“La Florida” at the Arts & Heritage Center

Posted on by The Wandering Art Historian

One of my favorite places to view the work of local Central Florida artists is the Healthy West Orange Arts & Heritage Center at the Town of Oakland, FL. If you’ve been following this blog for any amount of time, then you already know that I have raved about the building’s large windows that allow for natural light and the creative and thoughtful curation by the staff of the themed exhibitions from previous posts. However, their current exhibition, titled “La Florida,” is probably their most successful one yet and I think it is my favorite… so far, of course!

The tag line for “La Florida” is “Celebrating Florida’s Hispanic Heritage” and this exhibition does just that. It truly is a celebration and the sheer joy of the space can be felt as soon as you walk through the doors. Vibrant colors and figures in motion tantalize the eye and stir the heart while flags and papel picado hang from the ceiling. Energy pulses throughout the space and there is so much artwork to see that you may lose track of time. Don’t worry, it is time very well spent!

I was mesmerized by the prevalent sculptural work and mixed media pieces featured in the exhibition. Each one lent an air of magical realism to the gallery, enhancing an almost other-worldly quality to the space.

My favorite grouping of works included an amazingly realistic depiction of a large pig and an informative didactic that explained the wild pig’s connection to Florida.

Of course, the museum nerd in me absolutely loved the numerous labels and didactics throughout the exhibition explaining the cultural symbolism depicted within the work and the historical connections.

I highly recommend experiencing this exhibition in person as the photographs in this post do not do the colors justice. Lucky for you, “La Florida” will be on view until November 2nd!

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

https://www.oaklandfl.gov/899/Healthy-West-Orange-Arts-and-Heritage-Ce

To keep up with the events and activities hosted by the Arts & Heritage Center in celebration of the “La Florida” exhibition, please visit their Facebook page at…

https://www.facebook.com/HWOAHatOakland

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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.