Winter Park's Crealdé School of Art is a focal point for artists in the Central Florida region. It functions as a gallery and a school, and offers affordable studio space for local artists. More than 40 professional working artists contribute to its success, and enrich the community with their efforts.

Crealdé was the brainchild of a businessman, the late William S. Jenkins, who owned a construction company and was himself a talented artist. He under- stood the difficulty his artistic peers had in securing facilities. Today the place he founded includes two galleries, a sculpture garden, a professional dark room, ceramics studio and foundry.

At the Alice and William Jenkins Gallery, the works of multi-disciplinary visual artists from throughout the United States and the world are exhibited for free. Often, these are the first exhibitions in the region for these artists. And while they're in town, they typically present lectures and workships, too.

The Contemporary Sculpture Garden, a unique feature of this expansive campus, has more than 60 three-dimensional pieces of outdoor art representing over 40 Florida artists. Among the featured works are sculptures by internationally-renowned Johann and Kristin Eyefells, Cheryl Bogdanowitsch and Michael Galletta. Crealdé has a full calendar of events, contests and exhibitions that you can review here.

One noteworthy item is the 37^th Annual Winter Park Autumn Arts Festival on Oct. 9 and 10. At this event, more than 125 Florida aritsts will display their work. Live music, food and children's workshops make it a complete family event.

Crealdé is the type of place that fosters creativity in everyone. So bring your sketchpad and camera!