Arts & Heritage Center

Posted on by The Wandering Art Historian

The Healthy West Orange Arts and Heritage Center at the Town of Oakland is a recent addition to the Central Florida arts community. Situated directly on the West Orange Trail in the charming town of historic Oakland, FL the Arts and Heritage Center hosts cultural events and themed art exhibitions featuring local artists.

The artwork currently on display celebrates Black History Month and will be on view through the month of March.

Artists: Maho Shing, Pamela Bussey & Marisela Rodriguez
Artist: Nelson Cardenas

The gallery is full of natural light and while wall space is limited, curators have energized the space by displaying artwork on easels and in glass cases amidst comfortable chairs and small tables. Honestly, the affect is quite welcoming!

What I liked best about the Arts and Heritage Center is its prime location on the West Orange Trail. This trail, which winds its way through the west side of Orange County, FL extends from the edge of Clermont all the way to Apopka and is immensely popular. At any given time, one could see athletes training for their next marathon racing alongside cyclists preparing for an upcoming triathlon. Families also enjoy the trail on their bicycles or just walking in groups and it is not uncommon to see people on rollerblades, skateboards or Onewheels rolling down the trail. In fact, I rode to the Arts and Heritage Center on my scooter from my home in Clermont!

Having a community-based center that features special cultural events and artwork by local artists along a popular, high-traffic route is brilliant. The center itself was clearly designed to be inviting to all passersby, not just those who visit specifically for the artwork. The fact that public indoor and outdoor restrooms are easily accessible and that rocking chairs sit on the building’s wrap-around porch, indicates an organization thinking about how it interacts with its community and vice versa. Picnic tables on the greenspace nearby only further emphasize the positive symbiotic relationship of the Arts and Heritage Center and the local community.

For more information on the Healthy West Orange Arts and Heritage Center at the Town of Oakland, please visit…

https://oaklandfl.gov/899/Healthy-West-Orange-Arts-and-Heritage-Ce?fbclid=IwAR24dM8gyW5FKZoTGkSRszeVAcFaFQLCDt3cTTTB0_0Uhn1FT6wr3PmQQoo

Or follow the Arts and Heritage Center on social media by visiting this link…

https://www.facebook.com/HWOAHatOakland/?ref=page_internal

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I am writer and artist with a degree in art history who loves to talk to people about art. I have spent the last seven years building up The Wandering Art Historian “brand” as a way to connect with people who want to learn more about art. I give lectures and presentations and teach classes and host book club discussions with a creative or artistic connection. I also write about local artists, events, museums, and exhibitions to promote the arts in Central Florida. In 2021, I had a creative crisis. I struggled with authenticity in the art making process. I decided to make myself vulnerable and find out what a real, genuine Adrienne H. Lee artwork would look like. The process was challenging and emotional and revelatory. I learned that if necessity is the mother of invention, then authenticity is the mother of reinvention. I reinvented myself and learned an entirely new medium. The resulting artwork surprised me, and it will surprise you, too. Some people wish for a fairytale ending. For me, the fairy tale is only the beginning.