Locals will soon have a gallery in the heart of Downtown DeLand to display their art. ArtWorks DeLand, a new art gallery at 111 W. Indiana Ave., is set to open next month in the Downtown district’s oldest standing building.
The effort is spearheaded by a collection of local artists, many of whom connected through West Volusia Artists, a local art club. Painter Jason Parodi is leading the charge. Even though he’s lived in DeLand since he was 11 years old, he wasn’t always aware of where to find local artist peers. He hopes a centrally located gallery will help with that.
“We want to be a really inclusive space,” he said.
A concept image for the space is pictured. With space to display art on the walls and on other fixtures around the space, artist Jason Parodi said he expects there will be room to display works from 30 artists. Another goal for the space, he said, is to host small art classes and workshops at ArtWorks DeLand.
Parodi is just one co-owner of 10 who will operate the space like a true co-op, with each owner holding a stake in the property and the business that leases the space.
In total, Parodi anticipates space for 30 artists. The rotating art on display will be selected by a jury of different artists and displayed for a fee. When an artist sells one of their pieces displayed in ArtWorks DeLand, the gallery will take a 15-percent commission fee to help keep the lights on.
The fees, Parodi explained, will be much slimmer than those charged by typical art galleries.
MAN ABOUT TOWN — You can see painter Jason Parodi’s art displayed around Downtown DeLand if you go looking for it. Pictured is the back door of the Downtown DeLand business Pretty Little Things at 113 N. Woodland Blvd. Parodi painted this image of sandhill cranes last year.
“The goal of the business is not to make a ton of money,” he said, “but to increase the presence of local artists.”
He continued, “We want it to be a big piece of the community.”
And that’s just part of what Parodi and the others hope to accomplish. Another goal is to host weekly art classes in the gallery once things are up and running. Ultimately, the group wants to see local artists have one more space to flourish.
Parodi, whose construction experience is coming in handy for building out the gallery, hopes to get the gallery open next month.
“We’ve got a lot to do,” he said, “and a short runway to get it done.”
For more information, or to apply as an artist in ArtWorks DeLand, visit the gallery’s website, www.artworksdeland.com, or contact the gallery by email at artworksdeland@gmail.com.
A little history
Built in 1875, the building at 109 and 111 W. Indiana Ave. is the oldest in Downtown DeLand. The brick structure was sturdy — and lucky — enough to survive the 1886 blaze that razed nearly every Downtown building to the ground.
LOOKING WAY BACK — Photographed around 1895, West Indiana Avenue looks a lot different now than it did. Taken from the intersection of Woodland Boulevard, the corner at right is now occupied by Pat and Toni’s Sweet Things.
The earliest business located at 111 W. Indiana Ave. in city directories maintained by the West Volusia Historical Society is DeLand Naval Stores in 1907. The building changed hands many times, operating as many different stores.
In 1952, the building was occupied by Jay’s Radio & Sound Service, which shared space with optometrist Robert V. Landall and Lillian Wells’ School of Music. According to the directory, Landall operated out of the building until the early 1960s, when a tailor briefly occupied the location, followed by the Christian Science Reading Room in 1964.
More recent occupants of the historic building include Jabberwocky Gifts through most of the 1980s, Heritage Café 1989-1990, and Cobblestone Crafts in the early 2000s.
Most recently, many DeLandites will remember 111 W. Indiana Ave. as the home of DeLand Cyclery, a bike shop that operated in the space for 15 years. Its neighboring space, 109 W. Indiana Ave., was home to DeLand Coins & Collectibles
— City directory information courtesy West Volusia Historical Society
