History
Located in Tallahassee’s Park Avenue historic district, LeMoyne Arts has been the city’s premier art center since its founding in 1963 by four community women leaders, Mary Metzke, Clifton Lewis, June Strauss, and Nanette Fisher along with the first President, Al Block.
In the 1950s, Clifton Lewis had curated a gallery in the lobby of The Lewis State Bank, as a place for local artists to display their works. Her efforts led to the organization and establishment of LeMoyne Art Foundation at its original location behind the bank on South Calhoun Street in the Deeb House. (LeMoyne is named for Jacques LeMoyne de Morgues, who was an artist and member of a sixteenth-century French expedition to Florida.) The founders of LeMoyne Art Foundation were determined to make a fine art gallery and venue for art education that was inclusive, welcoming all to participate and enjoy community through the visual arts. LeMoyne codified a nondiscrimination clause in the organization by-laws, the first private organization in Tallahassee to do so. In 2014, Clifton Lewis was recognized by the City of Tallahassee as a Foot Soldier in the Footsteps to Freedom, acknowledging her participation in the local struggle to end racial inequality.
LeMoyne’s Art Gallery is part of the downtown heritage trail, a tour showcasing 13 historically significant sites in downtown Tallahassee. For more information about the tour, visit Downtown Heritage Trail • Visit Tallahassee.
Meginnis-Munroe House
The beautifully restored 1854 Meginnis-Munroe House serves as LeMoyne Arts’ primary visual arts gallery and community gathering space. The first floor houses the Gallery Shop and four exhibition galleries—the Albrecht, Marylou Kuhn, Hoover, and Puckett Galleries—each honoring individuals who made significant, lasting contributions to LeMoyne. These flexible spaces host rotating contemporary exhibitions, selections from the permanent collection, gallery talks, children’s activities, and private rentals. The accessible first floor includes a wheelchair ramp, while the second floor provides bright, high-ceilinged administrative offices. The ceramics lab below supports year-round classes, workshops, and studio activities for instructors and students.
Education Center
The Education Center offers an array of rooms and studios, each dedicated to different art mediums: painting, stained glass, plein air painting, life drawing and general crafting. Our education programs offer high school scholarships and over 100 classes and camps annually, serving thousands of children and adults throughout the year. There are ongoing classes during days, nights, and weekends, as well as lectures and meetings by community organizations.
LeMoyne Ceramics Studio
In spring 2023, the ceramics program was moved into Studios C & D of the previous Education Annex at 417 E. Call St. This move allowed for the ceramics program to triple in size and increase its offerings.
LeMoyne Arts offers adult ceramics classes throughout the year taught by local artists who enjoy sharing their knowledge and skills. Classes range from hand building to wheel throwing while specialized workshops dive deeper into sculpting and firing techniques. The Rockwood Ceramics Pavillion is equipped to host alternative firing workshops, such as pit and saggar firing. LeMoyne is elated to help lower the barrier of entry to alternative firing techniques so that more people can experience its unpredictable and beautiful properties. Youth and teen ceramics offerings take place in the Nancy Jefferson Pottery Studio under the Meginnis-Munroe House.
Carmel "Kelly"
Simmons Dozier Garden
Nestled in Tallahassee’s Historic Downtown District, the Carmel “Kelly” Simmons Dozier Garden anchors the one-acre campus at LeMoyne Arts. Visitors can explore the art gallery, shop, education center, and working artist studios. A self-guided audio tour guides guests through the galleries and into lush gardens, showcasing sculptures by renowned artists and themed spaces, including a Japanese garden, succulent gardens, and rain gardens.
The Studios of LeMoyne, and the XOJ Salon and Courtyard
LeMoyne’s Call Street buildings were renovated in 2023 and reopened in 2024 as The Studios of LeMoyne. The Studios provide dedicated working spaces for professional and emerging artists, supporting both established and developing creative practices. The complex also includes a catering kitchen, ADA-accessible restrooms, the Fortunas Family Suite ("Bridal Lounge") and the XOJ Salon and Courtyard, a flexible space for business-casual meetings, gatherings, events and small exhibitions. Together, these facilities expand LeMoyne’s capacity to support artists, host workshops and community programs, and accommodate a wider range of events and activities. The Studios of LeMoyne complement LeMoyne’s historic gallery campus by providing modern, flexible spaces for artistic work, education, and community engagement.