The Maitland Art Center — Attraction in Maitland

Great to see how artists of the past were able to assemble their trades into this type of craft studios. In particular the Deco style even mixed with some Taos style stairs and steel low profile windows. The corner window on the short end of the large courtyard is beautuful. The individual hand made concrete panels are very much in the style of Myans and remind me of our Peru trip. They are similar to the block styles used by Frank Lloyd Wright, such as in the Hollyhock house. Its exciting to know we have this kind of architectural influence in Orlando. I particularly like the large old live oaks and the garden pergola and "Horti-tecture", (as I call plants juxtaposed with architecture), that really makes for warm courtyards in the hot sun. Since I have a very developed koi pond, it disheartens me to see such a wonderful pond in that state of repair. It could be the fabulous centerpiece. Knowing that it takes myself and a gardener to take care of my zen garden I fully understand. I encourage the owners to reignite the pond with some fabulous koi. My koi just had 100s of baby Fry's and maybe I could donate some! This is a definite must see if your interested in...

The Maitland Art Center was a pleasant surprise. Who would have imagined that Maitland had such a beautiful arts center with so much variety? The place includes an art gallery (I recommend the current exhibition by André Smith), the museum with a collection of works and items from Florida that tells the story of Indigenous peoples and white settlers from even before colonization, the Telephone Museum, a chapel with Mayan architecture (which can even be rented for weddings), a covered venue for events that can also be rented, and outdoor areas with some sculptures. A lovely weekend outing, and also inexpensive: the admission to the art gallery is only six dollars for adults and free for seniors...

If you are looking to take a ceramics class with a welcoming and inspiring community environment this is not the place for you. The class was more about drinking wine and socializing then learning about ceramics. The instructor Bert made my adult daughter and I very uncomfortable when we went back AFTER THE CLASS WAS OVER to pick up our finished pieces. He started yelling at us about how we didn't clean up to his expectations in front of a lot of people. When we contacted the director he didn't really have any feedback or solution to the problem. We are members at this Art & Museum and long time members of the Maitland community. I am disappointed and hope they strive...