High Dive will celebrate the second annual Art Attack on Friday night with art, music and possibly a mermaid.
“Art is important to the Gainesville community,” said Sarah White, the event coordinator for Art Attack, which will begin at 6 p.m. at the downtown venue with free admission.
White got the idea from her fiance, as she would go visit him in Jacksonville and see the town’s thriving art scene, and she wanted a way to replicate that in Gainesville.
At that time two years ago, the city’s signature Art Walk event was in existence, but “it isn’t thriving like it is today,” White said.
“I just wanted to take what I saw in Jacksonville and in other art communities around Florida and bring it to Gainesville,” she said. “It is really to be an outlet for local artists, we try to be a platform for artists to show their work.”
Most of the artists are local, but there will be a few artists traveling from other cities and out-of-state. The art ranges from paintings, jewelry making, T-shirt makers and there may be a mermaid.
Art Attack will be “just a sprinkle of all types of different art,” said White, who will also have a few of her paintings and photos for sale.
“From what I have seen throughout Gainesville, I think that is who we are as a city,” White said.
The event will run until 9:30 p.m., and it will feature live acoustic music in addition to the approximately 20 artists expected to showcase their work.
“I am so happy to see how far [Gainesville] has come and grown into,” White said. “I foresee really bright things for the art in the future.”
