The Orlando Arts Collective is a diverse group of artists who enjoy supporting, sharing, communicating, and collaborating with other fellow artists. OAC members are painters, sculptors, photographers, and mixed-media artists.
Members conduct workshops, run critique seminars, curate art shows, participate in other community shows and events, and go on art related field trips together. The group encourages members to participate in art activities, shows and other groups throughout the community, and to share their experiences. Having adventures is one of the hallmarks of the OAC.
They are an IRS-501(c) 3 not-for-profit group, which allows them to conduct classes and work with charities. This also means they have a Board of Directors and annual dues. Even though they have a board they are not a board-centered group. All decisions are determined by a majority of their members. The annual membership is $30.00, which helps to pay for group shows, classes, and guest speakers. Extra fees may be required for participation in gallery shows. The members have shown and participated in various art venues in and around Orlando, such as City Arts Orlando, Mega Con, Third Thursdays, Dandelion Cafe, Pom Poms, and FAVO.
The Orlando Art Collective meets on the second Thursday of each month between 6:30-8:30 pm.
I stopped in to a meeting and sketched while members were learning new techniques in a printing workshop. Everything was provided and there were some unique results. At the end of the table one artist apologized because he had evicted me from a painting workshop at the Albin Polasek Museum and Sculpture Gardens one year because I was sketching as I listened. I laughed and said there were no hard feelings.
Also on the table were ceramic tile hearts which were for a mural that is now up on the side of Lamp Shade Fair which is a 65-year-old business on 1336 N. Mills Avenue, Orlando, Fl. The ceramic hearts were created by artists from around the world and will be arranged into a rainbow coming from the open hand of a Banksy-inspired silhouette of a young girl blowing a kiss.