Arts for Every Body announces 100-day kick-off to July 27

Press release from Arts for Every Body

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The arts and the artists who make it have long been powerful forces of healing and reclaiming our humanity. From passionate recitations of poems to murals that reflect the pains and triumphs of communities – each act of art is a call to action that can positively alter the well-being of individuals, communities, and our nation.

Today, Arts for Every Body – a bold and audacious initiative of One Nation One Project (ONOP) – invites everyone across the U.S. to start being more intentional about art in their lives and take a photo of themselves participating in a favorite artistic expression and post it to social media using #ArtsForEveryBody and tagging @ArtsforEveryBody.

The fact is that arts bring people together – evoking protest, passion, or joy – and inspire the world around the most important issues of the day through song, verse, dance, theater, drawing, painting, trumpeting, and more.

Gainesville was selected as one of 18 Arts for Every Body cities and towns that will premiere a large-scale participatory art project on July 27 to express the power of art to enrich our lives, boost our health, and strengthen our communities.

The City of Gainesville is using this opportunity to support the creative potential of arts and culture to promote community healing and well-being in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. In January of 2022, the City of Gainesville’s Commission recognized youth gun violence as a local issue that has worsened in the aftermath of the pandemic. Therefore, the City of Gainesville has dedicated $648,172 of American Rescue Plan Act funding to ONOP to strengthen well-being of youth through arts and cultural programs, thereby preventing youth gun violence. This is being accomplished through a team of staff from Gainesville Fire Rescue, the Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs, a Youth Steering Committee, and collaborations with multi-sector community partners using a Public Health prevention approach to youth gun violence.

Arts for Every Body will uplift the many ways in which art can bring communities together to heal, share joy, and move forward. All Gainesville residents are invited to share acts of art on social media over the next 100 days. Whether a small or large gathering of friends, family, neighbors, and colleagues, embrace the diverse and unique creative expressions and voices that make up a multicultural society.

Be part of changing how we leverage the power of the arts for Every Body.

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