Staff report<\/span> A look at Lake Alice on the University of Florida campus Gainesville<\/p>\n A look at Lake Alice on the University of Florida campus<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/media-video><\/div>\n THIS WEEK<\/strong><\/p>\n The Harn Museum of Art at the University of Florida is presenting a major exhibition, \u201cFrench Moderns: Monet to Matisse, 1850\u20131950.\u201d The blockbuster exhibition, chosen for display during the Harn\u2019s 35th anniversary, showcases more than 55 paintings, drawings and sculptures from the Brooklyn Museum\u2019s esteemed collection of European art. Ranging widely in scale, subject matter and style, and encompassing the key avant-garde movements that emerged in and around Paris from 1850 to 1950, the works on view were produced by some of the era\u2019s leading artists. The exhibition is on view through Jan. 4. The works of art in French Moderns span the era between the Revolution of 1848 and the conclusion of World War II \u2014 a period marked by significant social, intellectual and political upheaval in France. This era saw the emergence of avant-garde artistic movements, including Realism, Impressionism, Post-Impressionism, Symbolism, Fauvism, Cubism and Surrealism, that left a lasting impact on the Western artistic tradition. These key movements are represented in the exhibition through examples by the era\u2019s leading artists, including Pierre Bonnard, Gustave Caillebotte, Paul C\u00e9zanne, Marc Chagall, Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, Gustave Courbet, Edgar Degas, \u00c9douard Manet, Henri Matisse, Claude Monet, Berthe Morisot, Gabriele M\u00fcnter, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Auguste Rodin and others. The exhibition is organized into four sections: Landscape, Still Life, Portraits and Figures, and The Nude. Beginning with the landscapes of Corot and the birth of plein-air (outdoor) painting, the exhibition surveys the innovative styles and techniques developed by artists from the Realism of Courbet to the light and atmosphere of Monet and the Impressionists, to the Surrealism of Yves Tanguy. \u201cFrench Moderns: Monet to Matisse, 1850\u20131950\u201d is accompanied by a fully illustrated catalogue including thematic essays and interpretive object entries by the exhibition\u2019s co-curators. For more information, visit\u00a0harn.ufl.edu\/frenchmoderns<\/a>. Admission is free. The Harn Museum is located at Southwest 34th Street and Hull Road.<\/p>\n The Kanapaha Botanical Gardens\u2019 annual Camellia Show features prize-winning camellias of all sizes, shapes and colors. This show is designed to educate the public about the care, culture and appreciation of camellias. Regular admission price for non-members includes entry into the gardens and the show. The event is planned for 1-5 p.m. Jan. 3 and 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Jan. 4. Kanapaha Botanical Gardens is located at 4700 SW 58th Drive. For more information, visit\u00a0kanapaha.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n The third annual Flying Pig Parade returns to downtown Gainesville from 2 to 4 p.m. Jan. 3, celebrating all that is wild and wonderful about life in North Central Florida. The free parade begins at Bo Diddley Plaza and travels south along Southeast First Street before looping near the Hippodrome Theatre and concluding at Southeast Second Avenue. A post-parade concert follows at 3 p.m. back at Bo Diddley Plaza, featuring R&B favorites Show Time in honor of what would have been Bo Diddley\u2019s 98th birthday. Bo Diddley Plaza is located at 111 E. University Ave. For more information, visit\u00a0flyingpigparade.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n ONGOING<\/strong><\/p>\n The Retirement Home for Horses provides lifetime care to elderly horses seized by law enforcement agencies, rescued by the SPCA or humane societies, as well as horses retired from government service such as police patrol or state and federal parks. They allow visitors to tour the property and feed treats \u2014 carrots, apple slices and bananas provided by the visitors \u2014 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. every Saturday. Mill Creek Farm Retirement Home for Horses is located at 20307 NW CR 235A in Alachua. For more information, or to support the nonprofit, visit\u00a0millcreekfarm.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n Community Nights are free weekly events hosted by South Main Station and Heartwood Soundstage that include a rotating calendar of jams, skillshares, concerts, arts markets, food and drink specials, and other activities each Wednesday from 6 to 9 p.m. The event has grown in popularity with families, locals, musicians, and college students since its launch in 2024. The event takes place at South Main Station, an arts, food, and entertainment campus adjacent to Depot Park that spans the Southeast corner of Main Street and Depot Road. Community Nights always feature free live music and drink specials at Heartwood Soundstage\u2019s lawn bar, but any given week can also include skillshares on music and videography, kids\u2019 activities, film screenings, and opportunities to sample local food and drink at South Main\u2019s businesses, which include Humble Pie Pizzeria, Grand Scheme Brewery, Bingo Deli, and Afternoon Coffee. The first Wednesday of every month always features an open-air arts market of local makers and an old-time music jam. More information is available at\u00a0heartwoodsoundstage.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n COMING SOON<\/strong><\/p>\n Acrosstown Repertory Theatre presents \u201cThe Drowning Girls,\u201d a darkly poetic true-crime drama running Jan. 16-Feb. 1. Written by Beth Graham, Charlie Tomlinson and Daniela Vlaskalic and directed by Lola Bond, the play revisits the real Edwardian-era murders committed by George Joseph Smith through the voices of three of his wives \u2014 Bessie, Alice and Margaret \u2014 who appear as ghostly figures rising from bathtubs to recount the events leading to their deaths. Blending gallows humor with lyrical language and striking imagery, the production examines not only Smith\u2019s crimes but the broader social forces that left the women vulnerable. Performances take place at Acrosstown Repertory Theatre. For tickets and showtimes, visit\u00a0acrosstown.org\/season-202526<\/a>.<\/p>\n Join the Center for Arts, Migration and Entrepreneurship for the annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. lecture featuring speaker Kathi Earles Ross, MD, Physician and Artist. The lecture will begin at 5 p.m. Jan. 22 at Pugh Hall Ocora, 241 Pugh Hall. For more information, visit\u00a0linktr.ee\/afrofuturismweek<\/a>.Kick-Off Party and Introduction to AfrofuturismA family friendly celebration and introduction to Afrofuturism Week is set for 5-8 p.m. Jan. 24 at the Santa Fe Blount Center, located at 530 W. University Ave. Attendees wll be able to take part in music, refreshments, a pop-up library, and comic- and print-making workshops. For more information, visit\u00a0linktr.ee\/afrofuturismweek<\/a>.<\/p>\n After the AFW Kickoff celebration, head to The How Bazar for an afterparty of innovative music. Pulp Arts will present experimental artists Chris Williams and Black Sun Black Moon, followed by a DJ set from We’re Sweet Girls. Tickets are $10 at the door. The afterparty runs 8-11 p.m. Jan. 24 at How Bazar, located at 60 SW Second St. For more information, visit\u00a0linktr.ee\/afrofuturismweek<\/a>.<\/p>\n Sci-Fi and Fantasy Book Club Meeting: \u201cParable of the Sower\u201dJoin the Lynx Bookstore from 6 to 7 p.m. Jan. 26 to discuss the graphic novel adaptation of Octavia Butler’s classic dystopian novel \u201cParable of the Sower.\u201d Books are available at the Lynx bookstore. The Lynx Bookstore is located at 601 S. Main St. For more information, visit\u00a0linktr.ee\/afrofuturismweek<\/a>.<\/p>\n Guest scholar and performer Dr. Louise Toppin and Dr. Joseph Brown will lead a discussion exploring the teaching of gospel and Black church music to new audiences, highlighting contemporary spiritual music. Hear their lecture from 6 to 8 p.m. Jan. 28 at Greater Bethel AME Church, 701 SE 43rd St. For more information, visit\u00a0linktr.ee\/afrofuturismweek<\/a>.<\/p>\n Guest scholars will discuss \u201cTechnoskepticism: Between Possibility and Refusal,\u201d a book that explores the possibilities and skepticism of new technologies in the context of Afrofuturism, from 6 to 9 p.m. Jan. 29 at UF Innovate, 747 SW Second Ave., Suite 160. For more information, visit\u00a0linktr.ee\/afrofuturismweek<\/a>.<\/p>\n
\n\u00a0|\u00a0 Gainesville Sun<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n![\"play\"](\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/appservices\/universal-web\/universal\/icons\/icon-play-alt-white.svg\"){kind=icon}
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n‘French Moderns: Monet to Matisse, 1850 \u2013 1950’<\/h2>\n
Camellia Show<\/h2>\n
Flying Pig Parade<\/h2>\n
Horse Feeding<\/h2>\n
Community Nights<\/h2>\n
‘The Drowning Girls’<\/h2>\n
MLK Lecture<\/h2>\n
Afrofuturism Concert and Cipher<\/h2>\n
An Evening of Afrofuture Spirituality: Lecture and Music<\/h2>\n
‘Technoskepticism’ Book Party<\/h2>\n
Final Celebration, Fashion Show and Costume Contest<\/h2>\n