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Founded in 1977 by Doris Leeper, an internationally known sculptor and painter, as well as a visionary environmentalist, Atlantic Center for the Arts (ACA) is a non-profit multidisciplinary artist residency facility and vibrant cultural hub with expanded community offerings such as Arts on Douglas and IMAGES: A Festival of the Arts located in New Smyrna Beach, Florida.

 

 

 

Mission
ACA inspires and nurtures creativity through interdisciplinary artist residencies, dynamic artist collaborations, community engagement, and self-discovery within the experience of nature.

Vision
ACA enriches lives through the joy and power of the arts.

Values
We believe in the values that our founder Doris Leeper embraced.

• The creative spirit must be nurtured.

• There is a powerful connection between the arts and the natural environment.

• Supporting artists creates innovation and capacity, both locally and globally.

Atlantic Center for the Arts continues to preserve and protect these values.

 

 
Jesse Budel (b. 1991) is a composer-performer, sound artist, academic and arts entrepreneur based in South Australia. His works are for diverse media and spaces, ranging from concert works and installations to community and interdisciplinary collaborations. His music has been performed the Australian String Quartet (AUS), Soundstream New Music (AUS), Zephyr Quartet (AUS), Elder Conservatorium Wind Orchestra (AUS) and Corvus Ensemble (Alaska, USA), and he has been an artist-in-residence at Adelaide City Library and Sir Robert Helpmann Theatre in Mount Gambier (SA, AUS), as well as at Arts Letters and Numbers (Upstate NY, USA), Atlantic Centre for the Arts (FL, USA) University of York (UK) and University of Birmingham (UK). Jesse’s PhD research at Elder Conservatorium of Music (supported by an Australian Government Research Training Program scholarship) focussed on adapting soundscape ecology to creative process, resulting in a body of works responding South Australian ecosystems and soundscapes, and receiving a Dean’s Commendation for Doctoral Thesis Excellence in 2019. As an emerging member of the Acoustic Ecology and Ecoacoustic communities, As an emerging member of the Acoustic Ecology and Ecoacoustic communities, Jesse currently serves as the Secretary for both the Australian Forum for Acoustic Ecology and World Forum for Acoustic Ecology. In the wider community, he is an ongoing contributor to the state’s arts and culture, and youth sectors, recognized as Finalist for the Frank Ford Memorial Young Achiever Award at Arts South Australia’s 2020 Ruby Awards and recipient of an inaugural 2017 Carclew Fellowship. In 2024, Jesse is a 2024 Arts South Australia Fellow, supporting creative development and research in higher-order ambisonics.
Visiting Artist-in-Residence, Jesse Budel, South Australia Speaks on his ACA Experience
From February 24 – March 31, 2025, Dani Ferreira Amaro explored Canaveral National Seashore as its ACA Soundscape Field Station Artist in Residence, creating sonic happenings and a site-specific sculpture. Amaro’s approach to environmental storytelling combines the process of sustainably creating textiles from organic materials to broaden her practice by exploring new ways audiences can tangibly experience music. She is a trained jazz musician and music teacher in Miami, Florida who shares her heritage across distance from the Global South to Florida. Artist Statement Utilizing the voice as an instrument to explore experimental realms of modern folklore and storytelling, I weave together elements of vocal percussion, improvisation, and harmonic choral modalities in composition. I find home, and the greatest well of inspiration in the strong yet whimsical sounds of the natural world, oftentimes performing in tandem with my looping pedal and traditional percussion instruments. Through working in multi-disciplinary collaborations, such as involving choreography and theater, I aspire to highlight the interconnectivity across mediums. By delving into bodies of work that reflect intergenerational themes of catharsis, one can process indigestible collective emotions such as trauma, grief, joy, etc. within a shared created community. This provides essential tools in navigating the dimensions of my multi-faceted diasporic experience, while informing every step and expression of my musical transdisciplinary practice. Currently, I am researching the process of sustainably creating textiles from organic materials to broaden my practice by exploring new ways audiences can tangibly experience music. Our Window This site-specific piece reflects themes of the home, and invites audiences to actively participate in, and reflect on the intimate sonic stories they hold. These curtains encompass a hand made bio-textile, derived from Sargassum found along Miami and Florida’s coastline. On the curtains, are Sankofa ironwork iconography, resembling a common wrought iron barred window that is found in both South Florida, the Caribbean, and the Global South, thus connecting these vast places particular to my heritage across distance. As Sargassum is known to filter out pollutant debris from our oceans, as well as provide refuge for marine life, one is invited to draw parallels and contemplate the similar functions of preservation, protection, intimacy, and shelter, Sankofa ironwork provides to the many homes of historically displaced peoples. The symbolic iron work is designed to be electro conductive, playing songs when touched and interacted with. These compositions are made from a blend of meditative looped vocals and mirrored field recordings from diverse locations recorded during my time in this residency. Homage is paid to Doris ‘Doc’ Leeper, an instrumental figure in establishing Canaveral National Seashore through environmental arts activism. In adorning her historic house windows with stained glass bio-textile, it further conveys this historic site as a secular sacred space of convening, creativity, and storytelling. For more information on the residency, visit https://atlanticcenterforthearts.org/home/soundscape-field-station/ This program is supported by Atlantic Center for the Arts, Friends of Canaveral, the City of New Smyrna Beach, and the Cultural Council of Volusia County.
Our Window - A sound art piece by Dani Ferreira Amaro
Local Poet and Music Producer, Justincredible shares his knowledge of using the arts to gain emotional intelligence. Discover the benefits of intuitive thinking, creative problem solving and finding your artistic voice - even if you do not consider yourself an Artist. Catch up on Justincredible's last series: Creativity & Wellness Part 1 https://youtu.be/eIm1tViJAJ4 Part 2 https://youtu.be/VYzUAgLOYq4 Part 3 https://youtu.be/3TXvo4SIIWo Learn more about ACA Arts & Wellness at www.atlanticcenterforthearts.org New Smyrna Beach, Florida © 2024 Atlantic Center for the Arts
Arts & Emotion with Justincredible - Experiences
Local Poet and Music Producer, Justincredible shares his knowledge of using the arts to gain emotional intelligence. Discover the benefits of intuitive thinking, creative problem solving and finding your artistic voice - even if you do not consider yourself an Artist. Catch up on Justincredible's last series: Creativity & Wellness Part 1 https://youtu.be/eIm1tViJAJ4 Part 2 https://youtu.be/VYzUAgLOYq4 Part 3 https://youtu.be/3TXvo4SIIWo Learn more about ACA Arts & Wellness at www.atlanticcenterforthearts.org New Smyrna Beach, Florida © 2024 Atlantic Center for the Arts
Arts & Emotion with Justincredible - Owning Your Creative Lane & Story
Atlantic Center for the Arts presents Kahil El'Zabar artist lecture at Timucua Arts Foundation. "It is crucial for us to emphasize the value of human creativity in the era of artificial intelligence and prioritize an ethical approach to research and development. By nurturing artistic development through pedagogy, we foster growth and avoid mere conjecture. Therefore, exploring improvisation as a means of discovering new possibilities beyond established methods." - Kahil El'Zabar Bio PhD Kahil El’Zabar, (PHD Interdisciplinary Arts from Lake Forest College, 2006), has been performing professionally, as a creative musician (multi-percussionist), since the late 60’s. He first went on the road with the legendary Gene Ammons, and later throughout his career with such luminaries as Dizzy Gillespie, Pharoah Sanders, Stevie Wonder, Lester Bowie, Nina Simone, Archie Shepp, Eddie Harris, David Murray, Donny Hathaway, Malachi Favors, Kurt Elling, Neneh Cherry, and on.  El’Zabar joined the legendary AACM (association for the advancement of creative musicians) in 1970, and later became chairman (1975-82). He is leader and founder of the internationally renowned Ethnic Heritage Ensemble and the Ritual Trio and has recorded more than 60 acclaimed projects worldwide. He has won numerous awards over the years for his musical skills, from Down Beat and Jazz Is magazines, as well as the Jazz Journalist Association. Sir El’Zabar was actually Knighted by the French Government in 2014, (Chevalier Medal of Letters) for his impactful contribution to the arts internationally. He was named Chicagoan of the year in 2006 by the Chicago Tribune. He has been an artist in residence since 2008 in the City of Bordeaux, France, where he has created, organized, and produced a myriad of stellar performance and exhibition projects. Sir Kahil El’Zabar is considered by his peers to be one of the most innovative and influential musicians of his generation.  Dr. El’Zabar has been an associate professor at the U. Arizona, Tucson, U. Nebraska, Lincoln, and U. IL. Chicago. He has sat on the advisory boards of the National Endowment of the Arts, and the Lila Wallace Readers Digest Fund. He was appointed by President Bill Clinton, to the National Taskforce on Arts Presenting in Education, and is a founding member and board of director for the National Campaign for Freedom of Expression. Kahil has scored music for such box office hit films as Mo Money (Columbia Pictures), Love Jones (New Line Cinema), How U Like Me Now (Universal), and America the Beautiful (Warner Bros.). He has also scored musical arrangements for the theatrical version of The Lion King (Disney).  Sir El’Zabar is currently signed to Spiritmuse Records (London). The record “Time For Healing” released through the label received a Grammy nomination for “Best Jazz Instrumental Album”. El’Zabar is the conceptual director and founder of OOH Now: Oracles of Humanity Network of Wisdom, an online culture/network of the who’s who in the Arts.
Residency #194 OUTreach with Mentoring Artist Kahil El'Zabar
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