The Historic Thomas Center

08/25/2025

It's our final week of "Serenity ~Art in Meditation exhibition."

Stop by today through August 30th for one final glance of these beautiful works by Joon Thomas, Trude Spillane, Melody Lozano, Caren Hackman and India Brooks.

Schedule of Activities and Gallery Hours
Monday, 8:00 am - 5:00 pm
Tuesday, 8:00 am - 7:00 pm
Wednesday, 8:00 am - 7:00 pm
Thursday, 8:00 am - 5:00 pm
Friday, 8:00 - 5:00 pm, Artwalk Gainesville 7:00 pm - 9:30 pm
Saturday, 10:00 am. -12:00 pm - Slo Move Breathe Create formerly Nia Gainesville with Sarit.

Exhibition brought to you by the City of Gainesville, FL - Government and the City of Gainesville - Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs (PRCA)

08/19/2025

Joon Thomas, an artist in the current exhibition, Serenity, teaches a class on the introduction to Chinese brush stroke. Joon is a fantastic instructor.

Thank you to all the citizens who came to paint with us and special shout out to the City of Gainesville's communication team for sharing the class. When asking residents how did they hear about us ..GNV News.

08/12/2025

It is with great sorrow to announce the passing of Alyne Harris, a distinguished and beloved folk artist from Gainesville. We send our condolences to her family and arts community.

The Alyne Harris Art collection was acquired by the City of Gainesville in 2021 by Russel Etling, retired Cultural Affairs Manager and Anne Gilroy, retired Thomas Center Gallery Curator. Ms. Harris' work is currently located in our Doris Bardon Mezzanine Gallery and our A. Quinn Jones Museum & Cultural Center.

We appreciate Ms. Harris for sharing her art and time with us, the work that Russel, Anne and Dr. Porcia Moore, Co-Director, UF Museum Studies provided to ensure that we can honor Ms. Harris for years to come.

08/01/2025

Meet our valuable team member Karen Pruss

Meet your community builders! These Gainesville city employees work behind the scenes to bring best in class services, programs and events to our neighbors. ...

08/01/2025

We would like to welcome our Fall exhibition partners the Sweetwater Print Co-operative to the Thomas Center Galleries.

Sweetwater Print Co-operative is a group of artists who share the downstairs studio of the Tench Building in Gainesville, Fla. Located at the corner of Main Street and SW 2nd Avenue, the Tench Building was donated to the city of Gainesville by Judge Benmont Tench for the express purpose of serving as a studio space for local artists.

Primarily a studio for printmakers, the studio also welcomes artists in other media. They currently provide workspace for artists working in the fields of encaustics, drawing, painting, calligraphy, collage and digital printmaking techniques. Artists working in the space have equipment available to create images using various techniques, such as relief, etching and silkscreen.

The co-operative members share the rent and have 24-hour access to the studio. In addition, the co-operative houses a gallery space open to the public during most business hours and during Gainesville’s monthly Artwalk. Stop by and see them, or send them a message for information about how you can get involved!

Their upcoming exhibition "Before Instragram, Sweetwater Print Coop, 30th Anniversary 1995-2025 opens October 8, 2025 - January 20, 2026. Curated by Sweetwater Print Artists.

Co-sponsored by the City of Gainesville's Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs.

07/29/2025

Unleash your creativity and explore the world of art in our brand-new series of art-making workshops! Beginning October 2025, in partnership with Sweetwater Print Co-operatives, fall exhibition, "Before Instagram, Sweetwater Print Coop, 20th Anniversary 1995-2025.

Instructors Leslie Peebles, Joon Thomas and Lynn Webster will guide you in the world of art. Workshop will include Linocut Card, Marveling for Valentine and much more.

Join us Tuesday, August 19 for Joon Thomas' "Painting with Joon"
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm at the Historic Thomas Center, Spanish Court.
No experience necessary and supplies will be provided.

07/26/2025

We can’t thank you enough for everyone who attended yesterday Artwalk Gainesville. The artists enjoyed meeting everyone and it was extra special to share the Thomas Center Museum.

We invite you to attend “Painting with Joon,” August 19 at 6:00 pm. No experience necessary. Free and open to the public. Art supplies provided.

07/17/2025

August 19, 6:00 pm - "Serenity Painting with Joon"

In this workshop, we will use painting as a method for increasing awareness of our feelings and expressing them nonverbally through specific movement and brush techniques. Joon will begin the session by inviting everyone to put aside all worries about being creative or making art. Just as we will start with blank sheets of paper, we will also do our best to start with no expectations about the process or the outcome.

Whether you have no experience making art, or years of experience, all are welcome to come be in the moment.

Joon Thomas is featured artist in the "Serenity ~ Art in Meditation" now in our gallery until August 30th.

Joon reside in Gainesville teaching periodic classes in Chinese painting and calligraphy, and offer private tutoring in pen, nib and reed calligraphic methods and occasional workshops in Arabic and Persian Calligraphy, Bookbinding Methods, Printmaking Techniques and special topics in Calligraphy

07/05/2025

Enjoy an afternoon at the Thomas Center Galleries: Art in Meditation. Soft music, beautiful art and a meditation chair.

Open today, Saturday, 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Featured artists Joon Thomas, Trude Spillane, Melody Lozano, India Brooks and Caren Hackman

05/10/2025

We are saddened to learn of the death of Al Black, an original artist from the Florida Highwaymen.

Al Black was a frequent visitor having participated in a Thomas Center lecture in the early 2000s. He returned to Gainesville in 2022, when he was commissioned to create a beautiful public mural. We are honored to have one of his last murals in the City of Gainesville's Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs collection.

The mural is available for public viewing. It is located on the corner of main Street and 6th Avenue.

We send our condolences to his family and art community.

05/09/2025

Beautiful wall art created for staff in our Thomas Center B, in honor of Asian/Pacific Islander month.

Thank you Sonya for your beautiful work. Sonya works in the PRCA department with a degree in Art History and was previously employed at the Cu**er Museum of Art and Gardens. We are delighted she is here to assist with art projects.