Center, gallery aim to bolster Melrose’s quaint appeal

Melrose is a hub of artistic wonders has the artisans and resources to prove it.

Melrose resident Kirsten Engstrom created and donated a 10- to 12-foot sculpture that will be dedicated Friday at the Melrose Center’s Studios of Melrose gallery during the town’s monthly Art Walk.

Engstrom, who turns 80 on April 21, named the statue Aariel, which means “lioness of God” in Hebrew and represents strength, courage and fearlessness.

Bruce Waite, the executive director of the Melrose Center, opened the Melrose Center with his wife, Gwen, in 2010.

“Bruce mentioned he would like to put sculptures in the front of the gallery he created there,” Engstrom said. “I told him I have an idea and he liked it – a giant woman. So I made it and donated it to the gallery.”

Engstrom said she wanted the statue to be seen as an ambassador of goodwill.

“I wanted it to be a peace symbol and also a symbol of strength,” she said.

“It’s impressive,” said Willow Murphy, the Melrose Center’s community engagement coordinator, of the larger-than-life statue in front of the Studios of Melrose gallery’s yellow house facing State Road 26. “She stands with her arms open to any visitor who comes to visit the gallery. You can’t miss her. And keep an eye out for some festive wardrobe changes as time goes on.”

The center will offer a special dinner starting at 5 p.m. Friday with live music until 8 p.m.

The statue dedication will begin at 5 p.m. at the Studios of Melrose, which opened Dec. 1, 2023, at 309 State Road 26. The dedication will kick off Art Walk, which occurs the first Friday of each month from 6–8 p.m.

The event, which has other businesses that participate, usually includes food trucks, other snacks, an open mic and, of course, art.

“We have so many people living here who create art in one way or another, and it’s what has brought this community together for a long time,” Murphy said.

Murphy is looking forward to seeing area residents visit Melrose on Friday and take part in the dedication.

“We wanted something that people could see from the road, something that was eye-catching and welcoming to hopefully draw people to visit us,” she said of the statue.

Bruce Waite said the Melrose Center’s mission is about building a community that includes everyone.

“That’s what the Art Walk is about, too,” he said. “Everyone can wander around, flowing back and forth between different places, get some food, listen to live music and view fine art.”

According to Bruce Waite, the Studios of Melrose shares space with The Little Framery, a local frame shop owned by Gail Davis, while the center has three private studios and Lake Area Massage upstairs.

“We are also able to help people get their art turned into greeting cards or art prints in collaboration with Southern Fried Printing,” Waite said. “An artist can come here and get a full array of services to prepare them to sell their art.”

Artists whose work will be on display at the Studios of Melrose and the Melrose Center include Eleanor Blair, Annie Hughes, Pam Hobbs, Susan Nash, Bill Paine, Steven Earl and Steve Flynn.

The gallery has other art from area artists on consignment, including hand-woven baskets, Mata Ortiz-style pots, journals, art supplies, hand-painted ceramic mugs, artfully refurbished wood guitars, greeting cards, Bin Print recreations of vintage Japanese Woodblock Prints and more.

The Melrose Center and Studios of Melrose art gallery are partner businesses under the umbrella of Common Thread International Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

The center has a 50-seat restaurant open Tuesday through Friday from 8 a.m. – 1 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. On Thursdays and Saturdays, local musicians perform from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. at the center.

Gallery hours are from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, except on first and third Fridays when they are open from 5–8 p.m. The gallery has flexible hours and can be available other times throughout the week by calling 352-475-3900.

The center is the site of a health fair on the first Friday of each month in partnership with UF Health, the Emmanuel Project, other organizations or through the referral resources to anyone who needs them. The health care services are free regardless of insurance status.

“We want the gallery to be a place that helps create even more community relationships, a place to view wonderful art from here and from around the world,” Bruce Waite said. “We see it as an extension of the mission of the Melrose Center, a place that supports four pillars of health and nutrition, access to health care, social connectedness and economic sustainability.”

He said he hopes to see things come to a point where the center and gallery can be self-sustaining.

“Everything is connected and it’s a symbiotic cycle,” he said. “What benefits the gallery benefits the center and vice versa.”