New Place
New Place was started by Richard “Dick” Loveless, Associate Professor of Art Education, in an abandoned church in Ybor City. It was a center where students who lived in an urban community could go to express their ideas through art forms such as music, theater, dance, and photography. The center was financed by local, state, and federal grants which were secured through non-profit public corporation. In 1968, New Place received a $10,000 which served as seed money to found the organization. In 1972 a $150,000 grant was secured that was instrumental in sustaining the organization for several years. Mr. Loveless was the Director of the New Place from 1968 to 1973 and continued to serve on the board of directors through 1977. Also in 1977, Mr. Loveless received the Human Rights Award from the Office of Community Relations of the City of Tampa for his successful efforts in establishing New Place.
After a period of inactivity, the New Place was revived when it was adopted by the United Methodist Church of Tampa and was renamed the New Place Multicultural Arts Center. In 2007, the program continues in the same church in which it was founded nearly four decades ago and provides a variety of arts experiences for multicultural children and youth from low-income families.