It is not every day that you find Pepé Le Pew, Abraham Lincoln, and the Virgin Mary hanging on the same wall, but they all found a home at the Wayward Council Art Benefit Show Friday night.
"The diversity of art is my favorite part of the show," said Matt D'Angelo, a Wayward Council volunteer who helped plan and promote the show. "I feel like there's a lot going on in the art scene right now, and we should try to support the spaces that allow people artistic freedom."
The Wayward Council is a completely volunteer-run space that sells records, CDs, books, magazines and shirts. It also hosts punk, indie, metal, folk and rock music shows.
"We want people to know that our space can be used for meetings, art shows or as a space to be able to share ideas with other people," D'Angelo said. "We want to promote free space and encourage community building."
He said the store also functions as a practice space for musicians who don't have a place to play music, or have neighbors who will call the police on them. D'Angelo feels that most free spaces are vanishing or are co-opted by capitalist store fronts.
During the art show the store was covered from wall to wall with paintings, photographs, pencil drawings, magazine collages and other art, making it as colorful and interesting as the people who support it.
"We all get together and we're painting together," said Sarah Beck, an art contributor. "It brings you together to do the art."
The weather outside might have been chilly, but inside had a warm, almost party-like atmosphere. People drank wine and beer and ate food, while discussing art and life with their friends.
"Art is fun," said Ian Baran, who has been volunteering at the Wayward Council since he moved to Gainesville about a month ago.
Some of the attendees were new to the Wayward Council.
"I decided to tag along," said Martina Musgroth, who was visiting the Wayward Council for the first time. "I'm still not sure what to classify this as. Is it a record store, book store?"
Brian Bafkoff, who donated photo transfers, kept a steady stream of records playing throughout the night. "There are very few places like this. We don't take ourselves too seriously," he said. "Plus the music is pretty good."
A rock show was held directly after the art show. Andy Riverbed, a local writer, jumped in the show. He read a story about growing up in Puerto Rico. He then introduced the main band La Cara Oculta del Rock n' Roll.
Overall the Wayward Council raised about $300 dollars from the event. All of the art for sale was donated. Contributors included the price they wished to see their art sell for, ranging between $1 and $50.
"It's not every day that you can walk into an art show with a few bucks in your pocket and leave with a neat drawing and some stenciled envelopes to send to your friends," he said.
One piece for sale was a black and white photograph of graffiti. The graffiti said: "Gatsby turned out all right in the end; it is what preyed on Gatsby, what foul dust floated in the wake of his dream."
Whatever it was that got Gatsby stayed away from the art show. This night was all about good friends hanging out and listening to good music while supporting a great cause.
