Established in 1990, The Hurston is a program of the Association to Preserve the Eatonville Community, Inc. (P.E.C.). Its mission is to provide a place “in the heart of the community” where the public can view the work of artists of African Descent, who live on the Continent and/or in the Diaspora.
The Hurston is open Monday – Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. and is closed on all legal holidays. Extended hours are maintained during the weekend of the ZORA! Festival (the last weekend in January).
The exhibition season begins in September each year and ends in August. Shows typically run three to four months, and since the museum’s founding, each exhibition has featured an opening reception and gallery talk, which are free and open to the general public. Talks are presented by the artist(s), curator or a guest scholar.
There is no set admission to The Hurston, however, donations are appreciated. For group tours, there is a fee and reservations are required.
SIGINIFICANT ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE MUSEUM INCLUDE:
- The Hurston is the only museum within a 400-square mile area where the public can view the visual art of promising, emerging and established artists of African descent.
- Since its founding, the museum has attracted tens of thousands of visitors to the gallery where exhibitions of the work of nearly 50 artists have been presented.
- The museum has developed an increasingly aggressive partnership with art institutions in the area, including the Orlando Museum of Art and the Cornell Museum of Fine Arts at Rollins College, in mounting exhibitions of some of the finest pieces of contemporary African American Art.
- During the 1998-1999 exhibition season, the museum featured the works of four legendary African American artists – Samella Lewis, John Biggers, Elizabeth Catlett and William Pajaud.
- The museum was awarded funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, in support of the 2006 – 2007 exhibition season.
- The Hurston has presented two season-long exhibitions of historical material
- The museum was awarded a Conservation Assessment Program (CAP) grant to begin strategic planning for a new museum facility.
FUNDING
Funding for museum operations is provided in part by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs, the Florida Arts Council, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional funding is provided by the United Arts of Central Florida, Inc.
