Arts and Culture in Gainesville&Alachua County

DIRECTIONS/HOTELS

31st Annual Downtown Festival & Art Show

October 13-14, 2012

Special discount hotel rates are available at the following hotels for the 31st Annual Downtown Festival & Art Show:

Super 8
(352) 378-3888
4202 SW 40th Blvd - I-75(exit 384) off Archer Road
www.super8gainesville.com
Rate: $48.99 (1-2 people standard room)
Complimentary breakfast
Newly renovated, pet friendly (small fee applicable)
5 miles from Downtown Gainesville

Fairfield Inn By Marriott
(352) 332-8292
6901 NW 4th Blvd.
I-75 (exit 387) West on Newberry Road
www.marriott.com/gnvfi
Rate: $74.00 – rate good 30 days prior
Free deluxe continental breakfast
6 miles from Downtown Gainesville

Sleep Inn & Suites
(352) 376-4145
4110 SW 40th Blvd - I-75 (exit 384) off Archer Road
www.sleepinn.com/hotel/fl883
Rates starting at $76.99 – rate good until three weeks prior
Complimentary hot breakfast
5 miles from Downtown Gainesville

Americas Best Value Inn
(352) 372-1880 1-888-502-8722
1900 SW 13th Street on 441
www.abvifl.com
(Ask for reservation under Linda Piper)
Rate: $49.00
All ground floors; 1 mile from Downtown Gainesville

Red Roof Inn
(352) 336-3311 or 1-800-redroof
3500 SW 42nd Street - I-75 (exit 384) off Archer Road
www.redfoof.com
Block Code (Corp. ID #) B257DFAS12
Rates starting at $52.69
Rate good until two weeks prior
Pet friendly; 5 miles from Downtown Gainesville

Paramount Plaza Hotel
(352) 377-4000 1-877-992-9229
2900 SW 13th Street - Located on Biven's Arm Lake on 441
www.ParamountPlaza.com
Rate: $75.00 - rate good until sold out
1 mile from Downtown Gainesville

Hampton Inn & Suites Downtown
(352) 240-9300
101 S.E. 1st Avenue
I-75 (exit 387) off Newberry Road, Head East to Downtown Gainesville
www.hamptoninnandsuitesgainesville.com
Rate: Single- $129.00, Double- $139.00– good until Sept. 12
Book under the group code of DAF (Downtown Art Festival)
Complimentary hot breakfast - located in the heart of the festival

Make your reservations by the cut off dates; otherwise there might not be any rooms left.
When making reservations remember to ask for the Downtown Festival & Art Show Special rate or give them the Block Code!

Campground Information

View Downtown Festival & Art Show in a larger map

City of Gainesville
Cultural Affairs
302 NE 6th Avenue
(352)393-8536
(352)334-2249-Fax

Mailing address: Station 30
PO Box 490
Gainesville, FL 32627

Mary & Mike McIntyre

The 2011 poster artist, Mary McIntyre, served as one of the festival's first directors, and she and her husband have owned and operated a local stained glass studio and art gallery since 1980.

Though their inspirations come from many sources, much of Mary and Mike McIntyre’s work depicts local flora and fauna. This year’s poster image, featuring a stained glass representation of a sandhill crane nestled among a magnolia and palm tree, is no exception. Sandhill cranes live in Florida’s marshes and prairies. Most noticeable during the fall and spring seasons, McIntyre said, these birds announce their annual return to Florida with distinctive calls that cause locals to stop, listen and appreciate the rich and vibrant natural beauty of north central Florida.

Mary McIntyre has been a full-time stained glass artist in Gainesville for more than 30 years. Mostly self-taught, McIntyre graduated from the University of Florida with a degree in education. Her husband studied architecture at UF, and he and his fellow students were asked to design a building for a stained glass studio. A slideshow of the studio’s stained glass images sparked Mary and Mike McIntyre’s interest in this beautiful medium. On a trip to California in 1976, they were further exposed to stained glass craftsmanship at a local art gallery. That same year, they began designing stained glass of their own, and they opened their first studio in downtown Gainesville in 1980.

The nuances and creative possibilities of this medium and the ever-changing effects of light passing through glass continue to challenge and fascinate them, McIntyre said. McIntyre creates her award-winning work through time-honored, traditional techniques in order to ensure the structural integrity of her pieces. A strong sense of design, attention to detail and a commitment to superb craftsmanship are hallmarks of the pieces she and her husband produce.