Gainesville selected as one of 18 Arts for EveryBody communities
Press release from Arts for EveryBody
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Inspired by the 1936 Federal Theatre Project where 18 cities and towns presented their own interpretations of the anti-fascist play “It Can’t Happen Here,” Arts for EveryBody will bring together people and communities in 18 cities and towns across America to simultaneously premiere an array of large-scale, site-specific participatory art projects on July 27, 2024, but the journey begins today.
Responding to the prompt “No Place Like Home,” each art project seeks to reflect the unique voice of its community and, through participation, impact the overall health of the community.
Led by a youth steering committee alongside leaders and staff from the City of Gainesville, in partnership with the University of Florida (UF) College of Arts, UF Center for Arts in Medicine, and local public safety and school leaders, this unprecedented cohort is funding numerous community-wide small and large-scale arts and wellness projects that cover themes of youth gun violence, safety, and mental health in the community.
“Our efforts reach across internal departments and our community in a deliberate, collaborative way. From empowering young people to design our City’s ONOP logo to inviting students to experience a one-man show about resilience in the face of adversity, we are using innovative, arts-based approaches to support our ONOP project focus of preventing youth gun violence,” said City Manager, Cynthia W. Curry. “In keeping with the theme ‘No Place Like Home,’ we are proud to have a Gainesville native, Mr. Marion Caffey—a nationally renowned producer and playwright, on our team to assist this program’s implementation.”
Arts for EveryBody is co-directed by national arts leaders Lear deBessonet, Nataki Garrett, and Clyde Valentin and seeks to bring about a new awareness around the value arts can have on the health of people and their community.
deBessonet, Garrett, and Valentin see Arts for EveryBody as a breakthrough moment in the relationship between the arts and health in the U.S. America. “Arts for EveryBody aims to create an electric new awareness around the value arts can bring to the actual health of people and their community. Our hope is that the Arts for EveryBody experience will spark emotions that connect participants to their communities and each other,” said the co-artistic directors of Arts for EveryBody.
Existing research has already confirmed that taking part in the arts…
- Lowers one’s risk of dementia by 63%
- Offers health benefits comparable to weekly exercise
- Improves physical and mental health
- Can significantly reduce one’s risk of cardiovascular disease
Arts for EveryBody has commissioned a series of new research studies to further examine the connection between arts participation and the health of a community.
‘Sounds like a noble activity.
Except, there is one major difference between it and its inspired ‘1936 Federal Theatre Project.’
The FTP, progeny of FDR’s WPA, did have cultural benefits but its prime draw for Great Depression artists, actors, etc. was BEING PAID.
Funding seems only to be directed at ’causes’ and ‘initiatives,’ instead of to the people who could use some of the tangible rewards for their creative efforts.
The conversation might start with a minimum wage for the ‘youths’ being steered to empowerment, since wages are part of personal value and empowerment.