City of Gainesville to host Arts & Culture Jamboree at Depot Park
Published on August 16, 2023
In collaboration with community partners, the City of Gainesville is hosting a family-friendly Arts & Culture Jamboree featuring nationally known recording artists, music, song, dance, an art walk and more.
When: Saturday, Aug. 19 from 5-8 p.m.
Where: City of Gainesville’s Depot Park, 874 SE Fourth St.
The event is part of a national wellness initiative – One Nation One Project – that’s designed to spotlight the role of the arts in improving the overall well-being and resilience of communities across the country.
“Our specific focus is to help our local communities that have been affected by gun violence,” said Marion J. Caffey, artistic director for One Nation One Project GNV (ONOPGNV). The emphasis on mitigating youth gun violence through arts and culture interventions holds special meaning for Caffey who grew up in the Lincoln Estates neighborhood of east Gainesville.
Caffey’s professional career includes theatrical works on Broadway and Off-Broadway. He brings nationally known artists to the event including singer/songwriter and voice actor Dawnn Lewis as celebrity host; vocalist Christian Guardino of America’s Got Talent and American Idol; saxophonist Austin Paul Jr. and more. The event also features performances by local talent including the United for Change Community Choir.
“One Nation One Project GNV is more than a collaborative effort of local artists, educators and innovators,” said Gainesville City Commissioner Desmon Duncan-Walker. “It’s an investment in our youth and in the future of our community through the transformative power of the arts.”
In April 2022, the National League of Cities (NLC) selected Gainesville as one of nine initial U.S. sites to participate in the wellness initiative.
Community partners of ONOPGNV include the University of Florida College of the Arts; SPARC352; Meridian Behavioral Healthcare; Alachua County Public Schools; UF Health Shands Arts in Medicine; Alachua County; Center for Arts, Migration and Entrepreneurship and Gainesville Police Department.
The event is free and open to the public. Celebrity Host Dawnn Lewis starred in the '80’s sitcom, A Different World, among other film, Broadway and television credits. Marion J. Caffey is a long-time producer of Amateur Night at the Apollo. For more information about the jamboree, contact him at marionjcaffey@gmail.com.