Did you know that the Lake Eustis Museum of Art is the only museum in Lake County, Florida? I didn’t either until I popped in the other day to explore it. This boutique sized museum serves an underserved area and is slated to keep growing! Founded in 1995, their current and third location since inception is located in downtown Eustis,Florida, across from the Eustis City Hall.
Headed up by Richard Colvin, I had the pleasure of sitting down and speaking to him about the museum. Newly appointed, Mr. Colvin has an impressive background. Hailing from Winter Park, Florida and a graduate in studio art from Rollins College, Winter Park, he went to work for the Cornell Fine Arts Museum at Rollins for 17 years as an exhibit coordinator. He then moved in 1998 to the Maitland Art Center as curator and instructor until taking on a new position about a month ago with the Lake Eustis Museum of Art.
Prior to the arrival of Colvin, Susan Loden was the director. “Susan Loden brought a lot of good artists here and got a lot of great publicity for the museum. She deserves kudos for the job she did while she was here,” says Colvin.
The current exhibit is called Monumental Monochrome by Josh Garrick running through May 27, 2012. On deck is Jim Wilson’s Eye-cons of Florida’s Wilderness set to run from June 1 – September 2, 2012.
In addition to the exhibits, the museum also holds children’s art programs. 
For more information, please visit www.lakeeustismuseumofart.org or call 352.483.2900. The museum is open Tues-Fri 10am-4pm and Sat/Sun 12noon-4pm.
For the budget conscience, admission to the museum is FREE (although donations are greatly appreciated!). A trip to LEMA, lunch and a stroll around newly redeveloped downtown Eustis is a great way to support the local arts and enjoy an afternoon exploring one of Florida’s charming small towns!
Growing up in Florida, the smell of orange blossoms in the spring always makes me smile. Somehow, the first sensory contact of the season always seems to catch me off guard then I find myself grinning from ear-to-ear. Just driving down the road with the windows down, you can catch the light sweet fragrance of the orange blossoms coating the air. Taking a long deep inhale is an involuntary reaction. It’s pure joy. The seasonal fresh-from-the-grove orange juice stores that open between November and May every year all over the state sell the best, and I mean the best, Florida orange juice in the world. That first sip is indescribably delicious. 
