Art² Art Park
An Artist's Vision for Artists
In 2017, the City of Orlando put out a call for something that had never been done before: a privatized public park in the heart of downtown. Creative teams from around the world submitted concepts. Josh Almeida's design won.
Art² ("Art Squared") wasn't a corporate park concept handed down from a committee. It was one artist's vision for what a creative community space should feel like. Josh designed the entire park, from the layout and theming to the entertainment programming, the food and drink partnerships, and the brand identity. Every detail came from the same place his art does: the belief that spaces should make people feel something.
Designed by Hand
Josh and his team designed the full park layout, the theming, the branding, and the marketing strategy. They spec'd the performance stage: a 60-fixture lighting rig with 21 moving lights, a concert-grade sound system, and a massive HD LED video wall as the backdrop. This wasn't a park with a speaker on a pole. This was a real venue, designed by people who build stages for a living.
The team curated the cafe and bar program with exclusively local Orlando breweries, restaurants, and snack vendors. They designed an art retail shop where local artists could sell their work. Food truck bays. A space that felt like Orlando, built by Orlando, for Orlando.
A Stage for the Community
Josh and the team programmed four nights of live entertainment every week. Family movie nights on the LED wall. Local bands and solo artists on the stage. Gaming competitions. Poetry readings. Small theatrical performances. Sporting events broadcast on the big screen. The kind of variety that gives a neighborhood a reason to show up every single week.
This wasn't about booking headliners. It was about giving Orlando's creative community a home. A place where a poet could read on Tuesday and a band could play on Friday and families could watch a movie on Saturday, all in the same space. Built by artists, for artists, for Orlando.
Eight Years in the Making
Josh and his team worked directly with City of Orlando officials, multiple city departments, architecture firms, and civil and structural engineering teams across every phase. They coordinated the translation from creative vision to construction documents, managing the tension between artistic intent and real-world building requirements for years.
The team built the brewery and restaurant partnerships by hand. Developed the artist retail concept. Created the brand identity, the event calendar, and the full operational model. From 2017 to 2025, Art² was more than a project. It was a declaration of what a small, driven team can build when given the space to dream big.
The park is open today, operated under the name À La Cart (alacartorlando.com). It features food trucks and a bar with movies on the LED screen Josh designed for the space.
Royal Pacific Resort
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