The Historic Thomas Center will combine two forms of art for its first time at an upcoming exhibit.
“The Stroke of Brilliance: An Exhibition of Literary and Visual Art” begins Thursday at 5:30 p.m. with “A Night of Brilliance,” a free reception.
The exhibit will feature regional and national art to emphasize the beauty of poetry and the natural world, said Russell Etling, the cultural affairs manager of the Gainesville Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs Department.
Etling said he expects about 300 people to attend the night of refreshments, music and dancing.
“It will be an elegant and engaging evening,” he said.
Curator Anne Gilroy said the Thomas Center has never merged literary and visual art into one exhibit.
The art, she said, is meditative and reflective.
“This show is an invitation for you to enter a space of your own,” Gilroy said.
Gilroy said it took her about a year to choose 30 pieces of art for the exhibit.
“I am constantly looking at art, so I am constantly on an art safari,” she said.
On opening night, Gilroy said, visitors can also waltz under a glass canopy ceiling in the Spanish Court.
“People have an opportunity to go through these open doors to get a little bit lost and maybe even get a little bit found,” she said.
