Locations

Atlantic Center for the Arts is located in New Smyrna Beach, Florida and is comprised of three locations: ACA’s main campus is located at the north end of town, ACA’s downtown locations: Arts on Douglas, Harris House and Yurick Studios, are situated in the heart of New Smyrna Beach’s Historic District.

Atlantic Center for the Arts

Address: 1414 Art Center Avenue, New Smyrna Beach, FL 32168 (Click for Map)
Telephone: (Reception Desk): 386.427.6975, 800.393.6975
Gallery Hours: Tue- Fri 10 AM – 4 PM, Sat 10 AM – 2 PM

ACA’s main campus is set on eleven lush acres of land, on the edge of Turnbull Bay. While the facilities, including the Pabst Visitors Center and Gallery are easily accessible to the public, the residency program and Leeper Studio Complex are also set back from neighborhoods and main roads, allowing artists in-residence the necessary privacy to work uninterrupted. The environment of the campus is rich in species of flora and fauna, and the architecture of the complex is built to blend and interact in this natural environment. In total, ACA owns 67 acres at the main campus.  

Take a 360 tour of the Pabst Visitor Center & Gallery

Click here to take a 360 virtual tour of ACA Main Campus

Atlantic Center for the Arts at Harris House

Address: 214 South Riverside Drive, New Smyrna Beach, FL 32168 (Click For Map)
Telephone: 386.423.1753
Gallery Hours: Gallery viewing by appointment. To schedule, email community@atlanticcenterforthearts.org or call (386) 423-1753.

Click here to take a 360 virtual tour of ACA Downtown: Harris House

Purchased and renovated in 1990, Harris House serves as Atlantic Center for the Arts’ community outreach facility and is recognized as a place that fosters creative and intellectual experiences for children, artists, and community members.

ACA Downtown: Arts on Douglas, alt_space Gallery, and Yurick Studios

Address: 123 Douglas Avenue, New Smyrna Beach, FL 32168 (Click for Map)
Telephone: 386.428.1133
Gallery Hours: Tuesday – Friday 10 AM – 5 PM, Saturday 10 AM – 4 PM by appointment

Atlantic Center for the Arts Downtown is subdivided into Arts on Douglas, ACA’s Yurick Studios, alt_space gallery, and administrative offices. ACA’s Yurick Studios consists of three classroom / studios used for community arts programming. Day-long classes and workshops, children’s art programs, evening poetry readings and lectures are conducted throughout the year.

Arts on Douglas was established in 1996 by artist and Atlantic Center for the Arts (ACA) founder, Doris Leeper and artist/benefactor, Ed Harris. Originally conceived as a commercial gallery to promote the work and careers of professional artists from the state of Florida, the gallery has since formalized its affiliation with Atlantic Center for the Arts, combining missions, resources and programs, in order to further facilitate community engagement with the creative arts.  Located in historic downtown New Smyrna Beach, the building was formerly a used furniture warehouse, and originally a 1930s era Ford showroom and service center. The building was transformed into a 3,500 square foot exhibition space that presents 18 exhibitions a year. The gallery’s ongoing exhibition program features a broad spectrum of artistic styles, media and temperaments, including experimental genres in its newest addition, the alt_space gallery. Click here to visit website

Click here to take a 360 virtual tour of ACA Downtown: Arts on Douglas

ACA’s alt_space gallery is an exhibition space dedicated to Florida artists from various contemporary genres including: conceptual art, site specific installation, new media, digital media, video, sculpture, or other experimental practices. The space was conceived in order to provide emerging and established visual artists with an alternative space to show their work, as well as to provide a platform to engage the community in a dialogue about art process, methodology, concepts, and materials..

New Smyrna Beach and Surrounding Area

New Smyrna Beach is a semi-rural town of 24,000 permanent residents whose economy is based on fishing, tourism and service-related industries. The major towns with closest proximity to Atlantic Center include the following: Daytona Beach, 15 miles north; DeLand, 25 miles west; and Orlando, 55 miles southwest.

Adjacent to ACA’s main campus is the Doris Leeper Spruce Creek Preserve, which covers over 2,300 acres and contains Spruce Creek, a unique, natural blackwater stream that courses through the Spruce Creek Basin. There are few examples of this type of river left undisturbed in Florida. Spruce Creek enjoys a Class III water quality rating and Outstanding Florida Waters designation due to its relatively undisturbed condition, and is also designated as an official State Canoe Trail. It is host to a variety of endangered species and holds many special wildlife areas, including crab and shrimp nursery areas, nesting areas for birds such as the American Oyster Catcher, the Yellow-crowned Night Heron, the Florida Sandhill Crane, and a variety of raptors including Osprey and Bald Eagles, Red-cockaded Woodpeckers, and the endangered Wood Stork. The rare Atlantic Salt Marsh Snake, endangered Manatees, and Alligators have been observed. A sub-species of King’s Crown conch, the Melongena Sprucecreekensi, is unique to this area, and is found at the mouth of the Creek. It is this diversity in aquatic habitat, flora, and fauna that makes this body of water such an exceptional natural resource.

Tourism is the area’s single largest industry, with local, national and international visitors drawn by the river and beaches. The 13 miles of beaches boast a habitat for many water sports, including surfing, swimming, sunbathing, boating and fishing, the barrier island is separated from Daytona Beach by Ponce Inlet, which permits boaters and fishermen access to the Atlantic Ocean from the Indian River/Intracoastal Waterway. The southern part of the barrier island is home to the pristine Mosquito Lagoon and 57,000 acre Canaveral National Seashore Park, said to be the nation’s longest stretch of remaining undeveloped seashore. Smyrna Dunes Park, at the northern tip of the island, features a 1.5 mile boardwalk loop around the inlet through pristine nature and coastal dunes.

New Smyrna Beach has the distinction of being included in the book “The 100 Best Small Art Towns in America: Where to Discover Creative Communities, Fresh Air, and Affordable Living,” by John Villani. Atlantic Center for the Arts, an international artists-in-residence community located on 67 pristine acres on Turnbull Bay, was cited as one of the most important factors in the designation. “Atlantic Center continues to attract the contemporary art world’s top names in painting and sculpture to teach midcareer artists,” Villani wrote.

While New Smyrna’s beautiful white sand beaches are a major attraction, Flagler Avenue, the beach side’s main street, is lined with quaint boutiques and art galleries, accented by children’s artwork hanging from lampposts and decorating street benches. (Just one of many community art projects coordinated through ACA’s community arts staff). Historic downtown Canal Street, home to The Artist’s Workshop, also boasts distinctive antique shops and galleries.

Click here for the New Smyrna Beach, Volusia County Beach Cam – The camera is located on the north side of the Lifeguard Station near the Flagler Avenue entrance.

Atlantic Center for the Arts also captured the attention of Anne Jeffrey and Aletta Dreiller, authors of The Art Lover’s Guide to Florida. “Finding yourself in 67 secluded acres complete with small art gallery, theater, library, and various studios where nationally recognized artists can develop and test new works is a surprise and a treat,” the authors write.

For more information on Volusia County and the surrounding area, please visit www.volusia.org

For specific information on local businesses visit our Chamber’s website at www.sevchamber.com

For more information on planning your New Smyrna Beach Vacation, visit http://nsbfla.com/wheretostay.cfm

Click here to watch CENTRAL FLORIDA ROADTRIP – New Smyrna Beach (Season 1 Episode 6 | 17m 36s)

 

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