SPACE Art Collective

BUILDING CREATIVE COMMUNITY ONE POP-UP AT A TIME

Polk County’s arts scene has always been rich with talent, but for many emerging and unconventional artists, finding a place to belong hasn’t always been easy. That gap—felt deeply by those trying to carve out space for themselves—sparked the creation of SPACE Art Collective, a grassroots movement led by Polk County native Sara Jones, whose determination, humor, and community‑driven vision have quickly made SPACE one of the most exciting new forces in the region’s creative landscape.

Jones grew up in Polk County watching galleries open and close, muralists fight for legitimacy, and artists who didn’t fit traditional molds struggle to find opportunities. Her own journey included two years as a resident artist and volunteer venue manager at ART/ifact Studios in Lakeland, where she produced shows, festivals, and fundraisers—work that helped bring more artists into the fold and strengthened the creative community.

When ART/ifact closed, Jones felt a renewed urgency to create something more flexible, resilient, and inclusive. “My reaction, like many great women before me, was to fulfill a community need out of sheer spite for the experiences I’d had firsthand,” she jokes. That spark became SPACE: a collective built not around a single building, but around partnerships.

Instead of relying on one venue, SPACE collaborates with local businesses to host pop‑up exhibitions, art swaps, concerts, and creative meetups. The result is a mutually beneficial ecosystem where artists gain visibility and businesses gain foot traffic and cultural energy.

SPACE’s mission is simple but ambitious: provide space for all artists, especially those who may feel overlooked or unsupported. Jones sees SPACE as a meeting point where artists and patrons of all backgrounds can connect, converse, and challenge each other through their work.

“You don’t have to like or agree with everyone’s art or experiences,” she says. “But everyone deserves a chance to bring their discussions to the table.”

Polk County, she notes, is overflowing with creatives—filmmakers, sculptors, dancers, fashion designers, performers, and students from arts‑focused schools. SPACE aims to help them find each other, collaborate, and grow.

While SPACE currently operates as a pop‑up collective, Jones’s long‑term vision is bold: a full‑scale arts center offering residencies, classes, mental‑health‑focused expressive arts, a dual‑purpose gallery and performance space, a café, grants for artists, and shared studios equipped for a wide range of mediums.

“It’s totally a pipe dream,” she admits, “but if I can dream it, I can one day build it.” She hopes that as SPACE grows, she’ll meet the people with the knowledge and skills to help bring that dream to life.

Since launching in March 2025, SPACE has experienced a remarkable surge of activity and community engagement. In its first year, the collective organized a successful art swap at The Barter Box in Lakeland, produced The Big Bang exhibition featuring more than 40 Central Florida artists at Florida Southern College’s Melvin Art Gallery, and sponsored pop‑ups at Art Crawl, Punk Flea Market, and the Rainbow Roots Festival. SPACE also hosted a multi‑band concert at Hillcrest Coffee, networked with and platformed over 100 artists through events and bi‑monthly meetups, and donated art supplies to Talbot House Ministries and Polk DSA. The collective also earned 3rd place for Best DIY Workshop/Studio in HAVEN/ LKLD Magazine’s 2025 “Best Of” issue—along with a feature spotlight in the magazine’s November edition. For a group barely a year old, the momentum is undeniable.

SPACE welcomes both artists and art lovers. Volunteers are always needed for pop‑up events, and the collective is actively seeking businesses willing to host art shows, concerts, figure‑study nights, and creative meetups. Because renting venues is costly, partnerships with small businesses are essential— and mutually beneficial.

Those who want to support SPACE’s long‑term goals can contribute to their GoFundMe: www.gofundme.com/f/space-sanctuary-for-polks-arts-culture-and-education

SPACE hosts bi‑monthly meetups, inviting artists to bring a project, hang out, and connect with others. New shows and events are in development, and updates are shared regularly on Instagram at @space.artcollective.

For Jones, the future of SPACE is wide open. What began as a response to seeing a community need has grown into a thriving, collaborative movement—one that’s redefining what community support for the arts can look like in Polk County.

And if the first year is any indication, SPACE is only getting started.