The Avenue | Art And Theater

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THE AVENUE  |  ART AND THEATER

The Hippodrome presents ‘The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee’

By Sydney Johnson | June 10, 2024

Directed by Stephanie Lynge, “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” follows a group of young spellers navigating the titular Putnam County Bee. Transforming the Hippodrome’s thrust stage into a realistic school gymnasium, The Bee was then thrust into the hearts of the Gainesville community. 

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THE AVENUE  |  ART AND THEATER

Gainesville youth experiment, express views through end-of-year art show

By Noor Sukkar | May 28, 2024

Coffee shop Curia On The Drag filled with laughter and chatter Thursday evening as kids ran around its gallery space showcasing their creations.

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THE AVENUE  |  ART AND THEATER

Fresh out of the kiln: the ceramic story of a colorful Colombian-born artist

By Noor Sukkar | May 20, 2024

On the outskirts of Gainesville, the homogeneous blur of suburbia can tend to disguise the lives of those it houses. Take a couple of right turns, and you won’t miss the teal, eclectic home of Soraya Sus. 

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THE AVENUE  |  ART AND THEATER

‘Survivors of Violence’ exhibit joins the Harn Museum for Sexual Assault Awareness Month

By Emilia Cardenas-Perez | Apr. 22, 2024

Hosted by the Alachua County Community Support Services and the Victim Services and Rape Crisis Center, the exhibit invited survivors of interpersonal violence to contribute original artwork, including performance pieces, as a means of reclaiming their narratives and advocating for change. 

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THE AVENUE  |  ART AND THEATER

‘The conga you didn’t know you needed’: ‘On Your Feet!’ premieres at the Curtis M. Phillips Center

By Tanya Fedak | Apr. 1, 2024

From the electrifying rhythms to the show-stopping choreography, “On Your Feet!” captivated audiences with an emotional retelling of the stories of Gloria Estefan and Emilio Estefan, Grammy-award winning Latin-American musical artists.

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THE AVENUE  |  ART AND THEATER

ArtWalk in downtown Gainesville features mural artists from around Florida 

By Bea Lunardini | Apr. 1, 2024

Visitors at the ArtWalk venue at 714 S Main St. were greeted with the thick smell of spray paint and bold visuals across the concrete walls surrounding the lot. It featured shapes and colors central to the work of Erbriyon Barrett, a 30-year-old artist better known as ‘Cloud.’ 

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THE AVENUE  |  ART AND THEATER

‘It’s a sitcom until it’s not’: ‘White’ approaches debut at Hippodrome

By Bonny Matejowsky | Mar. 25, 2024

Some say art imitates life. For other’s it’s vice versa. But “White,” the Hippodrome’s latest production, looks at it both ways. The 2018 play hits the mainstage at 8 p.m. March 29 and runs until April 14. 

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THE AVENUE  |  ART AND THEATER

Tom Miller announces retirement from 39-year open mic variety show

By Molly Seghi | Mar. 18, 2024

Tom Miller, a 58-year-old multidisciplinary performance artist and screenwriter, has graced Gainesville with open mic shows since his humble beginnings as a UF theater student. Decades later, he will step down as the king of entertainment in downtown Gainesville, a place he calls “the known center of the universe.” 

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THE AVENUE  |  ART AND THEATER

UF Center for Jewish Studies unveils annual film festival

By Molly Seghi | Mar. 4, 2024

The UF Bud Shorstein Center for Jewish Studies, at the Hippodrome State Theatre and Oak Hammock, will present its 13th annual Gainesville Jewish Film Festival throughout March. It will feature 12 film screenings about the Jewish experience and culture around the world.

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THE AVENUE  |  ART AND THEATER

Gainesville art scene pushes for more outreach to underserved communities

By Nicole Beltran | Feb. 26, 2024

Arts and culture are present in Gainesville through museums, exhibits and music venues scattered around the city. Further developments like a cultural arts center in East Gainesville could continue catering to the expansion, providing people with a place to turn to for support. Community members are concerned more outreach needs to be done to fully immerse underserved communities into art outlets. There are opportunities for people to seek support through the arts, but the accessibility can vary.

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THE AVENUE  |  ART AND THEATER

Buchholz High School presents production of ‘The Three Musketeers’

By Bonny Matejowsky | Feb. 26, 2024

The ringing clangs of swashbuckling sword fights resounded loudly in Buchholz High School’s auditorium at a midweek evening rehearsal. In front of a white-columned set piece, two pajama-clad teens duel with careful choreography, jousting silver swords and dodging calculated swings.

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THE AVENUE  |  ART AND THEATER

New York based-comedian, social media sensation sells out seats at High Dive

By Benjamin Miller | Feb. 24, 2024

At 8 p.m. Friday night, Lucas Zelnick, a 28-year-old stand-up comedian from New York City, took the stage at the High Dive, aiming to deliver a memorable stand-up routine to a diverse audience.

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THE AVENUE  |  ART AND THEATER

Independent Black talent push creative boundaries in Gainesville’s art scene

By Benjamin Miller | Feb. 19, 2024

Gainesville’s local art scene is home to a diverse array of fashion designers, musicians, writers and artists. An important component of its culture is the Black creatives that have paved the way for many following in their tracks. 

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THE AVENUE  |  ART AND THEATER

Art in Medicine project holds community event at How Bazar

By Bea Lunardini | Feb. 14, 2024

Sarah Hinds, the 47-year-old artist-in-residence at UF Health Shands Arts in Medicine, organized a free event for Gainesville residents to make their own mosaic hearts as part of a project to bring a rainbow mosaic mural to the city.

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THE AVENUE  |  ART AND THEATER

Williston woman aims to revitalize Black representation in art 

By Bea Lunardini | Feb. 12, 2024

Solana Williams couldn’t find any art that looked like her on the walls of the museums she explored. Her only course of action was making it. 

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THE AVENUE  |  ART AND THEATER

Uptown art exhibit set to debut curations of Black culture

By Tanya Fedak | Feb. 12, 2024

In partnership with the Moisturizer Gallery, a nonprofit art gallery in Gainesville, the Black Space Art Exhibition will open Feb. 16 at the Thomas Center and will feature printmaking, painting, oils and ceramics created by local and out-of-town Black artists. 

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THE AVENUE  |  ART AND THEATER

The Melrose Center unveils new art gallery ‘Studios of Melrose’ featuring local works

By Molly Seghi | Feb. 5, 2024

The Melrose Center, a community nonprofit organization, opened Studios of Melrose in early December in Melrose, Florida. The new art gallery features local, vintage and fair trade art and works. The space also acts as a gift shop selling Haitian paintings, handmade pottery, woodblock prints, art supplies, greeting cards and more. 

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THE AVENUE  |  ART AND THEATER

Hippodrome’s latest musical tackles mental health stigma

By Bea Lunardini | Jan. 28, 2024

Family dynamics are only one of the issues the musical tackles, presenting a challenge for creative director Stephanie Lynge when the Hippodrome Theatre, located at Southeast Second Place,  added the production to its 2024 lineup. Premiering Friday, “Next to Normal” will be shown through Feb. 25. 

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THE AVENUE  |  ART AND THEATER

Gainesville celebrates Black creative expression during Afrofuturism week

By Molly Seghi and Alexandra Burns | Jan. 22, 2024

In honor of Afrofuturism week, the Center for Arts, Migration and Entrepreneurship and the School of Art and Art History invited audiences Jan. 17 for a nine-day celebration of Black diaspora expression. 

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THE AVENUE  |  ART AND THEATER

Historic buildings, modern problems: Gainesville’s oldest buildings

By Bea Lunardini | Jan. 16, 2024

The Hippodrome Theatre went from a humble post office in 1911 to one of Florida’s most successful historic preservation projects in just over 100 years. Work on it isn’t finished yet, and if the next 100 years are anything like the previous, it may never be.