Gainesville is a home for artists

I’ve been coming to Gainesville since before I can remember. My parents are both UF alumni. They love coming back for football games and to visit their favorite bars and restaurants that are still in Gainesville. However, in all the times I visited, we never strayed far from campus. So, when I arrived the week before my freshman year began, I didn’t even know that Gainesville had anything else to offer.

That October, one of my professors invited us to join her for a showing of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” at the Hippodrome State Theatre, because it’s referenced in the book we were reading (“The Perks of Being a Wallflower”). I had already seen it, but never like this. Actors came out dressed in full costume to sing along with the film, and moviegoers joined in for songs and to scream lines that aren’t actually in the film.

It became clear to me that night that I’d stumbled upon a part of Gainesville that is hidden from most students. While not intentional on either side, most students don’t come in contact with this side of Gainesville during their time here. We go to Butler Plaza to see a movie, we go to Midtown for a night out with friends and we spend a lot of time complaining that there is nothing to do in Gainesville. Meanwhile, the Hippodrome is showing independent films from all over the world nearly every week, local dive bars are featuring bands that have gained a huge following here and the city is overflowing with interesting opportunities to find something new to do.

Some of us (myself included at one point) like to think that Gainesville greats like Tom Petty and Maya Rudolph are some kind of anomaly. Despite the boring town they grew up in, they managed to make something of themselves. That’s just not true. Gainesville is full of talented artists, musicians, actors, etc. who are passionate about the arts. It’s home to FEST, an annual punk rock music festival that people travel from all over to attend. Gainesville is also home to artists who sell their work in galleries around town and thespians who leave their heart on the stage with each performance.

It might require stepping out of your comfort zone every once in a while, but it’s worth it. You never know where it will lead. Your next favorite band could find its start right here in Gainesville, and the only way to find out is to check out some local shows for yourself. Your next favorite film could be an independent German film you would otherwise not have an opportunity to see unless you check it out at the Hippodrome. Not only are the local arts full of talent, they are the foundation of all arts. They thrive on word of mouth, and they cultivate the artists who become world renowned. Without the local arts, we would have no arts at all.

You have nothing to lose. Take some time to experience a different part of Gainesville, and you might just realize what makes this city such a beautiful and interesting place to live. Midtown will be there for another night.

Katherine Campione is a UF journalism senior. Her column appears on Wednesdays.