Welcome to our Blog!

Welcome to our Blog!

This is the very first blog post from United Arts of Central Florida. If you’ve heard of us, you probably already know a little about what we do. However, there’s a lot more to our scope and mission than what initially meets the eye. All the work we’re doing in the local arts and cultural community continuously yields positive results and impacts, not just our arts and cultural community but, the Central Florida community as a whole.

What you’ll find on this blog moving forward:

Thanks to some of the world’s most desired theme parks and attractions, Central Florida is widely renowned as one of the predominant tourist capitals of the world. But, what do people know about Central Florida beyond the walls of those famous attractions? Unbeknownst to many, tourists and locals alike, Central Florida is also home to one of the most dynamic and diverse arts and cultural scenes in the country. So, why haven’t you heard about it in travel magazines or in local papers? The short answer is that Orlando’s major theme parks spend millions of dollars every year on marketing and promotion, and our cultural groups simply cannot market at those levels due to limited resources. While this is the unfortunate truth we face, that doesn’t mean we are going to play victim to it. We, instead, need to find creative ways to maximize the strengths we do have to overcome these obstacles.

Granted, there are some groups, like the Fringe Festival, that get a lot of in-kind marketing dollars and are super effective in the use of social media. Nonprofits are masters of doing a lot with few resources. But, our goal is to do even better. So, how do we expand upon that and stand out in such a competitive marketplace with so many big fish sharing the waters with us?

United Arts of Central Florida, in collaboration with more than 50 other local arts and cultural organizations, are striving to change the perception of what we do or don’t have to offer to this community. We house some of the most amazing shows and exhibits with some of the best talent in the world. And, it’s time people really started understanding what goes on behind the scenes and how arts and culture impact our education system, our economics, and each and every one of our citizens who are proud to call Central Florida their home. We believe that by successfully showcasing and educating the public on just how large the positive impact is that our groups have on this community we, in turn, can gain the support and interest of the community in ways that the bigger fish can’t.

So, moving forward, United Arts aims to make this blog a platform for giving you the inside scoop on what’s happening in our community, how our community is being affected by the arts, and why you should feel personally vested in these issues, whether you consider yourself an arts and cultural connoisseur or not.

Yes, arts and culture do have the obvious altruistic feel-good benefits in our lives, whether you enjoy music, film, theater, dance, painting, etc. But, having a thriving arts and cultural community right in your own backyard goes much deeper than that and impacts you and your community in many ways you were probably unaware.

So, what does this all mean and what can / should you do with this information? We encourage you to get out and see what’s happening with arts and culture in Central Florida. If you don’t know where to begin doing that, stay tuned for our upcoming blog posts that will, without a doubt, give you a new perspective on our arts and cultural community. If you’re new to this, we promise you’ll learn about a whole different side of Central Florida that you might not have even known existed. And, if you’re already one of those people in-the-know, we guarantee you’ll find some gems in this new blog that will, at the very least, provide you with some great conversation topics for your next artsy social gathering.

Either way, we look forward to providing you with great information in our upcoming posts as we delve deeper into the more creative side of the community you live in. So, pull up a chair, put on your reading glasses, and get ready to put your finger on the pulse of an arts and cultural community that exists in your own backyard!

Between now and the next post:

What arts and cultural events are taking place in Central Florida?

Who are the arts and cultural groups in the Central Florida community?

  1. Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra
  2. Orlando Shakespeare Theater
  3. Orlando Ballet
  4. Orlando Science Center
  5. Orlando Museum of Art
  6. Bach Festival Society
  7. Orlando Philharmonic – Opera
  8. Enzian
  9. Orlando Repertory Theatre
  10. Crealde School of Art
  11. Orange County Regional History Center
  12. Art & History Museums – Maitland
  13. The Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center
  14. Mad Cow Theatre
  15. Seminole Cultural Arts Council
  16. Garden Theatre
  17. The Association to Preserve the Eatonville Community
  18. Downtown Arts District/CityArts Factory
  19. Osceola Center for the Arts
  20. Orlando Fringe
  21. The Winter Park Playhouse
  22. MicheLee Puppets
  23. Central Florida Community Arts
  24. The Center for Contemporary Dance
  25. Florida Symphony Youth Orchestra
  26. Florida Opera Theatre
  27. Holocaust Memorial Resource & Education Center
  28. Leesburg Center for the Arts
  29. Messiah Choral Society
  30. Winter Garden Heritage Foundation
  31. Pinocchio’s Marionette Theater
  32. Steinway Society of Central Florida
  33. Albin Polasek Museum & Sculpture Gardens
  34. Central Florida Ballet
  35. Bay Street Players
  36. Orlando Gay Chorus
  37. The Mennello Museum of American Art
  38. Florida Young Artists Orchestra
  39. Performing Arts of Maitland
  40. Urban Think Foundation
  41. Melon Patch Players
  42. Winter Park Historical Association
  43. HAPCO Music Foundation
  44. Global Peace Film Festival
  45. Asian Cultural Association
  46. Lake Eustis Museum of Art
  47. Osceola County Historical Society
  48. Creative Sanford
  49. Voci Dance
  50. Mount Dora Music Festival
  51. Mount Dora Center for the Arts
  52. A Gift for Teaching
  53. Emotions Dance Company
  54. Shine Performing Arts Center
  55. Atlantic Center for the Arts
  56. Casa de Mexico
  57. Project Imagination
  58. The Celebration Foundation
  59. Caribbean American Passport Foundation
  60. Central Florida Vocal Arts
  61. Desfile Puertorriqueno of Florida
  62. Orlando Neighborhood Improvement Corp
  63. Caribbean American Association of Lake County
  64. Florida Alliance for Arts Education
  65. Ozilly Connections
  66. TL Tango Lovers Organization