Marion Cultural Alliance Marks 25 Years With a Sold-Out Gala Oct. 29, a Horse Fever Raffle and Two New Exhibits

The Marion Cultural Alliance (MCA), Marion County's local arts agency, is marking its 25th anniversary this fall with a formal gala, a commemorative horse raffle and a run of exhibits at its downtown Ocala gallery. The centerpiece is Applaud the Arts: 25th Anniversary Gala on Thursday, Oct. 29, 2026, from 6 to 9 p.m. at Protea Farms, 12088 S Hwy 475, Ocala. As of Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026, MCA's Applaud the Arts page says tickets are sold out.

Image: Marion Cultural Alliance.

At a Glance

• Gala: Applaud the Arts: 25th Anniversary Gala, Thursday, Oct. 29, 2026, 6 to 9 p.m., Protea Farms, 12088 S Hwy 475, Ocala. Listed as sold out.


• Raffle: Tribute 25, a horse painted by artist Sharon Crute; $75 per ticket; drawing Friday, Dec. 4, 2026, at 6 p.m. at Brick City Center for the Arts


• Now showing: The Power of the Arts, MCA's 8th annual Best of the Best juried exhibition, through Oct. 31


• Next up: Becoming, by Heather Dawn Batchelor and Valarie Lacefield, Nov. 6 to 28, with a First Friday reception Nov. 6 from 5 to 7 p.m.


• Where: Brick City Center for the Arts, 23 SW Broadway St., Ocala, FL 34471; (352) 369-1500

What Is the Gala?

MCA describes Applaud the Arts as Ocala's largest gathering of artists, arts organizations, MCA members and the business community, and says it kicks off the cultural season. The 25th-anniversary edition is billed as a formal evening in honor of MCA's "Silver Anniversary." According to MCA, it includes champagne on arrival, a cash bar, photo opportunities, music by the Ocala Symphony Orchestra Quartet, a seated dinner curated by Chef Patti and La Casella Catering, and a chance to meet Tribute25, the raffle horse. The venue is a renovated 1850 wheat barn at Protea Weddings and Events, dressed by Party Time Rentals.

MCA lists Joan Pletcher Real Estate Network as presenting sponsor. The program includes MCA's Cultural Grant Awards, which fund local arts nonprofits, and its annual Art Awards honoring advocates, educators and community leaders. For scale, the same page says the 2025-2026 cultural grants totaled $30,000 awarded to 10 arts organizations. The page says sponsorship opportunities are available, and sponsors are recognized as MCA Business pARTners for one year; questions can go to Executive Director Jaye Baillie at (352) 369-1500.

Horse Fever 25 and the Tribute 25 Raffle

The anniversary ties back to Horse Fever, the public-art project of painted horse statues that MCA says began 25 years ago. According to MCA's Horse Fever 25th Anniversary page, two anniversary horses support MCA, the arts and local nonprofits:

• Tribute 25: a one-of-a-kind horse painted by what MCA calls internationally renowned equine artist Sharon Crute, offered in a raffle. Tickets are $75 each, or buy five and get one free. Tickets are sold at MCA, 23 SW Broadway St., or by mail request, and no purchase is necessary to enter or win. The drawing is Friday, Dec. 4, 2026, at 6 p.m. at Brick City Center for the Arts, and the winner need not be present. MCA says 12 percent of net proceeds go to the nonprofits that receive the most nominations.


• Celebration: a community paint-by-numbers horse designed by Maggie Weakley. MCA says the finished sculpture will remain on display at Brick City Center for the Arts and that the digital donor list and installation date are still to come.

The Celebration horse, designed by Maggie Weakley. Image: Marion Cultural Alliance.

For the history of the painted horses around the county, see our Horse Fever Ocala guide.

Exhibits at Brick City Center for the Arts

MCA's exhibits page lists two shows that carry the anniversary theme. The Power of the Arts, presented by The LILAC Foundation, is the 8th annual Best of the Best juried exhibition for MCA artist members. It runs Oct. 2 to 31, 2026, with free admission, and the awards included Best of Show, The LILAC Foundation Purchase Award and the inaugural MCA 25th Anniversary Award.

Becoming follows from Nov. 6 to 28, 2026. It pairs Heather Dawn Batchelor's expressive abstraction with Valarie Lacefield's figurative work around the seasons that shape a life. The opening reception is on First Friday, Nov. 6, from 5 to 7 p.m., with bites by La Casella, music by Becky Baby and free entry. For the monthly gallery crawl, see our First Friday Art Walk guide and our list of art galleries in Ocala.

Visiting and Joining

The gallery at 23 SW Broadway St. lists hours of Tuesday through Friday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., closed Sunday and Monday, and notes it may close for special events. MCA's homepage also offers membership, volunteering and business partnership options; its membership page has the details. More events are on our Ocala events calendar.

Sources: Marion Cultural Alliance website (mcaocala.org): Applaud the Arts page, Horse Fever 25th Anniversary page, Exhibits page and homepage, all checked Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026. AI tools helped gather the sources and draft this article; each fact was checked against those sources before publishing.