Orange and blue was not reserved for only Gator fans in The Swamp Saturday.
At the opening of F.L.A. Gallery, at 10 N. Main St., descending shelves adorned with oranges covered the walls on one side of the room, while aquatic patterns embellished the stark white wall in a sea of blue, purple, green and black on the other.
F.L.A. Gallery hosted its inaugural show, “Rewilding, F.L.A.,” Saturday night, with an exhibit featuring works from artists John Orth, Kelie Bowman and Serra Victoria Bothwell Fels. The show was from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.
According to its Facebook page, the gallery operates from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, and noon to 5 p.m. Sundays.
“In the past, opportunities to show art have been restricted to one-night-only events,” Orth said. “Now, we have the opportunity to have this space with legitimate gallery hours.”
Orth said he plans to institute a residency program at the gallery in which fellow artists can receive living accommodations and a place to create and showcase their art.
“Many of my friends are artists and musicians,” Orth said. “A lot of them have done me the favor of showcasing my work. This is just an opportunity to return the favor.”
Bowman, a UF alumna, worked as a founding member of Cinders Gallery in Brooklyn, N.Y. for seven years before joining Orth in this new gallery venture.
“I feel like New York is robust with culture,” Bowman said. “I’m interested in exposing smaller towns to the ideas of community, art and culture.”
Each section of the gallery had a distinguishing theme. Orth’s pieces incorporated a citrus.
“I wanted to use citrus to represent the potential or idealized version of Florida that is often unrealized,” Orth said.
Orth’s contributions were also aligned with the exhibition’s overall nature aesthetic. His section of the space included drawings of flowers and various wildlife species.
Bowman’s time spent at a marina in St. Petersburg contributed to the water and optical illusions in her pieces for the exhibit. A mural covered a majority of her section and served as one of the exhibition’s more integral pieces.
Her progression of the water theme from piece to piece peaked the interest of guests like architecture senior John Richardson.
“Everyone is just trying to understand what the artist is trying to say,” Richardson, 22, said. “Whether you’re wrong or right, you’re still asking questions that are making the imaginative side of your mind stronger.”
Orth said Fels’ hexagonal wood structures incorporated wood reclaimed from renovations on the gallery’s building neighbor, The Top. Fels’ work was placed near the center of the room, bridging the gap between Orth and Bowman’s respective walls.
Allison Garnsey, a second-year chemistry graduate student, noted the communal atmosphere at “Rewilding, F.L.A.”
“Gainesville is such a small, unique place, and it’s really cool to see these shows reiterate that,” Garnsey said.
Throughout the evening, people shuffled in and out of the gallery, compelled to stay by the allure of free food, a sociable atmosphere and walls adorned with decorative oranges.
“We are thrilled with the community support,” Orth said. “We had an amazing turnout for opening night — an auspicious beginning.”
He said the “Rewilding, F.L.A.” exhibition will run for six weeks. The next exhibition, “When Elephants Weep,” will be curated by Wendy Babcox. The show will incorporate animal/human hybrid themes.
“It’s no different than going to a football game for the first time,” Julia Morrisroe, UF associate professor of painting and drawing, said at the event. “You might be surprised at what you find interesting.”
Spectators gather around artwork at F.L.A. Gallery, 10 N. Main St., during the opening night of “Rewilding, F.L.A.,” the gallery’s first show.
