How early is too early for an artsy field trip? Orlando art curator and organizer Pat Greene is willing to bet that people will meet for coffee and occasional field trips at 7:30 a.m., even though it’s “sort of brutally early.”
And he’s right, judging by the turnout for the most recent meetup, which was co-organized by ceramic artist Julie Harbers. A group of about two dozen met at CityArts Café for a cup of joe and some informal conversation before heading to the Art & History Museums of Maitland for a guided tour.
The concept draws inspiration from an event that started in the U.K. with a “brutally early” 6:30 a.m. meet-up time.
“Swiss curator Hans Ulrich Obrist started a ‘Brutally Early Club‘ in London in 2006; now it’s in several cities,” Greene said. “If it’s at 8 o’clock, people think it’s a meeting. If it’s at 7:30, it has a little gimmicky quality to it. If we moved it up, nobody would come. They would just think it’s another meeting.”
Coffee in hand, we ventured down the street to the SunRail’s Church Street station to catch the northbound train. Rather than all driving to Maitland and meeting there, walking and riding the rails together gave the event a field-trip-like quality that added to the novelty and fun.
Upon our arrival at the Maitland Art Center, chief curator Dan Hess and exhibitions manager Katie Benson met the group and took us into the Mayan Courtyard to begin the tour.
Exhibitions manager Katie Benson leads a tour next to chief curator Dan Hess during a “Sort of Brutally Early” art field trip at the Art and History Museums of Maitland. (Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel)
We learned about visionary artist and architect André Smith, who taught himself how to etch and won gold medals in international shows. While serving as an artist in World War I as part of the Army Reserve, he injured his leg, which later had to be amputated, limiting his mobility but also informing his worldview and art.
In the 1930s, Smith traveled to Florida with his studio assistant to search for a winter studio and landed in Maitland. It was through a mutual friend that Smith met Mary Louis Curtis Bok, the widow of Edward Bok, who founded Bok Tower Gardens.
Through a series of 600 letters that were recently uncovered, Bok and Smith forged a deep friendship and ultimately landed on the idea of opening a new gallery space in Maitland, funded by Bok.
J. André Smith’s letters are like works of art themselves, often illustrated by the artist and founder of the Maitland Art Center. (Courtesy Curtis Institute of Music Archives)
The suggestion at first left Smith near speechless. Known for his long-winded, beautifully hand-illustrated letters, he typed out two lines in response before gathering his thoughts and unleashing a torrent of ideas for how the Maitland space would take shape.
Smith insisted that the center would have studio space for working artists. In the process, he also devised a new way for creating concrete and making artistic carvings before the mix completely dried.
“What’s amazing about this place is that it’s made by an artist for artists,” Hess said. “André has 2,500 hand-carved pieces that he did himself.”
Mayan, Incan and Aztec symbolism influenced artist André Smith, a point of discussion during a “Sort of Brutally Early” art field trip at the Art and History Museums of Maitland. (Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel)
Just over a year after the idea was first hatched, the new Maitland Art Center became a reality and opened in 1937.
As part of the plans, an outdoor courtyard featuring Mayan, Aztec, Incan and Buddhist imagery took shape, plus a Christian garden chapel. When asked about the variety of imagery, Smith pointed toward the things that unite humans.
“André basically said the world is not so black and white,” Benson said. “We’re all humans, and we all come together at some point.”
In 1943, the center began to host weddings and still does to this day.
“Because it’s not a cookie-cutter wedding place, people really feel a close affinity to it,” Hess said. “Even if they leave Florida, they’re always coming back on a little pilgrimage. They’re bringing their grandkids and that, to us, is the really endearing part of it.”
Chief curator Dan Hess leads a tour during a “Sort of Brutally Early” art field trip at the Art and History Museums of Maitland on Dec. 17. (Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel)
Smith’s legacy continues to inspire artists who visit for residencies, including Filipino artist Isobel Francisco, who drew from Smith’s work to create pieces that imagine what would happen if the center had been established in 1937 Philippines. Francisco’s work was on display in the museum’s galleries for several months this fall.
Just as Smith influenced the creation of a storied artistic haven in Maitland, Greene has his own way of shaping the Orlando arts community through sharing the joy of art and cultural discovery.
“Institutions in this town all have their own identity,” Hess said. “Pat is the wonderful wind that blows between all these institutions and keeps everybody honest.”
Kappy’s Subs makes for an ideal last stop during a “Sort of Brutally Early” art field trip in Maitland on Dec. 17. (Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel)
On occasion, those institutions can be culinary in nature. Maitland lunch staple Kappy’s Subs happened to be right on the route back to the train station, making for a perfect stop before concluding an idyllic morning of socializing and art education.
Find me @PConnPie on Instagram or send me an email: pconnolly@orlandosentinel.com. Stay up to date with our latest travel, arts and events coverage by subscribing to our newsletters at orlandosentinel.com/newsletters.
If you go
The next “Sort of Brutally Early” meet-up starts at 7:30 a.m. Jan. 28 at CityArts Cafe, 37 S. Magnolia Ave. in Orlando. The field trip is touring UCF’s Flying Horse Editions printmaking studio at 9 a.m. The meet-up on Feb. 25 will gather at CityArts Cafe at 7:30 a.m. before walking to the Orlando Public Library for a 9 a.m. tour.