Terris Schneider
For such a small community, New Smyrna Beach (a population around 26k) has quite the art scene. In fact, they have one of the top Art Festivals in the country that ranks 39 out of 100. When we walked in to The Hub on Canal Street, I was blown away by this amazing space and the mix of artists.
What is the Hub?
The Hub on Canal is an organization devoted to fostering arts and education, as well as career opportunities. This space is open year round, seven days a week, and offers art exhibitions, dance and musical performances, educational classes and workshops, cultural events, and outreach programs. The venue used to be a movie theatre, Recall store, a recreation facility and now it’s home to one of the most vibrant art spaces I have ever experienced.
The Artists
More than 70 artists, both local and in the region, showcase their work and collaborate with other artists. They sell their works to visitors in the Central Florida region, as well as people visiting from all over.
They have artists who work in mediums ranging from pottery, oil paintings, jewelry, handmade shoes made with jute, and sculpture. There were some guitars from Luthiers Joe and Louie Muni, both with a background in roofing, where they found wood on site and reclaimed it. They even gave one of their guitars to Tom Petty a couple months before he died.
Music is a personal passion at the Hub – their sign painter, Pamela (Sam) Adams, teaches fiddle lessons and even sings in the Hub’s own eclectic blues/jug band: HubCats.
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Revitalizing the Local Community
The arts community is of the utmost importance to everyone involved at the Hub. They create special events and provide scholarship programs and art, wellness, as well as music classes. One of their goals is to extend the arts to the under-served and socially challenged.
The Gallery Walk Events and Talk Art! ‘lectures are free to the public (unless specified otherwise). If you’re a member, Regular Music Nights are free and it’s only $5 for non-members. There are other events that take place such as Slo’ Jam, Poetry Night, MORE…
Becoming a Member
If you are in the NSB area and want to be a member of the Hub on Canal, you are supporting the arts in a big way. Members support the classes and workshops, artist talks, music performances, special events, art gallery exhibitions, the art created at the Hub by 70 artists, outreach programs for children, veterans, and individuals with Alzheimer’s Disease, and the Hub on Canal Student Film Festival.
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