Lake Eustis Museum of Art

Mission:

Our mission is to cultivate, exhibit and collect the contemporary artistic identity of the southeast region of the United States and to engage and educate the Central Florida community in the appreciation of its artistic relevance.

About Us:

In 1995, 66 artist and patrons of the arts established the Lake Eustis Center of the Arts. Since Lake County was home to a couple of art centers, museum founders decided to rename the center the Lake Eustis Museum of Art. Within three years the museum was offering exhibits, art events, children's programs and adult field trips to other museums. The museum has a 14-member board of directors and a full-time executive director. Since September 2009, the museum has expanded outreach to the Greater Central Florida art community. The museum began to focus more towards fine art than Southeastern art. In 2009 and 2010, LEMA saw an unprecedented development with the addition of the Permanent Collection. Also in 2009 LEMA was nominated for an award for Community Engagement from United Arts of Central Florida. Lake Eustis Museum of Art is supported in part by grants from United Arts of Central Florida, Florida Division of Cultural Affairs, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional funds are secured through membership, sponsorships, donations, and fund-raising events, including the strongly supported FRIENDS Wine-A-Fare held annualy at the end of March coordinated by Caroline Breuche.

History:

In 1995, sixty-six artists and patrons of the arts established Lake Eustis Center of the Arts in an 1881 store front on Bay Street in the heart of historic downtown Eustis, with a mission to nurture culture and beauty. Since Lake County was home to several art centers, museum founders decided to rename the institution the Lake Eustis Museum of Art, pledged to exhibit fine art, while establishing a Permanent Collection. The first exhibitor, Mollie Manaulkin, donated 18 paintings of Australian Aborigines as a cornerstone.

Special recognition goes to museum founder, leading light, and first director Mary Zeigengeist. This outstanding artist and pillar of the artistic community gave untold hours of dedication and guidance to both the early years of the museum and throughout its history. Her late husband Jan was also invaluable.

Soon the art museum offered exhibitions, art events, children's art programs, adult field trips to other museums and an annual outdoor art festival, discontinued in winter 2008. Membership grew along with the roster of dedicated volunteers. The need for more space brought a 2004 relocation to a more visible building, across the street from Eustis City Hall. In August 2008, Susan Loden was hired as executive director; the museum had a dues-paying membership of 215 supporters.

In January 2009, the museum started asking adult non-members to make a $5 donation to visit the gallery and opening receptions. The museum, with membership in the American and Florida Associations of Museums became a member of the North American Reciprocal Museum Program. Since, LEMA has expanded outreach to the greater Central Florida art community.

2009 and 2010 saw dramatic development of a key element in LEMA's mission, the Permanent Collection, with the addition of fine art works by many of the exhibitors.

LEMA was nominated for a 2009 United Arts of Central Florida Arts+ Award for Community Engagement. Among the most significant, groundbreaking exhibits was WACKO: LIBERAL ARTS & AUTISM SPECTRUM PROJECT an exhibit of works by high functioning autistic youngsters for UA's ArtsFest 2009/10. A Docent Project with guided tours was added in 2009.

Paper Works 4 Me, a national competition and exhibition, was initiated in 2009. Create & Critique, adult water-medium painters continue long-standing weekly sessions at the art museum under direction of Mary Ziegengeist, who was recognized for her continued dedication and commitment to the community with the Lake County Community Service Arts and Culture Award 2010. Also, LEMA established the Bonnie Gillespie Reference Library, with a collection of art reference books. Additionally, the FRIENDS Literary Guild selects, reads and then reviews art-related fiction and non-fiction books during a monthly meeting.

The museum extended art educational opportunities to the home schooled, and a 10-week adult sketch study class.

In 2009, LEMA forged a new partnership with the Central Florida Water Color Society to mount about four, two-month, fine art exhibits annually at City Hall, under the art museum's umbrella, with the watercolorists taking full responsibility for the display and coinciding opening receptions by CFWCS at City Hall and LEMA at the museum.

In April of 2012 LEMA hired new director Richard D. Colvin, former curator of Art & History at Art & History Museums Maitland (home of the Maitland Art Center).