The Mattie Kelly Arts Center Galleries is an academic teaching museum consisting of two main galleries, showcasing four major exhibitions each year. The Galleries host events, talks, lectures, community events, K-12 students, educators, and artists.

The expansive McIlroy Gallery features an 18-foot ceiling constructed with screened windows that fill the space with defused, natural light. This gallery was a gift from the McIlroy family through the Northwest Florida State College Foundation. The family’s contribution, when matched by the Florida Academic Improvement Trust fund, created a $150,000 endowment to underwrite exhibitions, lectures, or presentations by guest artists.

The other exhibit area is the Holzhauer Gallery, named after famous artist Emil Holzhauer, of the Ashcan School, who donated a multi-million dollar permanent collection of his works to Northwest Florida State College. The Holzhauer Gallery displays the work of emerging, mid-career, and established artists, along with solo, group, faculty, and student exhibitions. Works from our esteemed permanent collection are also exhibited within this space.