Atlantic Center for the Arts is a place where the public is welcomed and engaged. Through an exciting year-round calendar of cultural programs, art classes, presentations, and special events, community programs enrich, educate, and entertain an estimated 50,000 people annually. Numerous free community programs augment the Residency Program, including artists’ presentations that culminate the residency, exhibitions and outreaches by the Master Artists.

programs

The year-round schedule of art classes, exhibitions, presentations, performances, partnerships, special events and tours included popular children’s art classes, Summer Art Camp, teen art programs in visual arts, adult workshops and retreats, an annual poetry slam, IMAGES: A Festival of the Arts – a juried fine arts festival, and an extensive exhibition schedule of work by children, teens, university students, Florida artists, and contemporary masters that welcomes everyone into the world of art and the community of artists. In July 2008, Atlantic Center also hosted its first annual international “your word” Teen Creative Writing Residency program, a multi-genre summer writing residency that offers 9th through 12th graders from around the world the opportunity to study and be mentored by distinguished authors in a community of their peers. Atlantic Center for the Arts seeks to provide a holistic cultural experience for the entire community.

images art festival

In 2009, Atlantic Center presented the 33rd annual IMAGES: A Festival of the Arts, one of the top outdoor art shows in the Southeast U.S. A treasured tradition for more than three decades, IMAGES is a juried fine art festival with 220 artists, held in Riverside Park, with 35,000 attendees. IMAGES’ artists showcase their best work in painting, graphics, photography, jewelry, sculpture, glass, wood, leather, paper, clay, fiber, and fine crafts. Attendees discover new artists in a low key outdoor setting. IMAGES is as fun for children as their parents. Kids have the opportunity to participate in five hands-on projects in the Creative Education tent, and the art of talented local students is featured at a Student Art Exhibit. The Festival also features live entertainment on the main stage and at three other venues. IMAGES ties the performing arts with the visual arts, combining the best of art and music for all members of our community, as well as visitors from across the state and around the country.

pabst visitor center & gallery

ACA’s Pabst Visitor Center & Gallery offers a direct route to enter into the artistic process.

Since opening in 2007, the space has attracted over 20,000 visitors who attend exhibition openings, lectures, special events, or as a starting point to explore the Stine Way Art &

Nature Trail and guided studio tours. The Pabst Visitor Center & Gallery offers an extensive schedule of exhibitions, workshops, lectures, and tours and exemplifies the cornerstone of Atlantic Center’s mission: the pursuit of excellence.

aca exhibition spaces

The Jeanie G. Harris History Gallery displays the remarkable history of Atlantic Center through

an exhibit that highlights ACA’s interdisciplinary program, and the Jack Mitchell Portrait Gallery showcased 180 Master Artist photographs, from the inaugural residency in 1982 to the end of 2004. Individually, these works are stunning visual images; collectively they convey the history of the artists-in-residence program in a dramatic and elegant display. The Founder’s Room honors ACA Founder Doris Leeper and displays several pieces of her work. Exceptional Florida artists, selected through a yearly juried process, are featured in the annual exhibitions in ACA’s Harris House Gallery located in the heart of downtown New Smyrna Beach.