Meet Me in the Gift Shop: Maitland Art Center

Maitland Art Center

231 W. Packwood Ave.
Maitland, FL 32751

407.539.2181

artandhistory.org

"Research Studio" refers to the expectation that artists will dig deep in their souls for their inspiration

AT A GLANCE: Maitland Art Center
Date of visit	Saturday, February 17, 2018
Parking	Limited free street parking. We had to park at the far side of the neighboring city park. Even so, it only took a few minutes of walking to get to the Art Museum.
Amount of time needed to peruse exhibits:	5 minutes for the indoor exhibits; 20 – 30 for the campus grounds outside
Amount of time needed for gift shop	1 minute
The “must have” souvenir	Take a selfie with the outdoor gardens. Frame it when you get home.
Online shopping	No.
Kid friendly shopping	No.
Kid friendly	The campus grounds are kid friendly.
Dress code	As in West Palm Beach, dress tastefully. You’ll feel woefully conspicuous in “beach” clothes.
Be sure to…..	Bring a camera and wander the 4-acres of magnificent Mayan Revival Art.
Nearby/other establishments to visit	Waterhouse Residence CarpentryMuseum Telephone Museum Maitland Historical Museum
Walkability, general downtown area / amount of traffic	The 4-acre campus is walkable. However, this area of Maitland is located away from the downtown area, and isn’t walkable. Sidewalks outside of the campus were scarce.
Safety, in terms of type and number of crimes committed in general area	Generally safe. With all of the Mercedes, Jaguars, and BMWs, I find it tough to think someone would want to break into our car. However, lock your car, place your valuables out of sight, and be aware of your surroundings.

Entrance to the sanctuary

True story: I’ve always wanted to start my own artist colony. My plan included purchasing a Scout camp, because they already have cabins on site for the artists’ residences. These cabins are usually sited in isolated and private areas, ensuring a beautiful and natural setting to create art. I visualized each artist with a private cabin to live, dream, and create fantastic art. At the end of the day, everyone gathered at the large dining hall for meals. Artists had both privacy at their cabin and comradery at the dining hall. In true naming fashion of Scouting, I’d name my artist colony. I used to work at a D-A, a Boy Scout in southeastern Michigan with the correct enunciation for D-A is “D Bar A.” Yes, I had the perfect name: “ –A”, which is pronounced “Bar Bar A.”

I'd have art for sale. This pieces are displayed inside of Maitland Art Center.

I’d welcome the public two to three times per year to the dining hall, which also served as a display gallery. Flinging the front door open, I’d say, “Welcome. C’mon in. Bring your wallet.” Champagne and wine flowed freely, and tuxedoed staff would refresh beverages and offer fancy little finger food. In between crusty bread, wine and aged cheese came the sound of wallets opening. The artists assisted the purchaser by carrying their art to the buyer’s vehicle. At the end of the evening, everyone’s happy. Yes, the community lovingly supported - - A, signing up for the many art classes: learning to sketch, photograph, paint watercolors and other media.

Community involvement is evident at Maitland Art Center

My spirited and naïve younger self believed anything was possible. However, thoughts of an artist colony faded as the years passed. One reason was that, at the time, I knew one artist. Lack of funds was the other factor: I didn’t have any. Several years have passed, with the vision of the artist colony softly fading away.

View of the courtyard and private studios from inside of the Art Center

Happily, one of the stumbling blocks recently resolved itself: I now know THREE artists:

James Leonard, our cousin
http://jamesleonard.org/work/

Brian Timmer, friend of Bob’s brother
https://www.briantimmerart.com/

Kay Zimmerman (KDZ), college friend
retired

Leonard, a conceptual artist, is a perfect fit for my newly dusted off art colony commune. He’d have all the pine cones and rocks to create impactful art. Sunrises, gently rolling hills, trees, and sunsets would appeal to Timmer, who creates wonderful vistas. KDZ is the artist that I knew from my college days. She’s retired now, and I think she would enjoy the calm and breezy serenity of “- - A.” KDZ has retired, and she’d be my special artsy guest who was free to create macramé, woven pot holders or anything she so desired.

Individual studios are sited toward the edge of the gardens.

The - -A vision has slowly drifted in and out of my consciousness over the years, and it never fails to make me smile. Perhaps that’s one of the reasons I enjoy living in Florida. Numerous small towns up and down Flagler’s original Florida East Coast Railroad, were settled by wealthy northeasterners looking for a warm place to comfortably pass frigid and miserable northern winters. Their beginnings may not be precisely the same, but an art museum / gallery supported by the community has sprung up (Winter Park, Vero Beach, Maitland) These museums undeniably have their own personality, and I encourage Florida visitors to make the time to visit them.

I eagerly entered the Art Center, certain that I would see a gift shop with a plethora of art, art books, and art supplies.

The gift shop for all five of the Maitland Museums

I walked away, disappointed in their inventory of two books: one on Maitland’s history and the other concerning the Telephone Museum. Moving on, “minimalistic” is a word that I’d use to describe the gallery.

The main gallery at the Art Center

Spend a few minutes inside the Art Center, then go outside and cross the quaint brick paved street to see a sanctuary setting designed for silent reflection. This area compensated my disenchantment with the Art Center, and I readily imagined myself being a part of the artist collective that visited this area. I admired how all of the decorative touches echoed the Mayan Revival Architecture, blending in soundlessly with an overall vision.

The Mayan Revival Style is previlent here. It's creative, colorful and whimsy.
Detroit, Michigan also uses the Mayan Style in many of its buildings that were constructed in the mid-1900s.

Entrances lead from the sidewalk outside immediately to the gardens.

One of the many entrances to the gardens from the sidewalk

Part of the entrance to the sanctuary, across the street from the Art Center.

Visiting the Maitland Art Center and discovering its nooks and crannies brought such a huge smile to my face. This is how my art colony would look like: architecturally distinctive studios for the artists a gallery for displaying finished works, and charmingly pleasing public areas. The Art Center is one of five museums, and all are easily visited in an afternoon. Collect your thoughts, meander around the Art Center, and recenter your calmness. Make the time to do so.