First & Third Mondays, 2 PM – 4 PM | Daytona Beach Vet Center, 1520 Mason Ave., Daytona Beach
Veterans throughout Volusia County can discover how the arts can strengthen the spirit, encourage mental stimulation, socialization, and manage chronic pain. The group, Creative Expressions, is inspired by the National Endowment for the Arts Creative Forces (Military Healing Arts Network) and the University of Florida Department of Arts in Medicine. ACA Arts & Wellness ambassadors M.B. McLatchey, Bethany Bennett, and Eve Payor volunteer to lead veterans in creative activities, including writing, painting, and music at the Daytona Beach Vet Center. Vet Center Director Mary Fisher, LCSW will facilitate the Creative Expressions group. Please contact the Daytona Beach Vet Center for eligibility requirements needed to participate. (386) 366-6600.

Third Tuesdays, 5:30 PM | Live Oak Cultural Center, 1050 Live Oak Street, New Smyrna Beach
Atlantic Center for the Arts leads a community group that will help guide you towards greater focus and awareness of yourself and your surroundings. Meditation has been used for centuries to improve concentration and increase breath capacity, which can benefit cardiovascular and immune health. Adding mindful practice to your daily life can increase happiness and encourages a healthy lifestyle. ACA Arts & Wellness Ambassador, Lady Eve will lead participants through an easy, fun meditation using natural sounds and ambient music. Free, and open to everyone! No registration required. (386) 423-1753 | community@atlanticcenterforthearts.org

1st & 3rd Wednesdays, 11:15 AM – 12:30 PM | Live Oak Cultural Center, 1050 Live Oak Street, New Smyrna Beach. Led by music therapist Vicki Gross, ACA invites you to rejuvenate, relax and recharge with an eclectic mix of music-making through dancing, songwriting, listening and sharing. While you’re there have a cup of coffee! Open to everyone! $12 annual membership to COA required. Register at Council on Aging, Live Oak Cultural Center. (386) 423-1753 | community@atlanticcenterforthearts.org

September – May, Wednesdays, 5 PM – 7 PM | Pettis Park, 800 Mary Avenue, New Smyrna Beach (rain location TBA). Atlantic Center for the Arts Community Artist, Shy Morris leads a fun day of Double Dutch jump rope for the entire community. Supported by ACA every Wednesday, the teams will practice in the New Smyrna Beach Historic Westside, providing a healthy creative wellness activity for all ages. Free, and open to everyone! Walk-ups welcome. (386) 423-1753 | community@atlanticcenterforthearts.org

Caregiving for a loved one is a journey of joy and difficulty. Come learn how to connect mind, body and spirit by using the arts as a tool of self-care, social interaction, and lifelong learning. RSVP required. Limited to 20 participants per session. Free and open to caregivers and care partners. Mondays, Sept. 9 – Oct. 14, 11:30 AM – 1:30 PM | The Christian Church of Edgewater, 1707 S. Ridgewood Ave. Suite 106.
(386) 423-1753 | community@atlanticcenterforthearts.org

Collaborate & play with musical artists from around the world as OneBeat shares in a Street Studio performance and interactive recording studio – featuring an incredible collective of eclectic musicians, as well as the ACA Happy Steppers Dance and Double Dutch classes

Atlantic Center for the Arts Main Campus, Helene B. Roberson Dance Studio, 1414 Art Center Avenue, New Smyrna Beach. Join Rachel Chase, Expressive Arts Facilitator and Creativity Coach, for a memorable day at the beautiful ACA Dance Studio, filled with natural light, surrounded by trees, peace and quiet, and nestled in a remarkable setting just 10 minutes from the beach! The creative self-care retreat experience supports women on their journey of empowerment, exploring personal intentions, and honoring women’s need for supportive connection. Rachel combines various forms of healing arts for an enriching day of fun and nurturing to activate and energize the passion and peace in our lives. Activities include: mindfulness practices, relaxing gentle physical movements (for all ages and all bodies), sound healing, visual arts activities, mindful walking, and community sharing. Please bring bottled water, light snack, wear comfy clothing, bring yoga mat, small blanket and pillow for comfortable sitting. All art supplies provided! $65 / ACA members $50. Limited to 20 participants. Register to secure your spot. (386) 423-1753 | community@atlanticcenterforthearts.org

Another FUN Fundraiser from ACA Volunteer League! Join us for a festive Le Cabaret Show featuring six local singers and actors from the Little Theatre of New Smyrna Beach. Atlantic Center for the Arts main campus, Joan James Harris Theater, 1414 Art Center Ave, New Smyrna Beach, 32168. Individual Tickets: $35 | General Seating includes the live show, appetizers, sweets and two drink tickets. VIP tables: $300 | Seats six people and includes the live show, wine table service, appetizers and sweets.  Only 12 tables are available. Call Peggy Imbert (386) 402-7517 or Beverly Shine (407) 489-7135 for information and ticket sales.

Live Oak Cultural Center, 1050 Live Oak Street, New Smyrna Beach
Many shades and types of grief exist in the human experience. Express and release these emotions in a personal and supportive way. Using a variety of different types of line and words with special meaning to you – a name, a poem, a quote or even a string of descriptive adjectives – and the addition of hue through the use of watercolors, we’ll create an abstract composition with a secret message that you can enjoy for yourself or choose to share with others. No artistic experience is necessary. You’ll be guided through the process by artist and expressive arts facilitator, Heather L. Pastor. Limited to 12 participants. RSVP required.  Free, and open to everyone! (386) 423-1753 | community@atlanticcenterforthearts.org

Fourth Saturdays, 11 AM | ACA Main Campus, 1414 Art Center Avenue, New Smyrna Beach
Join local artist Bethany Bennett, MFA for a sketch group dedicated to the forms of nature. Each meeting will focus on an element of drawing, such as texture, symmetry, line, and space. Enjoy the beautiful ACA campus, on 68 acres of pristine wilderness on the Turnbull Bay leading towards Spruce Creek Preserve.
Free and open to everyone! No registration required. Please bring a sketch pad and pencil. (386) 423-1753 | community@atlanticcenterforthearts.org

Join ACA Soundwalk facilitator, Lady Eve and Stetson University professor, Nathan Wolek for a day of listening with the environment.  The activities begin at 2 PM with a Soundwalk through the lush wilderness area of Tuscawilla Preserve, guided by listening awareness prompts. Then at 3 PM, delve deeper into the richness of soundscape as you experience the hyperreal resolution of field recording. Professor Wolek will share how to see sound and understand the use of microphones as microscopes. (386) 423-1753 | community@atlanticcenterforthearts.org

A memorable evening of artistic and culinary inspiration! Experience the inspirational power of poetry and the arts with a performance by newly appointed United States Poet Laureate and ACA Master Artist, Joy Harjo, and her internationally acclaimed collaborators. Savor the creations of award-winning chefs, including Hari Pulapaka of Cress, Deland, during an evening of culinary delight and a captivating performance. Individual tickets $150. | ACA Members $125. (limited capacity)

Caregiving for a loved one is a journey of joy and difficulty. Come learn how to connect mind, body and spirit by using the arts as a tool of self-care, social interaction, and lifelong learning. RSVP required. Limited to 20 participants per session. Free and open to caregivers and care partners. Mondays, Nov. 4 – Dec. 9, 11:30 AM – 1:30 PM | The Christian Church of Edgewater, 1707 S. Ridgewood Ave. Suite 106.
(386) 423-1753 | community@atlanticcenterforthearts.org

November 6, 1 PM – 3 PM, ACA main campus, Joan James Harris Theater | Recently, UCF and ACA were awarded the Pabst Steinmetz grant for Innovation in Arts & Wellness, and worked together to create an experiential program in literature, theater, and art for caregivers and care partners. Join us for presentations by ACA staff, UCF faculty and students that demonstrate the value of the arts to community health. Free and open to everyone.

November 9, 10 AM – 1 PM, ACA Downtown: Harris House & Yurick Studios
Join ACA Arts & Wellness for an open house featuring many of its artist ambassadors. Bring your friends and family to experience the connection of arts to community health. Fun activities all morning at ACA Harris House, with painting, collage, movement, tai chi, and more! Free and open to everyone.

Join Atlantic Center for the Arts and Jack Hines for a Soundwalk at 11 AM, then explore deeper into the inner world of soundscape and field recording with a presentation at the Leeper-Schultz House at Canaveral National Seashore. Learn about the history of soundscape ecology in the U.S. National Park Service, and practice listening awareness exercises developed by the Wild Sanctuary team. RSVP required. Limited to 60 participants. (386) 423-1753 | community@atlanticcenterforthearts.org

Explore art journaling in this class led by artist/art therapist Laura Bohn. The goal of therapeutic art journaling is to reduce stress and promote relaxation by increasing participants’ ability to play, experiment and gain self-guided insight and understanding of one’s own emotions. Added benefits can include self-growth, discovery, and joy through visual storytelling in a supportive group environment. Limited to 12 participants. RSVP required. Free, and open to everyone! Live Oak Cultural Center, 1050 Live Oak Street, New Smyrna Beach. (386) 423-1753 | community@atlanticcenterforthearts.org

Join Atlantic Center for the Arts, Stetson University, and Wild Sanctuary for a Soundwalk at 11 AM, then explore deeper into the inner world of soundscape and field recording with a presentation at DeLeon Springs State Park. This beautiful park contains a natural spring, wooded trails, and a plethora of sounds! Dr. Wolek will enlist the participation of Stetson University students to share the hyperreal resolution of microphones to amplify the soundscape. Jack Hines will be on hand to lead the public in listening awareness exercises and share stories from his many global excursions in sound. RSVP required. Limited to 60 participants.

ACA Main Campus, Helene B. Roberson Dance Studio, 1414 Art Center Avenue, New Smyrna Beach.
Join Body Dialogue creator, Janice Stieber Rous for a half day retreat as she shares the skills of breathing, visualization and gentle mindfulness movement practices to explore the ways we can feel our deep held emotions. From there we will journey towards the practice of gratitude and blessing. Generally, habitual breathing is not coordinated with the potential of our whole breathing system. In order to coordinate the breath, every individual must investigate their unique tension patterns. Whatever you are feeling these days, your body is recording those feelings in your muscle memory. Whether its joy or sadness, grief or delight, these feelings are living in your body and affecting your breathing, often resulting in a feeling of tightness and constriction. These breathing patterns affect your nervous system, your outlook on life, and your mental clarity. Join us if you wish to have more control over your moods, your reactions, your state of mind, and your well-being. $50 / ACA members $40. Limited to 15 participants. Register to secure your spot. (386) 423-1753 | community@atlanticcenterforthearts.org

Explore art journaling in this class led by artist/art therapist Laura Bohn. The goal of therapeutic art journaling is to reduce stress and promote relaxation by increasing participants’ ability to play, experiment and gain self-guided insight and understanding of one’s own emotions. Added benefits can include self-growth, discovery, and joy through visual storytelling in a supportive group environment. Limited to 12 participants. RSVP required.  Free, and open to everyone! Live Oak Cultural Center, 1050 Live Oak Street, New Smyrna Beach. (386) 423-1753 | community@atlanticcenterforthearts.org

Explore art journaling in this class led by artist/art therapist Laura Bohn. The goal of therapeutic art journaling is to reduce stress and promote relaxation by increasing participants’ ability to play, experiment and gain self-guided insight and understanding of one’s own emotions. Added benefits can include self-growth, discovery, and joy through visual storytelling in a supportive group environment. Limited to 12 participants. RSVP required. Free, and open to everyone! Live Oak Cultural Center, 1050 Live Oak Street, New Smyrna Beach. (386) 423-1753 | community@atlanticcenterforthearts.org

Caregiving for a loved one is a journey of joy and difficulty. Come learn how to connect mind, body and spirit by using the arts as a tool of self-care, social interaction, and lifelong learning. RSVP required. Limited to 20 participants per session. Free and open to caregivers and care partners. Mondays, February 3 – March 9, 2020, 11:30 AM – 1:30 PM | The Christian Church of Edgewater, 1707 S. Ridgewood Ave. Suite 106.
(386) 423-1753 | community@atlanticcenterforthearts.org

Caregiving for a loved one is a journey of joy and difficulty. Come learn how to connect mind, body and spirit by using the arts as a tool of self-care, social interaction, and lifelong learning. RSVP required. Limited to 20 participants per session. Free and open to caregivers and care partners. Mondays, March 30 – May 4, 2020, 11:30 AM – 1:30 PM | The Christian Church of Edgewater, 1707 S. Ridgewood Ave. Suite 106. (386) 423-1753 | community@atlanticcenterforthearts.orgMondays

Sunday, April 5, 2020 | 11 AM – 3 PM 
Brannon Civic Center, 105 S. Riverside Drive, New Smyrna Beach
Tickets: $125. | ACA members $100. (70% tax deductible)  
Enjoy gourmet food and drink while bidding on unique experiences, original artwork, amazing trips, spectacular sporting events and more! For 37 years, Horsin’ Around has been THE event to enjoy an afternoon with friends in support of the arts! From its innovative beginnings on a horse farm (hence, the name), to its staging at the Brannon Civic Center with it stunning panoramic view of the Intracoastal Waterway, we invite you to join us! The live and silent auctions provide a great venue to make an investment in a piece of art that you’ll be proud to have in your collection. Can’t-be-bought anywhere trips are our hallmark  ̶  plan a getaway with friends to places like Vail or The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade!  Pick up a restaurant gift certificate, a spa day, or a round of golf at the silent auction, featuring dozens of experiences. Riverside Catering has prepared a fantastic menu for the day!

Explore art journaling in this class led by artist/art therapist Laura Bohn. The goal of therapeutic art journaling is to reduce stress and promote relaxation by increasing participants’ ability to play, experiment and gain self-guided insight and understanding of one’s own emotions. Added benefits can include self-growth, discovery, and joy through visual storytelling in a supportive group environment. Limited to 12 participants. RSVP required.  Free, and open to everyone! Live Oak Cultural Center, 1050 Live Oak Street, New Smyrna Beach. (386) 423-1753 | community@atlanticcenterforthearts.org