In keeping with its long history of inclusion, LeMoyne Arts has launched its participation in the City of Tallahassee’s 200th Anniversary Celebration by dedicating its newly created “African American Tribute Garden” to those who were at the forefront of desegregation and the exercise of civil rights in Tallahassee.   
In announcing the African American Tribute Garden, Stephanie Whitfield, LeMoyne Board President, said, "Being the first organization in the region to practice non-discrimination and celebrate inclusiveness, LeMoyne has a proud legacy of supporting civil rights. Through dynamic partnerships with community advocates, we are thrilled to shine a spotlight on this important work." Located within LeMoyne’s recently revitalized and expanded gardens and grounds, the African American Tribute Garden sits at the apex of the Unity Footbridge and the Lee and Ann D. Williams Pathway that runs between the Kathy and Ray Bye Grand Plaza and the Tommy Guilday Celebration Gazebo. It will be highly visible to the thousands of individuals and families who visit LeMoyne each year.  
 
"The African American Tribute Garden's theme is 'Together in the Struggle for Social Justice’ and the garden itself is foundational and essential to the full realization of LeMoyne's Art for Always master plan and its associated capital campaign," said Paula Fortunas, LeMoyne Board member and campaign chair. “This theme will be repeated in the recognition plaque to be installed in the garden and will carry the names of the people and families who engaged in the early days of the struggle and those who, in present day, have contributed to the garden project.” The fundraising goal is $20,000. 
 
The centerpiece of the African American Tribute Garden is the sculpture PLUS — created in 1969 by Florida State University professor and internationally renowned sculptor Fred Holschuh to honor and memorialize Irene Olivia Colbert Edmonds (1908-1968), a prominent Florida A&M University humanities and theatre professor. PLUS was donated to LeMoyne by Edmonds' family and friends.  
 
“Historically speaking, this may be the first instance of a sculptural installation dedicated to publicly recognize an African American hero in the Tallahassee Community," said Arielle Raff, LeMoyne’s Executive Director.  
  
Irene Edmonds was a pioneer in children's educational theatre. Among her many accomplishments in this field, she organized and directed Florida A&M University's Creative Children's Theatre, along with the University’s Playmakers Verse Choir. Under her guidance, the Creative Children’s Theatre reached national prominence, and in honor of Edmonds' work, the children's theatre is named the Irene C. Edmonds Youth Theatre. The Irene C. Edmonds Youth Camp (ICE Camp) also continues to this day with performances by the campers on July 11-13 on the Edmonds Stage in the Charle Winter Wood Theatre at Florida A&M University. Both Edmonds and her husband Randolph Edmonds were members of LeMoyne's Board of Directors. Their names will be among those inscribed on the African American Tribute Garden plaque.  
 
Special Fundraising Initiative 
 
LeMoyne's African American Tribute Garden fundraising initiative is chaired by Carol Neyland. A native Tallahassean, Neyland's parents were Dr. Joseph Awkard and Dr. Julita Awkard — both of whom were highly regarded members of the Florida A&M University faculty. Recently retired, Neyland’s career makes her highly qualified to lead this effort. She and her husband Franklin McMillion recently relocated to Tallahassee from Pittsburgh, PA, where Neyland had a distinguished career in the finance and banking industry specializing in community development, marketing, and financial planning. 
 
As a former participant in the children’s theater, Neyland remembers Irene Edmonds very well. "Once in our seats, you could hear a pin drop. She transported us into the world of theatre. We learned about what goes on behind the curtain: stage positions, how to read a play, the discipline to learn lines, and how to project not just our voices, but our self-worth.”  
 
Commenting on the fitting location of the Tribute Garden—which is adjacent to the Unity Footbridge—Neyland reflects: "Behind the scenes, the Edmondses built bridges for our community so that we could live in a fair and equal world, not just one located on the south side of town. Our parents were also building bridges in this quest for equal rights. It wasn't until 1963 when, at the age of 10, I was called upon to help desegregate Blessed Sacrament School, that I realized that the Edmondses and our parents tried to provide us with all the opportunities that were withheld from us,” continued Neyland, "and it seems it really does take a village to raise a child. With this in mind, it is fitting that, as we dedicate the African American Tribute Garden at LeMoyne and re-dedicate the PLUS sculpture to Mrs. Edmonds, we honor our parents, too." 
 
LeMoyne’s History of Inclusiveness 
 
"Those who founded LeMoyne in 1963 were determined to make it a fine arts gallery and venue for art education that was inclusive — welcoming all to participate and enjoy community through the arts," said Kelly Dozier, LeMoyne Board Lead Director. To underscore that determination, LeMoyne codified a non-discrimination clause in its original bylaws — the first private organization to do so. Clifton Lewis, one of LeMoyne’s founders, was recognized in 2014 by the City of Tallahassee as a Foot Soldier in the Footsteps to Freedom, thus acknowledging her participation in the local struggle to end racial inequality. Her name will be among those inscribed on the African American Tribute Garden plaque. 
Today, LeMoyne seeks to continue developing a diverse community around art experiences by having at least three exhibits each year that incorporate social issues addressed in art, by creating events that welcome all members of the community, and by pursuing diversity in hiring staff. LeMoyne is working to build more relationships with artists of color and to represent more artists of color. In furtherance of this objective, LeMoyne is launching the Studios of LeMoyne to build a community of working artists. LeMoyne is expanding its art camp scholarship fund and improving its art camp scholarship award process — including needs-based identification within the application. 
 
How to Support the Tribute Garden Project 
 
“The continued support and participation of the Tallahassee community is the key to making this African American Tribute Garden successful,” stated Neyland. “Their continued involvement and patronage are critical as LeMoyne Arts continues to grow, to increase in its diversity and outreach, and to move forward, creating community through art.”  
 
To learn more about contributing to the African American Tribute Garden project, please contact Arielle Raff at 850.222.8800 or [email protected] or Paula Fortunas at 850.933.2770 or [email protected]. 
 
Contributions by check may be mailed to: LeMoyne Arts, 125 North Gadsden Street, Tallahassee, Florida 32301. Please make checks payable to LeMoyne Arts and enter “African American Tribute Garden'' on the check's memo line. Or, to make a secure online donation, please visit www.lemoyne.org/ArtforAlwaysMasterPlan/DonateNow.  

Tallahassee, Fla --You have probably seen his people throughout Tallahassee and elsewhere without even realizing it.  You may have seen his children reading at the Leon County Public Library or playing in the park across from the Governor’s Mansion.  You may have been seated next to an older veteran on a bench at the World War II Memorial and talked to him of life, politics, or the weather. FSU’s Bobby Bowden is one of his fellows. So are the Heisman Trophy winners at the University of Florida. And soon, you will find one of his very special people at LeMoyne Arts’ revitalized and enhanced garden.

Who is “he” and who are his “people”?
He is W. Stanley "Sandy" Proctor, a native of Tallahassee and renowned American painter and sculptor, who has more than a dozen sculptures on display in and around Tallahassee. His works appear in the British Museum, the Smithsonian, the White House, and in outdoor settings across the US. While Proctor has worked in several media, he is best known for his bronze figures—his “people”. Inducted into the Florida Artists Hall of Fame in 2006, Sandy Proctor has also received many other awards, most notably, the National Sculpture Society's American Artists Professional League Award for a traditional realistic depiction in sculpture. Many art collectors value his figurative and commissioned works as among the finest examples of life–size sculpture available today.
LeMoyne Arts is delighted and proud to announce that Sandy Proctor has donated a beautiful bronze sculpture, one of his extraordinary lifelike “people”, for the renovated and expanded gardens at LeMoyne Arts. Because of Proctor’s generous donation, LeMoyne will have a “little gardener” to enchant children and adults alike. The piece, entitled “Lillies”, joins LeMoyne’s impressive permanent collection of works by other illustrious sculptors, including Fred Holschuh, Roland Hockett, and Ralph Hurst.

The LeMoyne Arts Garden
For decades, LeMoyne’s garden has been one of Tallahassee’s most popular venues for weddings, receptions, and special events. The garden holds thirteen sculptures and fountains designed by seven Florida artists. LeMoyne’s garden is a point of community pride and a beacon to tourists and local visitors alike. But it is more than just a beautiful venue for events. Gardens often play a variety of roles in a community.
Foremost, a garden such as LeMoyne’s connects us to nature, and as humans, we need that connection for our minds, our bodies, and our spirits.  LeMoyne’s outdoor display gardens and natural areas also serve to inspire the home gardener for what is possible in their own yard. It helps pollinators by creating inviting habitats for them as well as for people. The expansions and enhancement presently underway at LeMoyne’s garden will make it even more engaging than ever.

The Perfect Match:  Sandy Proctor and LeMoyne Arts
LeMoyne Arts offers a myriad of art education classes and has recently focused on bringing more varied, fun, interesting, and educational programs for all ages. Today, Proctor’s career in the arts can serve as an inspiration to the children and amateur artists who participate in LeMoyne’s programs because he is a self-taught artist who turned a hobby into a fulfilling career later in life.
As a child and young man, he sketched and painted what he knew and what inspired him. His love of the outdoors, birds, flowers, trees, landscapes and animals provided Proctor with a wealth of subject matter, which helped him perfect his abilities to capture an identifiable essence and realism in his work. Initially working in the family business and raising his family here in Tallahassee, his painting “hobby” began to take more and more of his time. As he honed his talents, people became increasingly interested in his artwork until, at the age of 40, he began to devote his efforts full–time to his art.
Proctor started as a painter, working in watercolor, oils, and acrylics. From painting, he began pursuing more three-dimensional mediums, eventually specializing in bronze sculpture. Proctor has completed numerous public and private commissions, providing both life–size and monumental bronzes.
He notes, “The human form, from the freedom of childhood to distinguished seniority, has always moved me. I strive to capture the emotion, personality, grace, and honor of all my subject matter and have been fortunate to be chosen to sculpt many private and public monuments. Creating a sculpture for LeMoyne has allowed me to combine my love of the outdoors with my love of the human form.”

Creating Community Through Art
LeMoyne Arts has been at the heart of Tallahassee’s cultural and visual arts for nearly 60 years. Its signature events are an important part of our community’s cultural life. LeMoyne has made the arts more available and understandable to people of all ages and economic levels, promoted and supported the work of local artists, and generated millions of dollars for our local economy through events such as its annual holiday show and the Chain of Parks Art Festival. LeMoyne’s education programs have nurtured the artistic talent of four generations of Tallahassee families.
To preserve its mission of service to our community for generations to come, LeMoyne Arts developed and adopted its Art for Always master plan and associated capital campaign to fund a new education center, ceramics firing pavilion, artists' studios, other facilities improvements and additions, along with the expansions and enhancements presently underway in LeMoyne’s gardens -- a new gazebo, significantly improved accessibility for all, refurbished fountains and sculptures, new plantings, a Japanese–style garden, an African American Tribute Garden, a Jewish Community Tribute Garden, and  now a beautiful new sculpture by Tallahassee’s own Sandy Proctor.
The Art for Always capital campaign goal is $3,700,000 -- $3,200,000 for capital improvements and $500,000 for facilities endowment.  LeMoyne has experienced amazing success by raising $3,000,000 from June 2021 to the present.  However, its work is not done, and your help is needed to fully realize the vision and objectives of the Art for Always master plan and to achieve the capital campaign goal.  Please join in supporting Art for Always by making your personal contribution.  If you wish to give by check, please make it payable to LeMoyne Arts and mail it to 125 North Gadsden Street, Tallahassee, Florida 32301 or please donate online at lemoyne.org/art-for-always.html. For gifts other than check or credit card, please contact Arielle Raff, LeMoyne Executive Director, [email protected]. 
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For Media Inquiries Contact:  Arielle Raff, Executive Director, LeMoyne Arts, at [email protected], 850/222-8800, 125 N. Gadsden Street Tallahassee, FL 32301.

​LeMoyne is very excited to announce that its new rain garden is complete and helping to manage the rainwater as intended! LeMoyne is grateful to the City of Tallahassee’s TAPP program for providing design guidelines and a grant for the purchase of the plantings. Our friends Donna Lagare, Jody Walthall and Jackson Strauss from Native Nurseries specified and delivered the plants, soil amendments and pine straw, and helped to plant the three River Birch trees which will also offer shade in the summer months.
 
As LeMoyne developed its Art for Always Master Plan, a major goal was to better manage the stormwater on the property.  For decades, unmanaged rainwater flowed off the building roofs and down the sloped property causing erosion in the landscape and splash on the buildings causing wood rot.
 
When dear friend Dr. Charlie Rockwood came for a tour of LeMoyne and saw the water issues at LeMoyne he commented that he had to help get this fixed so that the beautiful sculptures in the garden did not have to suffer in the “swamp jungle” anymore. With a generous donation from Dr. Rockwood, new gutters, downspouts and strategically placed underground piping, was installed around the Meginnis-Munroe House protecting the building and making the new gardens much less susceptible to erosion.
 
So where does all the collected water go? To slow down the water flow and help keep most of it on site, LeMoyne designed and installed a beautiful rain garden integrated into its landscaping. The design adds landscape interest to the gardens and serves as an educational component demonstrating how functional and beautiful rain gardens are while helping to reduce stormwater runoff and improve ground water quality.