A still-life of ballerina shoes hung with pride on Stephanie Wilhelm’s refrigerator when she was in middle school.
That sense of pride was where the idea for The Fridge, the UF School of Art and Art History’s pop-up art shop, came from.
“When you’re a little kid and you paint something or get an ‘A’ on a math test, it goes on the fridge,” said Ariella Mostkoff, a visiting assistant professor in the College of Art and Art History. “It’s a proud space where you can display your work.”
The UF School of Art and Art History, in collaboration with the Friends of Art and Art History, created this new gallery and shopping experience for the community.
The shop, located at 2441 NW 43rd St. in Thornebrook Village, will open Friday from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
The grand opening overlaps with Artwalk, an event in which artists showcase their work at different locations across Gainesville.
After Artwalk, The Fridge will remain open for the 32nd Annual Art Festival at Thronebrook, which will be Saturday and Sunday, until Oct. 14.
More than 40 artists will showcase their work, and a wide range of styles and media will fill the gallery, Mostkoff said.
One of these artists is 31-year-old Wilhelm.
“Any chance you have the opportunity to make the community aware of the arts in general is a really beneficial and important thing to do,” the second-year ceramics graduate student said.
Sandblasted mugs and cups with strokes of color made by Wilhelm will be sold at the gallery.
Prices range from $7 to $1,800, Mostkoff said. For each piece, 60 percent goes to the artist, and the remaining amount goes to the College of Art and Art History or the Friends of Art and Art History.
Mostkoff is teaching a class called Mint Studio, a faculty-advised and student-run design studio. When a space was temporarily donated to the school, Mostkoff said it was a great opportunity to create this pop-up art show.
“This was all too perfect,” she said. “We should try to do this.”
Since the beginning of Fall, students have focused on The Fridge.
“The purpose is to show students the business side of art,” she said. “We’re bringing it out of the school setting and bringing it into the community setting.”
