If you stepped outside your home on Friday, you probably walked right into the midst of a 352Creates event.
All day and all over the city, 352Creates encouraged community members to take a break from everyday life and bring out their inner artist in a diverse selection of free events in over 75 different locations across Gainesville from the heart of downtown all the way to Waldo.
The events were spread out to ensure to the accessibility of 352Creates, so anyone who wanted to participate could, even if they lacked transportation.
The goal of 352Creates initiative was to demonstrate the link between creativity and wellness.
This event was made possible by the UF Shands Arts in Medicine with the help local artists, businesses and organizations.
“They wanted to take this idea that art is good for you and makes you feel better and take it out of the hospital to give it to everyone else here in Gainesville and the community,” said Camilo Reina Munoz, a project coordinator for 352Creates. “We wanted to spread this mentality shift that happens when you get creative, when you use your imagination.”
From Qigong at Dragon Rises Oriental College of Medicine to poetry group at Alachua County Senior Recreation Center, 352Creates brought about a very diverse selection of art making all across Gainesville.
(From left) Jeff Stevens, Katie VanDeventer and Sara Marino use metallic sharpies to draw mandalas on rocks.
Create a Minature Stone Mandalas with the University of Florida Student Health Care Center
Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in front of the Infirmary Building at the University of Florida, there was a booth set up that encouraged students and faculty to destress from midterms by drawing mandalas on small stones.
Mandalas are representative of the world because of the circle within a circle pattern that manifests in mandalas. This pattern is thought as to be representative of all things in nature from anatomy to astronomy. For instance, humans are made of cells, a circle within a circle. The Earth is within the universe, another circle within a circle.
Drawing mandalas has proven to have therapeutic benefits, and some people even believe that it can reflect your “inner-self.”
“When you offer students a moment to create, they jump on it,” said Catherine Seemann, the Communications Coordinator for the UF Student Health Care Center. “Art can be therapeutic, and it doesn’t have to be expensive or involved to make a difference.”
This event brought students and staff together in the name of art. Some planned to join in the event because they had learned about it on Facebook, others were overtaken by curiosity as they passed the tent on campus and decided to join in.
Jeff Stevens, 41-year-old assistant web manager for UF Health, creates health-related mandalas.
Celebrate the creative spirit in everyone at Lot 10
In association with the City of Gainesville Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs, Lot 10 in downtown Gainesville provided a space for people to perform live music, spoken word poetry and dance. There wre performers young and old, united with their passion for art.
Project Beautiful, a nonprofit organiation that promotes cultural literacy and fine arts education for youth in Gainesville, showcased some of its performances from its “Truth Event,” which celebrated Black History Month through opening up a dialogue through different means of performance about voting rights, equal rights, women suffrage and disabilities.
(Left) Taina Washington, 13, and Amarria Mills, 13, performing “Ain’t I A Woman?” by Sojourner Truth.
Taina Washington, 13, and Amarria Mills, 13, performing “Ain’t I A Woman?” by Sojourner Truth. They felt inspired by the truth of the piece and the life of Sojourner, who they learned about from the executive director of Project Beautiful, Shera Sherman.
Among many other performers, there was also spoken word poetry performed thanks to ArtSpeaks, a group of people who celebrate poetry in Gainesville.
352Creates is a multiyear event so don’t fret too much if you didn’t get a chance to participate on Friday. You can engage with the creative Gainesville community next year!
