Art In Ocala

A Colorful City

By Danielle Veenstra

Ocala’s commitment to the arts can be seen on the walls of its many public spaces, in an ambitious expansion of its Art Deco performance hall, in its continued support of the historic downtown movie theater, and in a privately funded exhibition space that doubles as an art incubator.

Peeking over bushes and wrapping around traditional buildings, sculptures and murals of people, shapes, and nature unfurl deep into the heart of Ocala. Dotted along State Road 40, the corridor that slices the city in half, public art stands proud for its curious community. Ocala is a city painted in color, creativity, and determination.

A City Of Art

In 2017, the City of Ocala created a Cultural Arts and Sciences division that handles the many events and programs dedicated to art including public art, First Friday Art Walk, the biennial Ocala Outdoor Sculpture Competition, Art in City Spaces exhibitions, the Discovery Center, and much more.

Since then, the city’s commitment to providing access to art has only swelled. In 2020, the number of public art installations increased by 44, bringing the total number of public art pieces to 102—and counting. These pieces are made by artists who cover the spectrum of age, gender, nationality and geography.

Detail of “Mid-Flight” by Drake Arnold (eastern wall of Brick City Center For The Arts)

According to Laura Walker, City of Ocala’s Cultural Arts and Sciences Division Head, this is just the beginning.

“Our goal is to add more diversity in the artwork, both in artists and the type and styles,” Walker explains. “We want to bring in art that the community hasn’t experienced before.”

According to Walker, Ocala has 89 percent more public art per capita than Chicago, a city known across the nation for its public art pieces like Cloud Gate. The support that initially started at the city level through grants and donors has now reached private businesses and even surrounding cities.

Along with outside murals, sculptures and installations, the city is also expanding its gallery spaces to allow artists to show off and sell their pieces.

In the era of COVID-19, Ocala’s public art can still be enjoyed outside, through a virtual tour application (ocala.oncell.com), or soon through a field trip program, which will tour the city’s public art spaces in the summer of 2021.

An Art Deco Expansion

The Art Deco exterior of the historic Reilly Arts Center hides the transformation happening behind it. The 1930s-era building has seen its fair share of renovations, but the current upgrade will bring another theater, more space, and additional teaching facilities.

Reilly Arts Center expansion

The Reilly Art Center’s Board of Directors approved the $4 million expansion project in June 2020 and hope for construction to be complete in the late summer or early fall of 2021.

The modern addition will be a blending of current times and older traditions. It will have high ceilings, sleek glass features, and an interweaving of the Art Deco details seen throughout the Reilly.

The Reilly will now house a new Black Box theater, which is a flexible space that can be adapted to comfortably seat jazz shows or standing-room-only rock concerts. Along with a bigger lobby and box office, the new expansion will also include teaching facilities with a large rehearsal room and multiple studios to accommodate student musicians, performing arts teachers, and practicing professionals.

The vision for the Reilly Arts Center was for it to become a performing arts hub, to offer more than just a venue space, according to Pamela Calero Wardell, the executive director.

“You’re able to learn about music, study it, and have music be a part of your life,” she says of the new facilities.

The main 700-seat theater will continue to stay open for shows, events, and concerts, including one-night-only events with Grammy Award-winning artists like Lee Ann Womack and Kenny G, stand-up comedian Kevin Nealon, and folk-rock singer Art Garfunkel.

The Ocala Symphony Orchestra, which had to move its concert season last year due to the coronavirus, will proceed with its 45th season beginning in October 2021. The orchestra’s programming includes works by symphonic masters such as Dvorak, Tchaikovsky, and Paul Dukas. The OSO will continue to hold performances out in the community, including “OSO on the Go,” “Symphony under the Lights,” and “Symphony under the Stars.”

The sounds of the 80-member orchestra can also be streamed directly into homes, backyard parties, and headphones with the Reilly’s free digital concert series. And with 28 different concerts to choose from, the Reilly’s diverse line-up of local and regional artists is only a click away.

Old-School Cool

Red velvet seats, scrolling sconces, and the bright neon signs that read “Marion Theatre” aren’t the only keepsakes from generations past. Now, Ocala’s most iconic movie theater will play old-school movies on its big screens for the foreseeable future.

Black-and-white films, cult classics, documentaries, films from the ‘80s, and any other second-run movies are soon-tobe marquee features. From Casablanca to Ghostbusters to Love Actually, they’re back.

In August 2020, the city of Ocala voted to give the reigns of the Marion Theatre over to the Reilly Arts Center after its previous owners could not keep the doors open. The city, under contract with the Reilly, still owns the theater, but long-term plans for the venue are yet to be decided.

In the meantime, to market the 1940s-era movie theater, the Reilly’s staff wanted to leverage the theater’s biggest strength: nostalgia.

While mainstream theaters are at a standstill with first-run movies, the Marion’s old-school movie strategy has given it the legs it needs to survive.

Marion Theatre

The theater’s entertainment doesn’t stop at movies, though. It continues in the form of small musical performances, shows, lectures, and special events.

During the Marion’s first month after a soft opening in September 2020, classic films were played with a live band in place of the movie’s score. The historic building hosted local and regional music acts. And a new bimonthly event, “Classics and Cocktails,” paired classic movies with a unique cocktail. For instance, the movie Singing in the Rain was paired with a “Sparkling Cosmo,” which could be bought from the Marion’s reimagined concession stand and bar.

The Marion Theatre offers a full beer, wine, and drink menu along with popcorn and snacks that can be ordered online and delivered chairside. It is open for movies Thursday through Sunday, leaving it available the rest of the week for private showings or events.

A Gallery With Big Goals

The old Coca-Cola bottling plant in Ocala’s North Magnolia district, slated to become a whiskey distillery, was instead renovated into a haven for inspiring artists.

The NOMA Gallery, named due to its location, is an art gallery and open art studio wrapped in one. Half-painted canvases, paint brushes, and drop cloths are scattered throughout the space that is encircled by completed works.

From clay to acrylics, watercolors to photography, and music to dance, every medium is represented by the local artists that congregate there.

The idea of this collaborative art gallery was a brainchild of Lisa Midgett, a local entrepreneur and arts supporter. It was her willingness to help that created the opportunity for a working art gallery to thrive.

The pandemic hit Ocala’s art community hard. Spring art shows were cancelled, causing a void in income for artists to prepare for their fall shows. Some weren’t able to buy supplies, let alone rent gallery space for their works.

To help lessen that blow, Midgett put on a pop-up art show called “Art Castle” in August 2020. It aided in the relief and recovery of artists, who were able to sell their pieces without worrying about fees or gallery commissions.

“My intention was only to be open for six weeks,” Midgett recalls. “But I had such a good time that I decided to keep the building as a gallery. It was a project that turned into a permanent fixture.”

Her family’s non-profit, the David and Lisa Midgett Foundation, sustained the gallery financially so the idea could flourish. Artists were able to recoup their losses and even find inspiration in their new situation.

NOMA Gallery

The gallery’s open floor plan allowed for an easy exchange of ideas, constructive criticism, and assistance. It not only transformed the way artists created, but it opened a forum for learning new techniques and concepts.

“If not for the pandemic,” she offers, “I’m not sure we would have formed this family that we created as quickly.”

The NOMA Gallery features a variety of exhibits for group and solo works. It also provides workshops and classes taught by the artists to the public for a small fee. And hosts a multitude of music and art pop-up events.

In early 2021, the NOMA will complete its final renovations with the second floor turning into a record label called NOMA Records, which will represent singers, songwriters, and other fine arts artists. The first-floor gallery will continue to provide space for working artists to create and show off their works. It will be open to the public Thursday to Saturday from Noon to 6pm.

Yes, NOMA is a very different kind of business venture, one with democracy as part of the balance sheet.

“I want artists,” Lisa concludes, “to feel like they have a say in the direction of the gallery.”