OPINION: Shameless Orlando Science Center an Over-Funded Glorified Event Rental Space


By Mark Baratelli
Disliker of Orlando Science Center

UPDATED 5:40pm 1/28/16 When I have my answers from Flora Maria Garcia at United Arts, I'll have a more rounded-out opinion piece. 

The Orlando Science Center's latest exhibit centers on Harley Davidson motorcycles.

Really.

This organization, which is 100% not arts related*(they hung art in time for Otronicon and now the art walls will be a permanent fixture), takes a significant portion of arts funding from United Arts. United Arts proclaims that science somehow has something to do with the arts. It doesn't. So go Orlando Science Center should get your their funding from science orgs, please. This sentence just makes no sense and I retract it.

I will not however retract my criticism of United Arts, one of the funders of Orlando Science Center. Over a month ago, we questioned United Arts' giving practices with regards to Science and History via email. We initially reached out with questions for their PR person. They could not answer our questions. We were passed on to their Grants person. They could not answer our questions. We were instructed to email our questions to the CEO, Flora Maria Garcia. That was December 15, 2015. She never replied. Below are the questions.
  1. How long has United Arts been including science and history in its giving?
  2. Why did United Arts start including Science and History in its giving?
  3. If you give to arts, science and history, why is your company's name United Arts? Your company is neither united (it covers many disassociated topics) and is neither solely arts-related. 
On a regular basis, this center, with it's centrally located multi story building, attached garage and lovely oak-covered park, rents itself out to anyone. It truly is just a glorified event rental space. Anyone can rent out the space for anything.

The interior is a dump. The regular exhibits are shabby. The whole things screams "Someone come in here and get these managers out of here!" I visited the Science Center this evening after a long time and the place is totally different than when I'd last been. So, I eat my shabby/dumpy comment. While much of the building is empty, the exhibits that are present are neither dumpy nor shabby.

But they remain fully funded and taking cash from any business who wants to rent out its too-huge halls. And no one thinks there's anything wrong.

Have a tip about Orlando-area development? Send it to mark@thedailycity.com.