'RIGHT IN THE EYE SHOW' PHOTO BY VOSMIKOVA ISABELLA PHOTOGRAPHY VIA OPEN SCENE
Open Scene (Instagram | Website) and Art & History Museums of Maitland (Website) have announced a three-year residency partnership that will bring year-round international performing arts programming to the historic Maitland Art Center.
On paper, it’s kind of a no-brainer as the agreement pairs A&H’s campus, collections and audiences with Open Scene’s programming, production capacity and international artist network. Under the deal, Open Scene will present recurring year-round public programs at the Maitland Art Center throughout the three-year residency, spanning performance, film, literature, immersive experiences, workshops, and public talks.
Open Scene first began programming at the Maitland Art Center in 2025. Mariela Saad, Open Scene’s advancement director and general producer, said having a permanent home changes what the organization can do, allowing it to move beyond individual events and build lasting relationships with audiences, artists, students and the broader community. A&H Executive Director Danielle Thomas said the residency carries forward Smith’s original impulse to bring the world’s artistic traditions to Maitland, since Open Scene works from that same idea of bringing artists, languages and stories from around the world into direct conversation with the community.
Language access is built into the programming from the outset, with performances moving between Spanish, English and the languages of visiting artists. A Spanish-language performance will not be a Spanish-only experience, since audiences can follow along live in their own language through Wordly, a simultaneous translation platform offering access in more than 25 languages. Pricing will include free and choose-what-you-pay options throughout the residency.
The two organizations are already programming together. This October, Open Scene will present a dramatic reading of “Viajeras,” or “Travelers,” by Spanish playwright Alba Celma, which weaves together the present-day story of an Iranian film student living in Madrid with the 1889 around-the-world race between reporters Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Bisland. The reading is timed to coincide with the opening of “Vilomah: Against the Natural Order,” A&H’s solo exhibition of work by Iranian artist Soude Dadras.
The residency’s first major public program will be VI FLAE, Open Scene’s International Performing Arts Festival, running October 12 through 18. Over seven days, the Maitland Art Center will host international performance, immersive art, dramatic readings, artist encounters, and cinema workshops.
The residency also arrives as A&H expands its campus, with its new Que Throm and Cicero Greathouse Education Studios that just opened earlier in the month.
