Mount Dora Center for the Arts

About

The Mount Dora Center for the Arts is located at 847 East Fifth Avenue, Mount Dora, Florida. The Center brings art to lives through classes and workshops, gallery exhibits, children's outreach programs, and partnerships with the Art Community. Their annual Art Festival held in February draws more than 200,000 visitors to the City of Mount Dora (pop.15,000) each year.

History: In 1975, a group of art-loving citizens held the first Mount Dora Arts Festival. It was a small event, but it was a big success. It was decided to have an Arts Festival every year.

In 1984, many of these same citizens of Mount Dora banded together to form the Mount Dora Cultural Council. It was their goal to celebrate the arts in Mount Dora, as well as further promote and improve the quality of the Arts Festival. Staffed by volunteers and funded through membership dues and private contributions, the Cultural Council began to grow. The following year, the Cultural Council moved into 138 East 5th Avenue. As time went by, more and more people joined the Cultural Council, and in 1986, the Board of Trustees resolved to change the name to Mount Dora Center for the Arts. The Mount Dora Center for the Arts has provided quality art experiences in the Lake County region of Central Florida ever since.

In 1995, with a 30% down payment and owner-financed mortgage, the MDCA Board of Trustees purchased the building where the Arts Center is currently located.

In March 2022, MDCA sold the building to G3 Development with a Build to Suit agreement to have a new facility built behind the original building on Royellou Lane. As part of the sale agreement, G3 Development agreed to sponsor Mount Dora Center for the Arts annual Arts Festival for 10 years. Shortly after the sale, G3 Development reneged on building the previously agreed to plans and filed an eviction against MDCA. They also stated they no longer intended to sponsor the Mount Dora Arts Festival.

Adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)。Photography via Wikimedia Commons.