Arts Academy Breaks Ground on New $2M Home

The Hive Arts Academy, a youth enrichment program for 8th- to 12th-graders, recently broke ground on a new, significantly larger facility. This expansion, expected to be completed in six to nine months with a projected Spring 2027 opening, was funded by a generous $2 million donation from the Hive Foundation, the community outreach program of Innisfree Hotels. The new 6,000-square-foot building, located in Pensacola's Eastside neighborhood, will enable the academy to serve up to 50 students, an increase from its current size. It will host full weekend workshops and an after-school program from Wednesday to Friday, complementing the existing annual summer camp.

The curriculum at the Hive Arts Academy encompasses visual arts such as painting, drawing, and sculpture, alongside culinary arts, jewelry making, fiber arts, sewing, and fabrication. Co-directors Lisa Puzon and Shaughnessy Johnson established the academy in 2022 with the motto, "Be the artist you are meant to be." The initiative aims to build confidence and provide invaluable exposure to the arts for young individuals. Innisfree Hotels' chairman, Julian MacQueen, expressed that the project seeks to invest in and uplift the Eastside neighborhood, particularly for its African American community, offering opportunities previously limited.