ART SPONSOR PROGRAM
Support the Arts in Gainesville: Become an Art Sponsor
Show your support for the arts in Alachua County by becoming an Art Sponsor at the 29th Annual Downtown Festival & Art Show on November 6 and 7, 2010. Presented by the City of Gainesville Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs, the Downtown Festival & Art Show is recognized as one of the most successful and distinguished art festivals in North Central Florida. Help support the work of local artists, and show your commitment to the arts in your community by becoming an Art Sponsor.
You can become an Art Sponsor by pledging a minimum of $50 in advance toward the purchase of any piece of art. Art Sponsors have the opportunity to choose their favorite art work from a wide variety of original pieces. Once an Art Sponsor selects a favorite piece, the chosen artist proudly displays a ribbon and certificate personalized with their sponsor’s name. Art Sponsors will be recognized throughout the Festival during live announcements from the Plaza Stage. To request a pledge form, contact Festival Coordinator Linda Piper at 352-393-8536, or open the attached form below.
About the Downtown Festival & Art Show:
During the Downtown Festival & Art Show on Saturday and Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., the tree-lined streets of historic downtown Gainesville will be transformed into a celebration of art and creativity, complete with live music, performing arts and a spectacular array of food. The streets from City Hall to the Hippodrome State Theatre, welcome more than 250 professional artists, whose works will be available for purchase including vibrant paintings, decorative ceramics, unique sculptures, dazzling jewelry, vivid photography and more.
While adults explore the booths filled with artwork, children can create their own art at the Imagination Station, which features a large selection of free hands-on activities including sidewalk-chalk drawing, painting, mask design, puppet and button creation and clay sculpting. The Imagination Station will also feature entertainment including magic shows, puppet shows and musical performances.
For music lovers, the Festival features continuous, live entertainment on three stages by local bands, solo musicians and dance companies.The weekend kicks off with the Downtown Blues Concert, a display of sultry sounds and electric notes, by the North Central Florida Blues Society on Friday, November 5th at 7 p.m. at the Bo Diddley Community Plaza.
Since 1996, the Downtown Festival & Art Show has consistently ranked in the Top 200 art shows in the nation. In 2009, the Festival ranked No. 27 among the best 200 fine art shows in the country by Sunshine Artist magazine, and chosen as one of the “American Bus Association’s Top 100 Events” in North America for group travel. This year, the festival was ranked among the top 100 fine art festivals by Greg Lawler’s Art Fair SourceBook.
Mark your calendar now for Nov. 6 and 7, 2010. You won’t want to miss this incredible weekend of arts and entertainment at the Downtown Festival & Art Show, North Central Florida’s most beloved fine arts festival.
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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 32602
The 29th Annual Downtown Festival & Art Show is proud to present this year’s poster artist, Hugo Cruz. The featured artwork, “The Clock Tower,” showcases his use of infrared photography to reveal new perspectives of the familiar world around us. As Hugo attests, “I fell in love with infrared photography primarily because of its ability to expose the ethereal and invisible universe of the infrared spectrum. It is equivalent to having a new sense … an enhanced vision that manifests the hidden beauty of common subjects that we may have taken for granted.” His unconventional artistry presents a vivid, new take on Gainesville’s downtown Clock Tower, an iconic structure that is rich in history and grace.
Hugo Cruz, a Gainesville resident, graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts. After graduating, he had a successful career as a graphic artist, designer and publisher, but his passion was always creating unique art in different mediums. As a self-taught artist with an avid affinity to learn new techniques, he recently decided to dedicate himself to art full time. Cruz’s current focus is in three distinct and captivating mediums: infrared photography, metal art and acrylic painting.