ANDRÉ SMITH—FOUNDER of the Maitland Art Center (or, as we’ll see, perhaps the co-founder)—was bedridden for a year due to complications from an injury sustained during World War I. While recuperating he drew a fantasy village that he called “Espero,” which translated from Spanish to English means “I hope, I wait.”
Espero, wrote Smith, was “a city of Hope, a place that you are always looking for and yet never find … completely.” Smith, though, eventually managed to create something comparable in Maitland—albeit with a little previously unknown help from a friend.
A Return to Espero, an exhibition that will run from July 26 to October 5, is about finding the heart and explaining the hazy genesis of the historic center, which is noted for its magical, mystical ambiance and its Mayan Revival architecture.
In June 2022, Exhibitions Manager Katie Benson sent an exploratory email to Philadelphia’s Curtis Institute of Music, which was founded in the 1920s by philanthropist Mary Louise Curtis Bok as a conservatory for promising young musicians to hone their talents without financial barriers. Benson asked if the institute happened to have anything about Smith, who was a friend of Bok’s, in its archives. There were, in fact, seven thick folders of correspondence between the pair that proved to be revelatory.
The letters begin in 1936, after the two met at the funeral of actress Annie Russell, who had been a longtime friend of Bok’s. It was Bok, in fact, who had gifted the funds for construction of the Annie Russell Theatre at Rollins College, where Russell had spent her final years as a dramatics instructor. The letters stop nearly two decades later in 1954, five years before Smith’s death.
“These letters actually changed on a fundamental level our understanding of why the art center was founded,” says Executive Director Danielle Thomas. Adds Chief Curator Dan Hess: “We really wanted to reset the story out of fact. And these letters allowed us to do it.”
Prior to the find, the center possessed nothing in Smith’s own words that dated after World War I. For years, it was believed that Smith alone came up with the idea of the avant-garde Research Studio, today known as the Maitland Art Center, and approached Bok for funding.
This intimate collection of important personal letters, many of which are illustrated by Smith himself, tell a somewhat different story. The correspondence, along with an array of Smith’s previously unseen art, illuminates themes of resilience, friendship and the transformative power of artistic expression reflected in A Return to Espero.
Smith and Bok’s previously unknown collaboration is, in reality, a testament to their shared vision and unwavering commitment to pushing the boundaries of artistic exploration in Florida. In one particular letter, Smith grumbles to Bok about the lack of modern and experimental art in Central Florida. She responds, proposing the idea of building a gallery where these genres could be fostered.
“He sent her a telegram that said, ‘I’ll write to you as soon as I can breathe again,’” says Thomas. “What follows is this flurry of letters where the idea unfolded and grew from there.” Adds Hess: “Mary never got the credit that she deserved for being such a fundamental force in the creation of this place. Without her, it wouldn’t exist.”
Today the center’s Artists-in-Action residency program continues the legacy of Smith and Bok’s original mission by providing studio space for 12 to 18 months to an established or emerging creator. In the early days, Smith gave all artists a handout upon their arrival. In the first paragraph, he wrote: “As Director of the Research Studio, I take great pleasure in extending to you a welcome to Espero. Espero is the name we have given to the small wall protected enclosure which for the next four months will be your residence and workplace.”
Welcome to Espero, indeed. The Maitland Art Center is located at 231 West Packwood Avenue, Maitland. For more information, call 407.239.2181 or visit artandhistory.org.
