Downtown Arts District

Jazz in the Courtyard: Paul Van Wormer
2026-04-28 16:30 - 18:30 (America/New_York) | CityArts, 39 S. Magnolia Avenue, Orlando, FL, 32801, United States
Join us on Tuesdays from 4:30–6:30 PM in the newly renovated FORDify the Arts Courtyard at CityArts for live jazz music and great vibes! Free event, open to all. Stop by, unwind, and enjoy the music!

CityArts Write Night & Open Stage
2026-05-04 18:30 - 21:00 | CityArts, 39 S. Magnolia Avenue, Orlando, FL, 32801, United States
Looking to write, workshop, and/or perform in a supportive, creative space? Join us for 1st Monday for the CityArts Write Night & Open Stage, hosted by Florida Comedy Collective. Whether you’re shaping jokes, stories, or trying something new, this is a place to turn emotions into performance art.
6:30 PM – Florida Comedy Collective Writing Workshop – A guided, collaborative space to explore stand-up, improv, and sketch comedy, using real emotions, lived experiences, and honest thoughts as fuel for writing and performing. All experience levels are welcomed.
7:30 PM – Open Stage – Share your voice and your point of view! What to test out that new stand-up bit, improv scene, or comedy sketch? Well this is the place for you! Musicians, poets, and all performance artists are also welcome to channel their creativity, emotions, and stories on stage. This time can be used to share what was written at the writing workshop or something brand new that you’re working on. Come share your art with your community!
Dates: Every 1st Monday starting in April
6:30 pm – 9pm
May 4th
June 1st
July 6th
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About Florida Comedy Collective – Florida Comedy Collective is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded by Chandy Burke and Aimee LeCourse. This organization is dedicated to promoting and supporting comedic arts in Florida. We provide a platform for comedians to showcase their talent and connect with audiences across the state. Our mission is to foster a vibrant and inclusive comedy community that celebrates creativity and humor. For more information – https://www.floridacomedycollective.com/

Jazz in the Courtyard: Steamin' Jazz
2026-05-12 16:30 - 18:30 | CityArts, 39 S. Magnolia Avenue, Orlando, FL, 32801, United States

Cents 4 Wellness: A Sample Service Mart, Social, & Barter Station
2026-05-16 13:00 - 17:00 | CityArts, 39 S. Magnolia Avenue, Orlando, FL, 32801, United States
May 16th from 1-5pm, the H3RD collective will be hosting “Cents 4 Wellness”, a sample service mart, social, & barter station. Come out to trade, sample holistic offerings, meet fellow wellness enthusiasts, and support local service-based businesses!

Our six wellness providers are volunteering a condensed version or sampling of their offerings for $5 or less. Services are primarily holistic wellness services based on energy psychology. They include, but are not limited to, somatic work, energy readings, pilates, Reiki, and sound baths. For more details, follow us @h3rdcollective on IG!
RSVP Link – https://www.eventbrite.com/e/cents-4-wellness-a-sample-service-mart-social-barter-station-tickets-1988053882680?aff=oddtdtcreator

Jazz in the Courtyard: Joe Fritz
2026-05-19 16:30 - 18:30 | CityArts, 39 S. Magnolia Avenue, Orlando, FL, 32801, United States

Mind, Body and Color: Orlando Health Arts in Medicine Exhibition
2026-05-21 18:00 - 21:00 | CityArts, 39 S. Magnolia Avenue, Orlando, FL, 32801, United States
Mind, Body and Color

For 30 years, artists have connected with Orlando Health cancer patients through the Arts in Medicine program. Whether writing, dancing, or painting, patients take their minds off treatment and focus simply on creating. For many, this reconnects them with who they are—not simply a patient, but a person.

Since 2013, the Arts in Medicine program has hosted an annual exhibition at City Arts Gallery, celebrating the creative works of patients at the Orlando Health Cancer Institute.

This year’s theme, “Mind, Body and Color” celebrates how creativity provides a wholistic approach to wellness. Each piece offers a glimpse into how patients use art to transform their personal challenges into expressions of wholeness, vitality, and the world they aspire to see.

From May 21 through June 13, this inspiring exhibition will feature over 50 works created by cancer patients and their loved ones. Join us at City Arts Gallery to experience the healing power of creativity and honor those on their journey to wellness.

3rd Thursday Opening Night Reception (May)
2026-05-21 18:00 - 21:00 | CityArts, 39 S. Magnolia Avenue, Orlando, FL, 32801, United States
Join us for Third Thursday at CityArts. Enjoy drink specials, curator conversations, artist connections, and seven new exhibitions. Meet the artists and explore what’s new in the galleries.
CityArts is a proud partner of the newly expanded 3rd Thursday Orlando: Arts. Making. History.
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Featured exhibitions at CityArts include:
Austin Commercial Gallery – “Mind, Body and Color”: Orlando Health Arts in Medicine Exhibition
Upstairs Signature Gallery – Osceola County School for the Arts Student & Alumni Exhibition
Side Gallery – Solo Exhibition by Brian Strigel
CityArts Cafe Gallery – “Mind, Body and Color”: Orlando Health Arts in Medicine Exhibition
The Mahesh Chaddah Family Trust Spotlight Gallery – Solo Exhibition by Stemberger
New Art in the Young Artists Gallery & Redefine Gallery
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PARKING
CityArts provides parking validations for the Plaza Parking Garage ONLY. The validation reduces the parking fee to $4. The Library Parking Garage is closer, but CityArts does not provide parking validations for that garage. Metered street parking is free after 6:00 p.m.
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PARTICIPATING VENUES IN THIRD THURSDAY
Interstruct ArtCube
On Thursday, May 21 from 5–8 p.m., Parramore Arts presents a double-header exhibition at Interstruct Design + Build, 814 W. Church Street, during Third Thursday Orlando.
● CONNECTION by Angelo the Artiste is a multimedia installation debuting at ArtCube, a glass-fronted shipping container micro-gallery. Curated by Pat Greene.
● FUTURE PERSPECTIVES welcomes four artists debuting at Parramore Arts to transform U-Haul trucks into pop-up galleries for one night only, featuring work by Roberto Sébastien, Dessary Francis, Robb Johnson and Ishaan Vadhera. Curated by Damany Cruickshank.
The public is invited to the opening on Thursday, May 21, from 5–8 p.m. at Interstruct, 814 W. Church Street in Parramore, featuring an Artists Talk beginning at 7:15 p.m. Free onsite parking will be available, along with a complimentary shuttle from CityArts (Pine & Magnolia) in Downtown Orlando.
Eola View
Join us as part of the Third Thursday Art Walk with a featured stop at Eola View.
Eola View will be hosting a casual evening of art and community as part of the Third Thursday venue lineup. Visitors can explore a variety of local creative activations throughout the space in a relaxed setting. Learn more.
This month includes:

Giveaway: private party at Bar One ($100 bar tab and appetizer package for up to 20 people)
Cash bar
Pop-up portraits
Tarot readings
Custom clothing
Live painting
Balcony views overlooking “Achromatic Arte Fresca: An Ode to Harmony”

We look forward to welcoming guests as they move through the Third Thursday Art Walk and experience each participating venue.
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Thank You to Our Annual Sponsors:
Orange County Arts and Cultural Affairs
City of Orlando
United Arts of Central Florida
Downtown Development Board
Remixed

Opening in the Side Gallery: Solo Exhibition by Brian Strigel
2026-05-21 18:00 - 21:00 | CityArts, 39 S. Magnolia Avenue, Orlando, FL, 32801, United States
“Everything’s Connected:
Connecting the Dots
Life is full of dots waiting to be connected.
Nothing exists alone.
Everything connects.
These paintings begin like connecting the dots—small shapes coming together to form something larger. As they link, patterns appear: cells, systems, life.
Inspired by science but guided by color, the work shows how simple parts become something complex and alive. The connections are visible.”
On view in the Side Gallery at CityArts (39 S. Magnolia Avenue) May 21, 2026 – June 13, 2026

Continuum: A Gathering in Practice brings together current students and alumni of Osceola County School for the Arts at CityArts Orlando
2026-05-21 18:00 - 21:00 | CityArts, 39 S. Magnolia Avenue, Orlando, FL, 32801, United States
Curated by Patricia Calderon, Continuum: A Gathering in Practice brings together current students and alumni of Osceola County School for the Arts at CityArts Orlando.
As a founding member of OCSA’s Visual Arts program, established in 2003, Calderon has worked across generations of artists whose practices continue to evolve beyond the institution. This exhibition extends that long arc into a shared public context, convening artists without collapsing their distinct trajectories.
Several alumni featured in this exhibition are actively practicing artists whose work continues to evolve through sustained creative practice, exhibition, and independent inquiry.They are presented not as outcomes of a program, but as artists in their own right, whose practices continue to develop over time.
At its core, Continuum considers practice as an ongoing, never-ending process. Creation is not presented as a fixed destination, but as a process of continuous becoming, where each iteration informs the next, and every act of making exists within a larger, unfolding progression. Across media and subject, the works resist a singular narrative, inviting viewers to reflect on creativity not as one final outcome, but as a living continuum of inquiry, transformation, and possibility.
Continuum: A Gathering in Practice offers a space where artists meet across time, not as before and after, but within an ongoing field of practice.
POSTER DESIGNER
Melody “Mel” Capielo is a 2007 alumna of Osceola County School of the Arts and a Creative Director with more than 15 years of experience spanning hospitality, food and beverage, local government, medtech, and academia. Her passion for graphic design began in the halls of OCSA in 2003, working alongside Mrs. Calderon and the school’s small but mighty yearbook staff, where she first discovered the power of visual storytelling and creative collaboration.

After spending four years on the yearbook staff, Mel set an ambitious early goal: to one day see her name featured in a magazine’s masthead. It was a goal she accomplished within her first year of college, thanks in part to the strong design fundamentals she developed at OCSA, which helped her land her first professional design role. She later earned a BFA in Graphic Design from Miami International University of Art & Design in 2010.

Since then, Mel has built a career developing brand identities, immersive experiences, and strategic visual communications across print and digital platforms, working with both startups and large organizations. Her approach combines concept development, art direction, and thoughtful design strategy, grounded in the same curiosity and creative discipline first sparked during her time at OCSA. Now based in Denver after relocating from Miami, she continues to bring creativity, leadership, and gratitude for the place where her design journey began.

Jazz in the Courtyard: Luis Guerrero
2026-05-26 16:30 - 18:30 | CityArts, 39 S. Magnolia Avenue, Orlando, FL, 32801, United States

Tastemaker Tuesday at CityArts
2026-05-26 18:00 - 20:00, 2026-06-23 18:00 - 20:00 | CityArts, 39 S. Magnolia Avenue, Orlando, FL, 32801, United States
A night of creativity, connection, and custom wine—crafted by you. Follow a guided workshop in tasting, blending, and bottling your own wine at CityArts Gallery in Downtown Orlando.

During this interactive workshop, you’ll:

Learn about the art winemaking
Tasted 3 red wines evaluating appearance, aroma, and body of each
Blend until you find the perfect recipe that matches your taste
Bottle it, cork it, name it and label it to take home

WHAT’s included:

90-minute guided wine blending session by our head winemaker and sommelier

(1) custom 750 ml bottle of your signature red blend
Artisanal snacks and palate cleansers
Access to the CityArts Gallery after-hours
Good vibes, great conversation, and new friends

Location: CityArts Gallery, 39 S. Magnolia Ave, Downtown Orlando
Parking: free on the Street or $4 at the plaza Parking Garage (15 S Court Ave, Orlando, FL 32801) with validation. Bring your ticket to Cityarts.
When: 6:00 PM to 8:00 pm (ish)
Price: $65 per guest
Policy: Reservation required. 24-hour cancellation notice to avoid fee.

Portrait Drawing Workshop
2026-05-30 10:00 - 12:30 | CityArts, 39 S. Magnolia Avenue, Orlando, FL, 32801, United States
Hey there! Join us for a fun and hands-on portrait drawing workshop at CityArts, lead by Angelo the Artiste where you’ll get to sharpen your skills in person. Whether you’re a beginner or just looking to brush up on your technique, this is the perfect spot to practice, learn, and meet fellow art lovers. Bring your creativity and let’s dive into the art of capturing faces with pencil and paper. Can’t wait to see your masterpieces come to life!
What you’ll learn:

How to properly draw a persons features in proportion.
How to shade by adding darks and lights to a face for realism
How to use a mechanical pencil
General drawing tips and tricks

What you’ll get with your ticket:

A small sketchbook and a mechanical pencil

Reserve your seat now at https://angelotheartiste-workshop.eventbrite.com

CityArts Write Night & Open Stage
2026-06-01 18:30 - 21:00 | CityArts, 39 S. Magnolia Avenue, Orlando, FL, 32801, United States
Looking to write, workshop, and/or perform in a supportive, creative space? Join us for 1st Monday for the CityArts Write Night & Open Stage, hosted by Florida Comedy Collective. Whether you’re shaping jokes, stories, or trying something new, this is a place to turn emotions into performance art.
6:30 PM – Florida Comedy Collective Writing Workshop – A guided, collaborative space to explore stand-up, improv, and sketch comedy, using real emotions, lived experiences, and honest thoughts as fuel for writing and performing. All experience levels are welcomed.
7:30 PM – Open Stage – Share your voice and your point of view! What to test out that new stand-up bit, improv scene, or comedy sketch? Well this is the place for you! Musicians, poets, and all performance artists are also welcome to channel their creativity, emotions, and stories on stage. This time can be used to share what was written at the writing workshop or something brand new that you’re working on. Come share your art with your community!
About Florida Comedy Collective – Florida Comedy Collective is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded by Chandy Burke and Aimee LeCourse. This organization is dedicated to promoting and supporting comedic arts in Florida. We provide a platform for comedians to showcase their talent and connect with audiences across the state. Our mission is to foster a vibrant and inclusive comedy community that celebrates creativity and humor. For more information – https://www.floridacomedycollective.com/

Orlando Story Club: Over The Rainbow
2026-06-03 19:00 - 22:00 | CityArts, 39 S. Magnolia Avenue, Orlando, FL, 32801, United States
Orlando Story Club is a live storytelling competition that takes place at CityArts Orlando (39 S Magnolia Ave). All regular shows begin at 7:00 p.m., doors open at 6:30 p.m.

Every Orlando Story Club event has a theme. Anyone with a story that fits with that theme can enter by putting their name in the story hat. Ten names are drawn at random. Each storyteller is given 5 minutes to impress the audience, and the top 3 tellers take home prizes.

It’s a night of laughter, fun, and connection! Join us for our not-so-serious storytelling competition! Come laugh, listen, drink, and help build our community!

Purchase tickets at https://osc2026.eventbrite.com

Upcoming EventsAll regular shows start at 7:00 p.m.June 3: Over The RainbowAugust 5: SaltyOctober 7: HarvestDecember 2: All That Glitters

If you aren’t interested in telling a story, we love story listeners! We have an activity that everyone can participate in. What’s a one-liner?

It is an anonymous story (true to the storyteller) that can fit on one notecard and relates to the theme of the evening.

For example, if the theme is “Past Our Bedtime,” a one-liner is: “I truly thought there were monsters under my bed until I was in high school.”

Who reads these one-liners? Our awesome hosts, Danielle and Bobby, read them in between storytellers. Don’t worry. They won’t reveal your name!

All regular productions are hosted by Danielle Ziss & Bobby Wesley

Orlando Story Club is a program of The Downtown Arts District

34th Annual Southern Fried Poetry Slam at CityArts
2026-06-10 18:00 - 22:30 | FL
Southern Fried Poetry Slam is an annual performing arts festival celebrating poetry, spoken word, and community outreach.
Born in 1993 from a sense of family, home cooked meals and good ol’ Southern food, Southern Fried Poetry shares the absolute best southern offerings — hospitality, comfort and tradition.
During the first week of June every year, a city in the Southeastern region of the United States plays host to one of the largest Spoken Word and Performance Poetry tournaments in the world and showcases some of the world’s most extraordinary writers, orators and artists whose talents will be on full display as they compete against 200+ poets for cash and prizes, and of course bragging rights to the South!
For more information and tickets please click here
Events at CityArts (39 S. Magnolia Avenue):
Preliminary Bouts 1–4 | 6PM – 8PM
Preliminary Bouts 5-8 | 8:30PM – 10:30PM

DTOLive! in the Courtyard - Luis Guerrero
2026-06-11 16:30 - 18:30 | CityArts, 39 S. Magnolia Avenue, Orlando, FL, 32801, United States
Join us on Tuesdays from 4:30–6:30 PM in the newly renovated FORDify the Arts Courtyard at CityArts for live music and great vibes! Free event, open to all. Stop by, unwind, and enjoy the music!

34th Annual Southern Fried Poetry Slam at CityArts
2026-06-11 18:00 - 22:30 | CityArts, 39 S. Magnolia Avenue, Orlando, FL, 32801, United States
Southern Fried Poetry Slam is an annual performing arts festival celebrating poetry, spoken word, and community outreach.
Born in 1993 from a sense of family, home cooked meals and good ol’ Southern food, Southern Fried Poetry shares the absolute best southern offerings — hospitality, comfort and tradition.
During the first week of June every year, a city in the Southeastern region of the United States plays host to one of the largest Spoken Word and Performance Poetry tournaments in the world and showcases some of the world’s most extraordinary writers, orators and artists whose talents will be on full display as they compete against 200+ poets for cash and prizes, and of course bragging rights to the South!
For more information and tickets click here
Events at CityArts:
Preliminary Bouts 9–12 | 6PM – 8PM
Preliminary Bouts 13–16 | 8:30PM – 10:30PM

34th Annual Southern Fried Poetry Slam at CityArts
2026-06-12 18:00 - 23:30 | CityArts, 39 S. Magnolia Avenue, Orlando, FL, 32801, United States
Southern Fried Poetry Slam is an annual performing arts festival celebrating poetry, spoken word, and community outreach.
Born in 1993 from a sense of family, home cooked meals and good ol’ Southern food, Southern Fried Poetry shares the absolute best southern offerings — hospitality, comfort and tradition.
During the first week of June every year, a city in the Southeastern region of the United States plays host to one of the largest Spoken Word and Performance Poetry tournaments in the world and showcases some of the world’s most extraordinary writers, orators and artists whose talents will be on full display as they compete against 200+ poets for cash and prizes, and of course bragging rights to the South!
For more information and tickets click here
Events at CityArts:
Preliminary Bouts 17–20 | 6PM – 8PM
Preliminary Bouts 21–24 | 8:30PM – 10:30PM
LGBTQIA+ Open Mic | 11PM – 1AM

Monday Scaries at CityArts
2026-06-15 19:00 - 22:00 | CityArts, 39 S. Magnolia Avenue, Orlando, FL, 32801, United States
Join the Monday Scaries at CityArts for a night of unhinged comedy, big laughs, and questionable life choices (the fun kind)! Tickets are $5 at the door (cash/venmo). Don’t miss out!

"State Flower Ladies" Exhibition by June Bunch Opens in the CityArts Café on June 18, 2026
2026-06-18 18:00 - 21:00 | CityArts, 39 S. Magnolia Avenue, Orlando, FL, 32801, United States
For State Flower Ladies, June Bunch transforms 50 state flowers into botanical ballerinas. Her illustrations combine figure drawing with floral theatrics, adding elements of vibrant colors and texture-rich embroidery to her work. In an instant, her images stretch the viewer’s eye past the present to see the blossom’s full-seasonal vitality, summarized in one frozen motion.

Bunch curates contemporary illustrations by studying plants’ “choreography” of growth, illuminating their dance with vibrant colors and clean lines. Her visual art remains rooted in botany and ballet, featuring postures that hold emotional richness, highlighting human nature and flora in a bold, empowering way.

The art is created first through expressive figure drawings and botanical sketches that are then translated digitally and drawn line-by-line with a pen-tool, tending to each marking with thoughtful detail.

To dive into the story behind each illustration, you can visit https://www.junebunch.com/illustration

About the artist:
June Bunch (@junebunchstudio) is a self-taught illustrator from St. Petersburg, FL. Her art focuses on natural growth, interpreting plants’ movement through human body language. She studied botany and illustrated for plant nurseries before moving to Juneau, AK as a naturalist guide. There, June grew inspired by the “choreography” of the natural world around her and humanized it, incorporating figure drawing paired with a love of dance.

Her work has won an honorable mention at the Morean Arts Center and has been on display at the Imagine Museum, Dunedin Fine Arts Center, Five Deuces Galleria, Art@400, The Werk Gallery, and the Gulf Coast Arts Alliance Gallery. She has recently been awarded a micro-grant from the Gobioff Foundation which sponsored a portion of the State Flower Ladies exhibition.

Today (It’s Not OK) A Special Exhibition by Parker Sketch at Side Gallery in CityArts
2026-06-18 18:00 - 21:00 | CityArts, 39 S. Magnolia Avenue, Orlando, FL, 32801, United States
Today (It’s Not OK)
A Special Exhibition by Parker Sketch
Art For All Spaces presents Today (It’s Not OK), a powerful and timely exhibition by Orlando-based artist Parker Sketch, opening with a public reception on June 18th , 2026, in the Side Gallery at CityArts in downtown Orlando. The exhibition runs through July 11th , 2026.
Rooted in painting and art historical awareness, Today (It’s Not OK) reflects an emotional and political reckoning shaped by the turbulence of the present moment. The exhibition draws from abstraction and expressive mark-making while carrying a deeper conceptual weight—revealing works that appear visually inviting at first glance, yet speak directly to contemporary realities of chaos, oppression, and uncertainty.
As novelist and cultural icon Toni Morrison stated:
“All good art is political! There is none that isn’t. And the ones that try hard not to be political are political by saying, ‘We love the status quo.’”
That philosophy resonates strongly throughout this exhibition. Reflecting on the work, Parker Sketch shares:
“The past year has been challenging. World news and politics are depressing. Recently I have been avoiding conceptual art and pop art because working on these styles doesn’t feel right for me in this moment in history. Most of my recent work has been abstract and expressive. While I was working on these pieces, I found that even though I was trying to avoid it, I was creating extremely personal and political work. At first glance, these pieces seem like pleasant abstracts, but they are speaking to today’s world of chaos and oppression.”
About the Artist
Parker Sketch earned his BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and has built a multifaceted career grounded in painting, art history, and professional arts practice. His experience includes working in galleries, frame shops, museums, and fine-art fashion studios, where he has served as an artist, designer, and project manager.
Now based in Orlando, Parker is a highly active figure in the local arts community. He exhibits regularly, curates exhibitions, and is a resident artist at FAVO, where he regularly hosts a monthly critique group for local artists. His practice reflects both deep technical knowledge and a commitment to critical engagement through visual language.
Sponsors
This special exhibition is made possible with the generous support of Roberta Alfonso, Baxter Systems, Vicki Green, and others, whose commitment to the arts helps bring important and challenging conversations into public view.

Third Thursday Opening Night Reception - June 2026
2026-06-18 18:00 - 21:00 | CityArts, 39 S. Magnolia Avenue, Orlando, FL, 32801, United States
Join us for Third Thursday at CityArts. Enjoy drink specials, curator conversations, artist connections, and seven new exhibitions. Meet the artists and explore what’s new in the galleries.
CityArts is a proud partner of the newly expanded 3rd Thursday Orlando: Arts. Making. History.
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Featured exhibitions at CityArts include:
Austin Commercial Gallery – “CityArts Retrospective: Celebrating 20 Years” Exhibition
Upstairs Signature Gallery – Art-ivism Group Exhibition
Side Gallery – “Today (It’s Not OK)” A Special Exhibition by Parker Sketch
CityArts Café Gallery – “State Flower Ladies”: Exhibition by June Bunch
The Mahesh Chaddah Family Trust Spotlight Gallery – Solo Exhibition by Roberto Gonzalez
New Art in the Young Artists Gallery & Redefine Gallery
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PARKING
CityArts provides parking validations for the Plaza Parking Garage ONLY. The validation reduces the parking fee to $4. The Library Parking Garage is closer, but CityArts does not provide parking validations for that garage. Metered street parking is free after 6:00 p.m.
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Thank You to Our Annual Sponsors:
Orange County Arts and Cultural Affairs
City of Orlando
United Arts of Central Florida
Downtown Development Board
Remixed

Art-ivism Exhibition Opens in the Signature Gallery on June 18, 2026
2026-06-18 18:00 - 21:00 | CityArts, 39 S. Magnolia Avenue, Orlando, FL, 32801, United States
Join us for the opening night of the 2nd Art-ivism Exhibition! Located on the 2nd floor of the CityArts Gallery.
Art-ivism explores the merging of art and advocacy towards a cause or topic that resonates deeply. Individuals have been empowered to amplify their voices and creativity as a means for social change within their communities for decades, and it is just as important today. This show is intended to create space for that connection, conversation, and learning.
The exhibition will showcase original 2D and 3D artworks exploring topics of relevance and importance to the artists who submitted to the open call for art. Artists were encouraged to think of messages they wish to share and topics they wish to stimulate conversation about. This year explores concepts involving ethics, human rights, animal rights, environmental conservation, as well as personal and collective development.
Opening Night: June 18 6-9pm
On View through July 11th
Curated by Alexis Collum
Featured Artists:
Achille Barbel | acidicsheep | Adam Matthew Smith | Alexander Lee | Alexandra Gravett | Alexis Marie | Alexis Collum | Alina Blaga-Smith | Allyssa Cili | Angel Anaya | Angelina Palmisano | Angelo Vazquez | Anthony R. Smith | ARCANAS | Bethany Bennett | Bethany Ingerham | Billiva | Brandi Cumberbatch | Bray Mua (Straight to Voicemail) | Carolyn Schultz | Cei Jonez | Dave Giesbrecht | David Dexter | David Ussery | Eric Way | Frederick Goldstein | Genesis Muñoz-Vera | Ginger Haggbloom | Gina Tyquiengco | Halley Spencer | James Booth | Johnny Coleman | Jordan Jones | Jonas | Joshua D. McBride | Keri Darlington | Lamont White | Lena Phillips | Lucas Ksenhuk | Lynsie Conn | Mac De Sol | Madison Ansley | Madison Peterson | McKenna Lynn | McKenzie Blu | Megan Elizabeth | Megan Hernandez | Nelson Cárdenas | Omowura Adedayo | Pabloadan | Philip Ringler | Recycled Horrors by Bryan Murch | Rokibat Salako | Ronnell Mitchell | Ryan Parker | sally alexandres | Sanjana Deshmukh | Sara Hollamby | Scott Paul Ampel | Shaina Davidovich | Shree Chauhan | Sophia Lucia | Stevens’O’smoore | Straun Wagner | Tina (Thien-Thanh) Tran | Tonya Van Ry | Tyler Blum | Vanessa Watkins | Vanicha Suwansiri | Vanna Yang | Victor V Wilson | Yuliya Popkova

CityArts Retrospective: Celebrating 20 Years Opens in the Austin Commercial Gallery on June 18
2026-06-18 18:00 - 21:00 | CityArts, 39 S. Magnolia Avenue, Orlando, FL, 32801, United States
The Downtown Arts District proudly announces the opening of CityArts Retrospective: Celebrating 20 Years, a landmark exhibition honoring two decades of artistic innovation, community impact and cultural leadership in Downtown Orlando. The exhibition debuts on Thursday, June 18, 2026 from 6pm-9pm at CityArts Orlando.

This milestone celebration marks the beginning of a year‑long series of special events, including the release of a limited‑edition CityArts Retrospective wine, curated in partnership with Assemblage Wine and world‑renowned artist Boy Kong. Guests attending the opening will have the opportunity to taste the wine and purchase commemorative bottles featuring Boy Kong’s art on the label, with an intricate design symbolizing CityArts’ layered history, its iconic green building and the map grid of its downtown location. In addition to the CityArts Retrospective exhibition, guests will enjoy five concurrent exhibitions; Artivism curated by Alexis Collum, Redefine Gallery, Young Artists Gallery, Café Gallery (June Bunch), Roberto Gonzalez and the Side Gallery (Parker Sketch). The celebration will also feature live entertainment, including a performance by June Bunch and music by DJ Nigel, along with new limited‑edition merchandise designed by local artists Dawrby, Johnathan Stemberger and Etch.

A Legacy of Creativity and Community
CityArts first opened in June 2006 in the historic Webster Building at 29 S. Orange Avenue. Over the past 20 years, the organization has played a pivotal role in shaping Orlando’s creative landscape, supporting artists, cultivating new collectors and fostering a vibrant arts community.

CityArts Impact by the Numbers

20,000+ artists exhibited (1,000 annually)
36,000 artworks displayed (3,000 per year)
Over $1,000,000 in art sales and art services since 2006
1.2 million visitors welcomed
5,616 days open to the public
1,536 exhibitions presented
240 Third Thursday art activations produced
$50,768,000 in total industry expenditures
1,486.6 jobs supported
$35,036,977 in household income generated
$2,375,000 in local government revenue
$2,915,152 in state government revenue

On March 21, 2019, CityArts relocated to the historic Rogers‑Kiene Building at 39 S. Magnolia Avenue, donated by Ford Kiene to the City of Orlando for use as an arts space. With its Queen Anne architectural style and cultural significance, the building inspired the transition from “CityArts Factory” to CityArts Orlando.

“As a result of Orlando’s large creative class, there’s an abundance of talent in Central Florida,” says Barbara Hartley, Executive Director of the Downtown Arts District. “We celebrate all the artists and musicians who have participated, the leaders who have volunteered on the board of directors and committees, the dedicated staff and all of the individual and corporate sponsors and art buyers who have generously given their support.”

Event Details:
CityArts Retrospective: Celebrating 20 Years
Thursday, June 18, 2026 6pm-9pm
CityArts Orlando 39 S. Magnolia Avenue Orlando, FL 32801

For more information, visit https://downtownartsdistrict.com/.

Sort of Brutally Early Artist Meet-up
2026-06-24 07:30 - 10:00 | CityArts, 39 S. Magnolia Avenue, Orlando, FL, 32801, United States
Join us for our monthly “Sort of Brutally Early Artist Meet-up” It’s an artist, art lover, art administrator meet-up. That means everyone is invited. It is very informal. Attendees can come and go as they please. – Enjoy complimentary coffee and pastries – Meet other artists, art lovers, and arts administrators – Check out the CityArts exhibitions. The Sort of Brutally Early Artist Meetup was created by curator, Pat Greene. This is a nod to renowned curator Hans Ulrich Obrist’s Brutally Early Club.

DTOLive! in the Courtyard - Samantha Lee
2026-06-25 16:30 - 18:30 | CityArts, 39 S. Magnolia Avenue, Orlando, FL, 32801, United States

Citrus Morning: Painting Citrus on the Vine
2026-07-11 10:00 - 12:00 | CityArts, 39 S. Magnolia Avenue, Orlando, FL, 32801, United States
This beginner-friendly acrylic painting workshop at CityArts Orlando invites students to create a bright citrus painting filled with simple circles, leafy branches, and fresh Florida-inspired color. The class offers a relaxed way to explore acrylic painting while learning basic layering, brushwork, and color mixing techniques.
For tickets, click here

June Bunch Gallery Talk and Mini Concert
2026-07-12 12:00 - 13:00 | CityArts, 39 S. Magnolia Avenue, Orlando, FL, 32801, United States
Artist Q+A with Botanical Illustrator and Singer-Songwriter June Bunch featuring her Live Music and Visual Art

This fun, free event features both live music and visual art of June Bunch as she dives into her illustrations after sharing original tunes.
In the exhibition, June Bunch transforms 50 state flowers into botanical ballerinas. Her illustrations combine figure drawing with floral theatrics, adding elements of vibrant colors and texture-rich embroidery to her work. In an instant, her images stretch the viewer’s eye past the present to see the blossom’s full-seasonal vitality, summarized in one frozen motion.
Bunch curates contemporary illustrations by studying plants’ “choreography” of growth, illuminating their dance with vibrant colors and clean lines. Her visual art remains rooted in botany and ballet, featuring postures that hold emotional richness, highlighting human nature and flora in a bold, empowering way.
The art is created first through expressive figure drawings and botanical sketches that are then translated digitally and drawn line-by-line with a pen-tool, tending to each marking with thoughtful detail.
To dive into the story behind each illustration, you can visit https://www.junebunch.com/illustration
About the artist:
June Bunch (@junebunchstudio) is a self-taught illustrator from St. Petersburg, FL. Her art focuses on natural growth, interpreting plants’ movement through human body language. She studied botany and illustrated for plant nurseries before moving to Juneau, AK as a naturalist guide. There, June grew inspired by the “choreography” of the natural world around her and humanized it, incorporating figure drawing paired with a love of dance.Her work has won an honorable mention at the Morean Arts Center and has been on display at the Imagine Museum, Dunedin Fine Arts Center, Five Deuces Galleria, Art@400, The Werk Gallery, and the Gulf Coast Arts Alliance Gallery. She has recently been awarded a micro-grant from the Gobioff Foundation which sponsored a portion of the State Flower Ladies exhibition.

DTOLive! in the Courtyard - The Anthologist
2026-07-16 16:30 - 18:30 | CityArts, 39 S. Magnolia Avenue, Orlando, FL, 32801, United States
Join us from 4:30–6:30 PM in the FORDify the Arts Courtyard at CityArts for live music and great vibes! Free event, open to all. Stop by, unwind, and enjoy the music!
