Last updated: 2/11/2019
13 North Madison Street
Quincy, FL 32351
Tuesday - Saturday
10 AM - 5 PM
The Gadsden Arts Center hosts Opening Receptions on the first day of each exhibition, Fridays from 6-9pm.
Free admission, $1 donation appreciated
Free. $1 Donations Accepted
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Grace Robinson
phone: 850-875-4866
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Angie L Barry
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Anissa Ford
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Gadsden Arts Center, Mark Lindquist 40 year retrospective, 2010. Image: John McFadden | Mark Lindquist | Lindquist Studios
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The Gadsden Arts Center is a cultural gem is located in the heart of downtown historic Quincy, Florida, right on the courthouse square. Only 20 miles west of Tallahassee, the Gadsden Arts Center presents a wide variety of exhibitions representing nationally recognized to local and emerging artists, and art of cultural or historical importance, and artwork by area school children. The Gadsden Arts Center Gift Shop offers unique art and crafts by over 100 regional artists.
Along with exhibitions, the Center is committed to art education and continuously works with artists, from ages 1 to 99, to improve the quality of life in Gadsden County through art. Located in a renovated historic building, the Center boasts southern hospitality, an art museum-quality space, and 100 years of history- all rolled into one!
The Gadsden Arts Center has a Permanent Collection of over 50 works mainly by American artists from the Southeast. One focus of the Gadsden Arts Center Permanent Collection is Southern Vernacular Art, featuring work by Thornton Dial, Sr., O.L. Samuels, Purvis Young, and others. This collection is available for loan to museums.
The Gadsden Arts Center was incorporated as a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization in 1994 to provide exhibitions of fine art and art education to the people of Gadsden County, which is diverse, culturally underserved, and economically challenged. Gadsden Arts is the outgrowth of a community volunteer effort that began in 1989 when a local artist and her husband developed Art in Gadsden: a juried exhibition of fine art.
The Gadsden Arts Center’s mission is to foster understanding and appreciation of the visual arts to improve the quality of life in Gadsden County and the region. The organization works to enhance arts education, provide cultural opportunities, and stimulate economic growth in the community.
A thriving arts center that offers a broad range of interpretive and studio art programs centered upon an exhibition calendar of top regional to major national and historically important art exhibitions. A community center that is enjoyed by a steady stream of daily visitors and participants, where a growing number of volunteers, philanthropists, and businesses find ample opportunities to invest in improving the quality of life and economic prosperity of our community.
The Gadsden Arts Center….what began as a small annual art exhibition to support local artists and improve the quality of life in Gadsden County, has morphed into a state of the art exhibition space and leader in the Florida art community, with top scoring state grants and innovative educational and exhibition programming.
In 1989, local artist Beth Appleton and her husband David Harbaugh developed Art in Gadsden: a juried exhibition of fine art. Organized by the community and managed by the Quincy Mainstreet Program during its initial years, Art in Gadsden was originally hosted in empty storefronts on the courthouse square.
The Gadsden Arts Center (GAC) was incorporated in 1994, as Art in Gadsden grew and community feedback indicated the need for more exhibitions of fine art and art education. Originally GAC was housed in a small historic building near downtown Quincy.
In 1997, the Bell & Bates Hardware Store, situated on Quincy’s historic square for 85 years, sought a new location. Mark and Patsy Bates then generously donated the 1912 Bell & Bates building to the Gadsden Arts Center, and the newly hired Executive Director, Zoe Golloway, accepted the gift with an enthusiastic plan. Golloway and community members researched and drove over 1,000 miles to design the types of exhibitions, educational activities, mission, vision, and organizational goals that now guide Gadsden Arts, Inc. Led primarily by private donations, Gadsden Arts, Inc. raised $1.4 million to renovate the hardware store into the state of the art museum facility it is today.
In 2005, founding director Zoe Golloway retired, and Grace Robinson took over as Executive Director, guiding the Gadsden Arts Center to slowly grow programs and exhibitions, such as starting the Artists Guild, beginning annual fine art trips, adding an educator and curator, expanding the Permanent Collection from 11 to 54 works of art, creating a traveling vernacular art collection, and completing a successful multi-year fundraising campaign to grow the Gadsden Arts Center Endowment.
For the past 20 years, the Gadsden Arts Center has strived to offer art educational opportunities for local children, support artists’ careers, and expose the community to nationally known artists, and stimulate economic growth and tourism for Gadsden County.
The Gadsden Arts Center began collecting artwork for its Permanent Collection in the year 2000 under the stewardship of its Executive Director, Zoe Golloway. In November 2009, the Gadsden Arts Center received a generous gift to its Permanent Collection: 15 pieces of Vernacular art and 2 historically significant works from the prestigious collection of Lou and Calynne Hill.
In 2010, the Permanent Collection grew again with generous contributions of art from community donors. 16 of the new works are another gift from the collection of Lou and Calynne Hill, creating a total GAC Vernacular Art collection of 35 works. This allowed Gadsden Arts to package and travel its own Vernacular Art Collection, which traveled to the Gibbes Museum of Art in Charleston, South Carolina, in 2011.
Today, the Gadsden Arts Center Permanent Collection includes 54 works of art by 33 different artists mainly from the Southeastern United States.
The Gadsden Arts Center offers Family Art Workshops, holiday and exhibition themed activities for all ages; Arty Parties, a fun way to celebrate your child's birthday with fun art activities and inspiring gallery adventures; and Summer Art Camp, an opportunity for young children to explore their ideas about art in a fun, creative, and educational environment.
Fine Art Trips, travel with our Executive Director and Curator to experience major museums, private collections, gardens and historic sites. Master Artists Workshops, an opportunity for intermediate to advanced-level artists to learn from masters of various mediums. Guided Tours, docent-guided tours and Luncheon tours are offered free of charge. Painting and Drawing, a weekly class for all level students. Painting Socials, invite a group of friends to bring wine and snacks to Gadsden Arts as you are guided step by step in completing your own masterpiece.
School Group Tours, teachers and students tour the galleries and create art based on the current exhibitions. Advanced Portfolio Program, a class designed to help high school visual arts students develop advanced studio skills and a college level art portfolio. ArtReach Partnership, children's groups from partner organizations in the area visit Gadsden Arts on a regular bases to discuss exhibitions and create art. Junior Board of Directors, high school students learn the business of art, working with the Executive Director to plan programs and manage projects. Internships, college juniors and seniors, graduate students, and recent graduates engage in professional museum work.
In 1997, the Bell & Bates Hardware Store, situated on Quincy’s historic square for 85 years, sought a new location. Mark and Patsy Bates then generously donated the 1912 Bell & Bates building to the Gadsden Arts Center, and the newly hired Executive Director, Zoe Golloway, accepted the gift with an enthusiastic plan. Golloway and community members researched and drove over 1,000 miles to design the types of exhibitions, educational activities, mission, vision, and organizational goals that now guide Gadsden Arts, Inc. Led primarily by private donations, Gadsden Arts, Inc. raised $1.4 million to renovate the hardware store into the state of the art museum facility it is today. The building has state of the art LED lighting, multiple galleries and classrooms, and a museum quality art storage vault, all while retaining the essence of the building with the original heart of pine wood floors, the rolling ladders, gingerbread woodwork, massive safe, and original pulley elevator on display.
Gift Shop
Special Event Rental
Group Tours
The Gadsden Arts Center is fully wheelchair accessible, and offers Large Print options and Audio Tours for most gallery exhibitions.
Wheelchair Accessible
Parking
Restrooms
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