Archive for the ‘Art’ Category
Inspire yourself at the Visual Arts Center, Punta Gorda
At the Visual Arts Center in Punta Gorda, you can savor the art on display, browse through an extensive art library, take a workshop, or pick out an original gift from the gift shop. There are four main galleries with 12 shows per year, and more than 3,000 art books, tapes, and DVDs in their library – an art student or researcher’s dream destination! The Charlotte County Art Guild, Inc. started this effort in 1961, and my, how it’s blossomed … just the like the surrounding neighborhood with its historic homes and lush tropical plants. In the courtyard you’ll see a fountain preserved from Punta Gorda’s first hotel.
Classes are offered year-round Admission is free; donations appreciated. Open Mon-Fri 9am-4pm, Sat 10am-2pm.
Visual Arts Center
210 Maud St
Punta Gorda, FL
941-639-8810
www.visualartcenter.org
Ormond Memorial Art Museum & Gardens
Enjoy a tropical getaway in a formal public garden right along SR 40 in Ormond Beach
Admission: Free
The Ormond Memorial Art Museum & Gardens provide a two-fold aesthetic experience. The gardens, established in the 1940s as a war memorial, designed by Chicago landscape architect Henry Stockman, are atop a sand dune. With lush native plantings, winding pathways, a waterfall, and multiple levels with ponds where turtles sun, it’s a visual and aromatic delight. Benches in quiet spots provide places for relaxation and reflection, and there’s a touch of history in one corner—the 1885 Emmons Cottage, which was moved here from Beach St. Built of heart pine, this pioneer structure withstood many a hurricane and the ravages of the salt breeze; it is open Wed–Fri 11–2 and features fine art from local artists. At the other corner of the gardens, the art museum began with the donation of 56 religious paintings by Canadian artist Malcolm Fraser in 1946, which sparked a community-wide effort to fund a museum. Originally called the Ormond War Memorial Art Gallery, it was the first Florida memorial to honor World War II veterans. The museum has expanded from its original space to include a new building with rotating exhibits by regional artists.
Museum open Mon–Fri 10–4, Sat–Sun 12–4, donation
Gardens open sunrise–sunset, free.
Ormond Memorial Art Museum & Gardens
78 E Granada Blvd
Ormond Beach, FL
386-676-3347
www.ormondartmuseum.org
Tracking swans around Lakeland
Look for clues for elegant swans in and around the Central Florida city of Lakeland
Admission: Free
The swan motif you see around Lakeland commemorates the city’s long history of swans drifting across its lakes; the original pair lived on Lake Bonny in 1926. In 1954 the queen of England presented two mute swans to Lakeland, descendants of a pair presented from Queen Beatrice to Richard the Lion-Hearted during the Crusades. You’ll see several generations of swans gliding across Lake Morton, as well as elegant swan sculptures that were a part of “Swansation,” a project encompassing 62 unique works of art scattered around the region.
To find the Swansation statues, walk around downtown Lakeland. Several are in front of office buildings in the city center, and others are found near Lake Morton. Don’s miss the swans themselves; you can walk around the lake on a shaded sidewalk.
