This gameday will offer a little artistic twist with the Gainesville Arts Market in downtown Gainesville at First Magnitude Brewing Company this Saturday. The event will start at 2 p.m., giving tailgaters time to visit before heading to the game.
GAM is a monthly market hosted by the Gainesville Art Scene. The event features local food vendors and artists who conglomerate to share their talents.
“It’s a market of artists from many different mediums, from T-shirts to tarot-card readers to acrylic and abstract painters,” said Brian Wilson, one of the event’s coordinators. “You can’t really pinpoint it — art can be found in just about anything. That’s what makes this market unique.”
Txong Moua, the director of Gainesville Art Scene and the head showrunner of GAM, said she first developed the idea of an arts market after interviewing local artists and learning about their struggles promoting their work.
“There was a common theme of a lack of space for artists to get their work out there and interact with the community,” Moua said. “It can be difficult to get into galleries and exhibits, so I created a simple way for making the connection.”
While similar markets have been held in the past, Moua’s project debuted in the spring of 2015 and has successfully established itself in the local art scene. Every month, the Gainesville Arts Market attracts hundreds of enthusiasts.
“We get quite a few students and faculty from UF,” Wilson said. “Pretty much anyone who is interested in art, however you want to see it.”
GAM presents an opportunity for attendees to experience art first-hand, and it is also a major platform for artists to promote themselves. The market’s vendors consist of a variety of local talents.
Wilson said vendors range from students to community members, newcomers to established names and amateurs to artists with more than 30 years of experience.
“There’s an extreme amount of talent in this town,” he said. “We’ve been fortunate to have a lot of people come through.”
Moua said GAM allows artists to network with colleagues and share techniques and styles, and she encourages students to participate in community events like the Gainesville Art Scene.
Ras Justo Luis, a Caribbean artist and a UF alumnus, is this month’s featured artist. His clothing and art studio, Upful Creations, will be one of the dozens of vendors present Saturday.
Moua and Wilson are a part of a three-member committee that works to organize the market. The pair, along with assistant coordinator Heather Montgomery, spends months contacting vendors, booking entertainment acts and publicizing the event.
GAM typically takes place the third Saturday of every month, Wilson said, but the team gives special attention to exactly which weekend and at what time is best to host the market to accommodate other major community events.
The September arts market was strategically set for 2 p.m. to accommodate for Saturday’s UF football game against North Texas.
The market’s venue — First Magnitude Brewing Company, located at 1220 SE Veitch St., for September — is also thoughtfully chosen each month to maximize accessibility.
“(We’re) really trying to take the sense of community market to the people,” Wilson said. “You want everyone to come and be a part of it.”
The market will feature jewelry designers, T-shirt makers, musicians and painters. Many of them will create their works on site, and their pieces will be available for purchase.
Wilson, who specializes in abstract painting, guarantees all who come out will go home with something special to remember, whether it be a physical piece of art or a positive experience.
“You’re going to find something that resonates with you,” he said. “The vendors and the artists are like a big family, and the people that come… find themselves being a part of that family as well.”
Kids and pets are welcome at the event this Saturday.
“You’re supporting your community, and you’re being exposed to something you may not otherwise be exposed to,” Wilson said. “It’s a community project that I fully believe in.”
