Orlando's grand center for the arts is home to an impressive collection of mostly modern American artists. It hosts an array of adult and family-friendly art events and classes. The popular First Thursday ($15), from 6pm to 9pm on the first Thursday of the month, celebrates local artists with regional work, live music and food from Orlando restaurants.
The bulk of the permanent collection is made up of the work of the Florida Highwaymen, a group of 26 African American artists, including Alfred Hair, AE Backus, Harold Newton and Mary Ann Carroll, that between the 1950s and 1980s painted the underdeveloped Florida landscapes in a style of refined naturalism. They got their name because, as artists working outside the mainstream, they mostly sold their work by the side of the road.
