If you’ve ever attended an ‘Evening of Intimate Jazz’ then you may be familiar with The Arts Council in Gainesville.
The Arts Council is a non-profit organization that started in 1970. According to its website, the organization started as the keeper and creator of the community’s arts calendar and newsletters. Today the organization focuses on educating and expanding the public interest in the arts through providing performing, visual and literary arts and film programs.
“Once the train station was purchased, and particularly when the pavilion was built, it sort of redirected its energy towards booking performances,” The Arts Council Executive Director, Pamela William-Lime said.
The train depot Spring Street SW in Gainesville was transformed into the Smithgall Arts Center in 1996. The large venue allows the organization to host bigger events such as the Evenings of Intimate Jazz Series and Summer MusicFest Series.
“The pavilion allowed us to start doing some larger performance groups because we can do them outdoors. The grounds of the pavilion can seat probably a couple of 1000 people,” William-Lime said.
Durning events, The Arts Council allows guests to bring in their own alcohol and food as they do not have a liquor license. In 2022, they allowed food trucks and vendors to attend events to give guests the option of purchasing food and drinks.
Williams-Lime said 2023 is all about The Arts Council’s next steps.
“Those next steps include expanding on community offerings. So last year, we did our first Oktoberfest and we received a really good response to that. So we will be repeating that event this year,” Williams-Lime said.
In addition to continuing the Oktoberfest tradition, Williams-Lime says they plan to build their volunteer base as well as double the number of summer music outdoor concerts. They hope to not only put on two concerts a month but also have a broader range of musical performances.
A significant step The Arts Council is looking forward to in 2023 is moving forward with decisions about the first Methodist Church in downtown Gainesville that was gifted to them in 2005.
“We received the results of that facilities assessment at the end of this past year. And now the board can move forward to make some informed decisions about the building,” Williams-Lime said.
To find out more information about what the Arts Council is doing you can visit their website theartscouncil.net.
