Artists Donate Time, Talent for Sake of Education

The eighth annual Musical Chairs Fundraiser takes place tonight at the GFAA Gallery on South Main Street to benefit the Friends of Elementary Arts.


Alfred Phillips and the gator bench he created for Musical Chairs, as well as his painting “Teresa’s Sunflowers with Troll” as part of the GFAA Gallery’s current Whimsy art exhibit. (Photos by Gainesville Downtown)

Alfred Phillips hasn’t been a student for quite a few years now, but the 70-year-old artist still values the importance of arts and music programs in public schools.

Gator chair, by James Bates.

That’s why the Gainesville resident decided to contribute his time and talent to the Musical Chairs Fundraiser, a silent auction to benefit the Friends of Elementary Arts. The organization was formed in response to state and local public education budget cuts that reduced funding for grade-school art and music programs.

“One-hundred percent of the funds we raise go to Alachua County schools for all of the arts, not just visual arts,” Phillips said. “It’s really a wonderful cause.”

The eighth annual event takes place tonight from 6-8:30 at the GFAA Gallery, 1314 S. Main St. Members of the public are encouraged to browse the gallery, where more than 60 chairs, wooden boxes, mirror frames and lazy susans—each painted or handcrafted by a local artist—will be on display and available for bidding.

Bids can be submitted on clipboards accompanying each piece. Winning bids will be announced at the end of the evening.

Refreshments, including wine, will be served by SweetBerries Eatery and Frozen Custard. Ample parking is available in the Winn-Dixie parking lot on the south side of the GFAA Gallery.

Phillips, director of the GFAA Gallery, has created a bench for the silent auction. Each end of the bench is supported by old school chairs that the artist painted bright yellow and bright red. The lime-green bench connecting the chairs has a colorful alligator painted in bright acrylics.

Horse #2, a painted wooden cigar box, by Sue Johnson.

Although many artists created works of art only to be admired, Phillips said “I tried to make mine a little bit useful. I built this so it would be a bench.”

In addition to the bench, there will be 10 chairs, 20 mirror frames, 10 lazy susans and more than 30 wooden boxes up for bid in the silent auction.

“We try to think about it as not just bidding on a piece, we like to think of it as receiving a gift for their donation,” Phillips said.

Greg Johnson made his tall but skinny “Examination Chair for Mencius” from scratch out of wood, while Michael Angelo Gagliardi created a “Woodland Chair” that includes a welded metal frame.

“Round and Round,” a lazy susan decorated by Tricia Stansberry.

Tricia Stansberry, a stained glass artist born and raised in Gainesville, chose to decorate a lazy susan with glass gems, beads and other embellishments because “I had never done a mosaic before.”

This is the second year in a row that the Musical Chairs Fundraiser has been held at the GFAA Gallery. In fact, it was one of the first events held at the gallery, which opened its doors in late January 2016. However, the GFAA has been around for 94 years.

“We are the oldest arts association in Florida and we have always supported all kinds of art,” said Karen Koegel, GFAA president. “This is particularly important because of the cutbacks in school arts funding. In fact, it’s a priority.”

Painted and decorated mirror frames up for bid during the Musical Chairs silent-auction fundraiser

The GFAA Gallery has hosted monthly themed exhibits spotlighting the work of its 300 members. The current exhibit is called “Whimsy” and features pieces of art intended to make observers smile. Koegel said the first year of the gallery has been an unqualified success.

“Examination Chair for Mencius,” by Greg Johnson.

“Our vision and the hopes we had for it absolutely came true,” she said. “At the end of the first year, we looked back and said, ‘Wow! This was a wonderful experience.”

More is in store for the GFAA Gallery in coming weeks. From Feb. 14-17, “Havana Gainesville” will include 26 pieces by Cuban artists. The exhibit is a collaboration with Santa Fe College and Gainesville residents who have visited Cuba and will loan their acquired art to the gallery.

Raul Villarreal, Acting Director of Cultural Programs at Santa Fe College, will lecture on “Symbolism in Cuban Life and Art” on Thursday, Feb. 16, at 7 p.m. The following night will include a gallery reception from 7-9 p.m. with live music and refreshments.

A Gainesville Modern exhibit begins on Feb. 21, showcasing GFAA members’ work inspired by mid-century styles. On March 3-5, the GFAA presents the 10th annual GFAA Fine Arts Fair at Tioga Town Center.

“The quality of artists in the GFAA has improved immensely,” Koegel said.

Stansberry has been a GFAA member for four years and said the opening of the gallery has motivated her.

“The gallery has made me more artistic and creative,” she said. “It’s made me dig deep. It’s the best art class I could have ever taken.”

— Noel Leroux


For further info, visit the GFAA Gallery website.