It looks like Central America.

"All of the Mayan revival and other sculptures were created on site and then erected on the building in the same place,” shares Christine Madrid French.

Just off I-4 in Maitland awaits a quiet retreat home to artists for more than 75 years.

The Art and History Museums Maitland's Maitland Art Center is a different kind of museum.

"We have open studios when we are here, so as the public comes in they can interact. They come into the studio, they can see art being produced,” said Trent Tomengo, an artist in action.

Tomengo, a professor of Humanities at Seminole State College, hopes visitors will linger for a while on the grounds and stroll into studios.

“They can also ask artists any type of question they want to ask," Tomengo said.

Trent spent four years on campus creating. He shares the vision of founder Andre Smith, who founded the museum as an artist colony in 1937.

With the Mayan courtyard on one side and an outdoor chapel sheltered by strong oaks on the other side, the Art and History Museums Maitland's Maitland Art Center is a sanctuary.

Unlike a traditional art gallery, where you'll find paintings hanging on the wall, Smith's legacy lives outside. And that's exactly how he intended it.

"A lot of people actually came to Florida because they were allowed to experiment in their architecture,” believes Christine, the curator of history at the A&H Museums Maitland.

Floors, walls, murals and sculpture reliefs are covered in carved cement.  The courtyard features Mayan accents. Meantime, the chapel is home to visual biblical references. Depictions of Christ, angles and crosses can be found across the landscape Smith created.

"He very much liked to look at all sorts of cultures,” explains Andrea Bailey Cox, the executive director and CEO of A&H Museums Maitland's Maitland Art Center. “He was very interested in the religion and mythology associated with them.”

Today, Andrea hopes visitors will leave with the same thing visiting artists come to seek.

"Inspiration. That is what this place was created for and we want them to be inspired,” she said.

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