Arts and Culture in Gainesville&Alachua County

                  ARTIST APPLICATION
                                                                    Downloadable Application
                                                                                                 (Requires the free Adobe Acrobat)

31st Annual
Downtown
Festival & Art Show
November 3 – 4, 2012

Festival Information

Gainesville, Florida, the cultural heart of north central Florida, invites you to participate in Florida's premier fall festival of the arts. The 31st Annual Downtown Festival & Art Show, recognized as one of the top best fine art shows in the nation, invites the area’s most talented artists to apply. More than 250 of the nation’s finest artists will display original oils and acrylics, vibrant watercolors, unique sculptures, dazzling jewelry, decorative ceramics and vivid photography. Over 100,000 visitors will have the opportunity to purchase one-of-a-kind art work amid the charming, tree-lined streets of historic Downtown Gainesville on Saturday, Nov. 3 and Sunday, Nov. 4, 2012. Artists will compete for $18,000 in cash prizes and purchase awards. Applications for the Downtown Festival & Art Showare available upon request at (352) 393-8536 or by downloading the below link. The application deadline is May 10, 2012.

Downloadable Application
(Requires the free Adobe Acrobat)

Art enthusiasts from around the region travel to Gainesville, the cultural heart of north central Florida, to view and purchase original artwork created by distinguished artists. Indulge in a diverse selection of appetizing foods and enjoy continuous, live music and entertainment on three stages. The Children’s Imagination Station, which offers free, interactive entertainment and creative hands-on art activities for children and families, is always an exciting part of the show. The Community Information Area presents a venue for non-profit organizations to showcase their services.

The Downtown Festival & Art Show, a nationally recognized event, helps Gainesville get in touch with its creative side. Since 1996, it has ranked among the top festivals in the nation. Sunshine Artist magazine ranked the Downtown Festival & Art Show no. 30 among the best 200 fine art shows in 2009, and Greg Lawler’s Art Fair SourceBook included the show in its list of the nation’s top 100 fine art festivals.

Join one of Gainesville’s most beloved events, the 31st Annual Downtown Festival & Art Show, the premier fall festival of the arts!

Festival Rules
(click for Festival rules)

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

Downloadable Application
(Requires the free Adobe Acrobat)

Mary & Mike McIntyre

The 2011 poster artist, Mary McIntyre, served as one of the festival's first directors, and she and her husband have owned and operated a local stained glass studio and art gallery since 1980.

Though their inspirations come from many sources, much of Mary and Mike McIntyre’s work depicts local flora and fauna. This year’s poster image, featuring a stained glass representation of a sandhill crane nestled among a magnolia and palm tree, is no exception. Sandhill cranes live in Florida’s marshes and prairies. Most noticeable during the fall and spring seasons, McIntyre said, these birds announce their annual return to Florida with distinctive calls that cause locals to stop, listen and appreciate the rich and vibrant natural beauty of north central Florida.

Mary McIntyre has been a full-time stained glass artist in Gainesville for more than 30 years. Mostly self-taught, McIntyre graduated from the University of Florida with a degree in education. Her husband studied architecture at UF, and he and his fellow students were asked to design a building for a stained glass studio. A slideshow of the studio’s stained glass images sparked Mary and Mike McIntyre’s interest in this beautiful medium. On a trip to California in 1976, they were further exposed to stained glass craftsmanship at a local art gallery. That same year, they began designing stained glass of their own, and they opened their first studio in downtown Gainesville in 1980.

The nuances and creative possibilities of this medium and the ever-changing effects of light passing through glass continue to challenge and fascinate them, McIntyre said. McIntyre creates her award-winning work through time-honored, traditional techniques in order to ensure the structural integrity of her pieces. A strong sense of design, attention to detail and a commitment to superb craftsmanship are hallmarks of the pieces she and her husband produce.