Crealdé School of Art serves the community with art classes and exhibits.

When incoming associate executive director Emily Bourmas-Fry arrives at the Crealdé School of Art’s main campus in Winter Park, she likens it to stepping into an art oasis.

“When I’m on campus here, I feel like I’ve been transported to a different part of the world,” Bourmas-Fry says. 

That feeling was precisely what founder Bill Jenkins had in mind when he established the art organization nearly 50 years ago, dubbing it Crealdé as a blend of age-old words translating to “creative village.”

“It was his dream, to build this little island in an urban area,” Peter Schreyer, CEO and executive director, says.

A respite from the hustle and bustle of daily life from the start, the art school’s recent $425,000 expansion certainly only builds upon its likeness to a pleasant refuge. The project, completed in the spring, added five new studios to the main campus catering to sculpture, ceramics, jewelry and young artist programs, all the while staying true to the campus’ Spanish-inspired architecture and the contemporary sculpture garden nestled within.

Of course, even with the beautifully added space, there are still waitlists for many of the varied art classes held throughout the year, which speaks to the nonprofit’s burgeoning success and impactful connection with local communities.

“It’s really important for Crealdé to serve the community with high quality arts for everyone, regardless of experience level,” Bourmas-Fry says. “Art enhances quality of life and personal growth.”

Crealdé hosts five class sessions throughout the year, and each session features 70 to 80 of the organization’s 150 courses. Many are held each session, such as introductory art classes, whereas others will be offered intermittently. Most run for eight weeks. Of the 700 to 900 students taking part in each session, ages range, with some as young as 4 years old all the way to senior citizens—and they come from all walks of life. 

“It makes such an interesting learning experience for students,” Schreyer says, “as well as teaching environment for faculty.”

Most classes are held on the main campus, with about 10% hosted at Crealdé’s other two locations: the Hannibal Heritage Square Center in Winter Park and the Jessie Brock Community Center in Winter Garden. Scholarships are available for those students with financial limitations.

Classes are held five days a week, and there are also weekend workshops.

“That speaks to the accessibility of Crealdé. There are a lot of classes at all times,” Bourmas-Fry says. 

In bringing art to the public, Crealdé does not just focus on its classes, but also on exhibits, shows and installations. In addition to the contemporary sculpture garden on the main campus, another permanent exhibit is The Hannibal Square Heritage Collection: Photographs and Oral Histories of West Winter Park. Another one of the public art projects is Storytellers, which showcases teen documentary photography. The Summer ArtCamp Exhibition on the main campus runs from Aug. 17 to Sept. 14, featuring individual and collaborative artwork from each of the 478 students in this year’s program. 

In September, a highlight arrives at the Alice and William Jenkins Gallery on the main campus with Raheleh Filsoofi & Eric André: From Common Clay. Featuring the works of Filsoofi, from Iran, and André, from Ghana, the exhibit runs through Jan. 25 and will kick off with an opening reception on Friday, Sept. 13. 

The exhibit’s idea came from Jeff Rogers, Crealdé’s ceramics program manager.

“He approached our senior curator, Patrick Noze, with the idea to bring a couple of artists together who use the art of ceramics in a nontraditional way,” Schreyer says. “Both artists are academic educators and work for universities in the United States.”

From Common Clay features installation pieces that will provide an interactive, immersive experience and give rise to sociocultural and political themes in the artists’ work.

“One of the major themes is the acknowledgement of wounds being part of those cultures and healing those wounds. Those themes run deep,” Bourmas-Fry says. “It’s always about art as well and expressing one’s self.”

Schreyer added he sees a lot of bridges to contemporary issues in the show.

“Immigration, for example, and then of course human rights and women’s rights,” he explains.

Filsoofi and her husband, world renowned musical artist Reza Filsoofi, will host a Ceramic Rhythms and Community workshop the weekend of Nov. 2-3 on the main campus.

“It’s going to be beautiful for the ears and eyes,” Schreyer says.

Programs and exhibits at the ADA-accessible facilities are open for everyone, Schreyer says, adding exhibits wouldn’t be possible if it weren’t for Crealdé School of Art’s funders. The nonprofit operates under a $1.5 million budget—which was just $275,000 when Schreyer took the reins as director 29 years ago.

“I’m stepping back in January—exactly three decades,” Schreyer says. 

Bourmas-Fry will become associate executive director at that time (a position she calls her “dream job”), but until then, the duo are working side-by-side to ensure the transition is seamless. Schreyer calls it a “very carefully planned” process.

“Everyone cares so much about the success of the organization and that it continues,” he says, “and no one cares about it more than Emily and I.”

Crealdé School of Art
Winter Park
(407) 671-1886
Creadle.org