Ahh, the summertime. Hot sand at the beach, a floaty in a pool, birds chirping, the taste of citrus, the sound of a conversation with friends. The summer is full of different possibilities and ways to spend one's time — and many of these adventures can be found on the walls of the Gainesville Fine Arts Association’s 2026 Summer Showcase.
The Gainesville Fine Arts Association is hosting its annual summer showcase from June 24 to July 24, which features 70 summer-inspired pieces from local artists.
From quilted patterns to oil on canvas to photography, the showcase captures the essence of summer and the many different lives that people can have during the season.
Chris Deacon, a 52-year-old scene shop manager at the UF College of the Arts, has a piece on display. It’s titled “Passage” and is a 4-by-6-foot oil on canvas portraying a beautiful day at the pool, with a man in a diving helmet and a pool floaty. The colors are bright and captivating, pulling the audience toward the wall it hangs on. The piece was chosen to be the poster for the event.
Deacon has been showing his pieces at the GFAA exhibitions since 2022 and thought this exhibition matched perfectly with the type of art he creates.
“I would love to continue to do exhibitions [with GFAA], and I think they get a nice crowd,” he said. “I think it’s a great opportunity for artists to showcase their work.”
The Summer Showcase hosted an artwalk reception on June 26, where the artists and the public alike were invited to take a look around the exhibition and connect with one another to discuss the artwork.
The showcase displays varying experiences lived during the summer months, featured in pieces like “Mom, Let’s Go Swimming” by Gardner Wilson or “True Love” by Troid Brett.
Wilson’s piece has mixed media and acrylic on a wood panel and depicts a perspective shot of two boys in swim gear. The original photo inspiring the artwork is framed beside it.
Brett’s piece is oil on canvas and shows two women staring longingly at one another, bathed in warm tones to highlight the thrill of summer love.
Johnny Coleman, a 45-year-old artist, has an acrylic on canvas piece titled “Orange Nocturne” showcased. It’s a depiction of a peacock among orange trees. The citrus’ bright orange catches the eye, and the cool tones of the peacock stand out against it as its feathers trail down the tree.
Coleman joined the GFAA around seven years ago, and it was the first place he had ever displayed and sold a piece of his artwork.
“I’ve been a hobby artist, dabbled for a few years,” he said. “But when I finally started getting more serious about it, [GFAA] was a great way to show my work someplace.”
The exhibition will host an artist meetup July 7, where artists are able to come and talk about the inspiration and process behind their work.
The event is not juried and was strictly curated from all of the community's submissions.
Candace McCaffery, a 78-year-old retired biologist at UF, has been making artwork for 37 years and displaying her work at GFAA for many of them. Her piece in the exhibit is a quilt, hand-dyed on cotton fabrics and sewn by herself. It’s separated into three frames, combining to form a breathtaking image of Florida’s wildlife with animals like gators and seagulls.
“I’ve always been very attracted to fabrics and textiles, textures, patterns, colors,” she said. “Because of my biology background, I'm very connected to nature, and so most of the pieces that I make, I make because I love nature, and it’s my way of honoring nature and all its beauty.”
The showcase uplifts the Gainesville community as a whole, giving artists a space to represent themselves and their work freely and the community a place to peacefully enjoy artwork.
“GFAA is just a wonderful organization,” McCaffery said. “Because they're so welcoming to all kinds of artists and people that are just interested in art.”
Contact Mackenzie Haas at mhaas@alligator.org
