time: Your Choice." Photo by Sierra Williams
The Baliker Gallery in The Hammock is broadening its horizons by adding a wine bar and event space.
Gallery representative Theresa Cirelli said the gallery is already able to rent out for events now, but the additional space will allow it to host up to 75 people, utilizing both the indoor and outdoor space — perfect for small events, from weddings to corporate gatherings, she said.
Once licensing is in place — likely sometime in October — Cirelli said guests will be able to sip wine while looking at the art, she said.
“We’re going to be offering a wine bar and a wine club,” Cirelli said.
Located at 5928 N. Ocean Shore Blvd., the gallery is owned by Paul Baliker, a sculptor artist whose work focuses on environmentalism. Baliker said as he gets closer to his retirement, he wants to shift his focus to the environmentally-focused work he wants to create.
“Right now I take a lot of commissions that are not environmentally oriented, but I do them because I have to support what I have [created],” he said. “My retirement is simply doing exactly what I want to do.”
While that transition happens, the gallery needs to stay alive, Cirelli said. The Baliker Gallery has already hosted several events there, including a murder mystery fundraiser for Vincent’s Clubhouse.
But there’s more Baliker has on the horizon, too. Baliker said he plans to eventually feature other, like-minded artists. Cirelli said the key word there is “like-minded.”
“Meaning that we want to keep it an upscale art venue,” she said.
For Earth Day on April 22, the Baliker is hosting an event featuring singing bowls musician Sarah Lantier who will perform at the Baliker at 6:45 p.m. Though the event is free, reservations are required as space is limited.
The gallery itself will be open to the public throughout the day, Baliker said — typically, the gallery is only open to the public on the weekend, and by appointment during the week.
“We’re just going to help try to make people more aware of what Earth Day is all about,” he said. “And just show off some sculpture and perhaps some paintings that are doing the same thing.”
Nature and art are Baliker’s two passions, he said, and he tries to incorporate messages promoting environmentalism into his pieces. One of his more recent pieces is a large sculpture titled “Running out of Time: Your Choice.” It depicts marine life around a globe of the Earth, with man in the center.
The sculpture is split down the middle with a thriving oceanside and Earth on one half, and dead marine life tangled in trash on the other.
“It depicts actually what the ocean can be and what it is becoming, because we’re not paying attention,” Baliker said. “It’s just offering up a choice for those who are observing it.”
Beyond advocating for nature, Baliker has made his own contribution to protecting the Earth: he’s purchased 27 acres in Costa Rica that he plans to keep “totally preserved,” and one turn into a kind of environmental education center.
He said he hopes also to offer more visual education opportunities at the Baliker Gallery, too. Home in Flagler County, Baliker said he tries to change people’s minds on the environment visually through his work.
Baliker said he believes sending a message through art is one of the most important parts about being an artist.
“It’s amazing what a sculpture can do,” he said. “I’m thinking every artist needs to step up to the plate. Makes a difference. Make a statement.”
