Event details
- When: Saturday, January 2, 2027 at 10:30 AM
- Where: Art & History Museums – Maitland, 231 W. Packwood Ave
- Category: Event
Stories in Stone is a one-hour guided tour of the Maitland Art Center, leading visitors through its gardens and courtyards. The campus was founded in the 1930s by American artist and architect J. André Smith as a haven for modern experimentation and creative freedom.
The tour traces Smith's life, from his childhood in Hong Kong to his service in World War I to the founding of the center, which he called Espero, a Spanish word for hope. His Episcopal faith and those experiences shaped a design that blends Mayan Revival architecture with Christian symbolism and East Asian motifs. More than 2,500 carvings, sculptures, and reliefs adorn nearly every surface, creating an environment described as spiritual, exotic, and modern. Guides also discuss the artists who lived and worked there between the 1930s and 1950s, including Milton Avery, Ralston Crawford, and Doris Lee.
Tickets range from $4 to $6 and include three museums and the grounds, and are free for members. The tour is suitable for all ages and recommended for ages 13 and up.
Event listing published by Art & History Museums Maitland:
https://artandhistory.org/event/stories-in-stone-jan2027/
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