The Polk Arts Alliance honors Polk County Commissioner, Melony Bell for her commitment, advocacy and tireless work as County Commissioner to support the cultural arts sector in Polk County. On July 24, 2012 after several years of advocacy, under the leadership…
Posts tagged as “Bartow”
Rick Olivo, who moved to Polk County from New York and passed away in 2022, has long been recognized as one of Lakeland’s art icons. He founded Pied Pipers Children’s Theater (Lakeland Community Theatre) and was also one…
Harriet Rust, a Polk County native, founded the Davenport Historical Society with then-Mayor Peter Rust (her late husband). The DHS founded the Quilts and Tea Festival that brought together the Davenport School of the Arts, many sewing organizations,…
Jazz icon, Nat Adderley made Lakeland his home in the eighties and is credited with being a founding member of Florida Southern College’s Child of the Sun Jazz Festival, eventually serving as Artist-In-Residence for the school. Adderley, who…
Clifton Lewis, who moved to Bartow in 1989, was instrumental in saving the historic L.B. Brown House in Bartow from demolition. He formed the Neighborhood Improvement Corporation to develop Bartow neighborhoods, and to champion the preservation of the…
Public art exhibit of the entries and award winners for Bartow Art Guild’s annual art competition, Cornucopia. Exhibit is in the Pamplin Gallery on the second floor and is open during library hours.
The opening reception is during the member gathering on Monday, September 11 from 6:00-8:30pm. This solo show chronicles the evolution of over 50 years of photographic artistry of one of the area’s leading artists. Exhibition in the Bartow…
Exhibition in the Bartow Art Guild Gallery. The gallery is open on Saturdays from 10am-4pm, but it closed on major holidays. This solo show chronicles the evolution of over 50 years of photographic artistry of one of the…
Experience the legacy of former slave Lawrence Brown who became a self-taught, highly successful business leader. The Historic L.B. Brown House is owned and operated by the Neighborhood Improvement Corporation of Bartow, Inc (NIC), a nonprofit tax-exempt 501(c)(3)…
Join Polk County History Center staff on alternating tours of Oak Hill Cemetery, and the Evergreen and Palm Cemeteries. They serve as the earliest cemeteries in Bartow, and each site is home to pioneering families and legendary leaders.…