Santa Fe College Spring Arts Festival postponed for third straight year
Residents who are disappointed that the annual Santa Fe Spring Arts Festival has been canceled for a third straight year will still be able to enjoy the work of local artists come April.
Thornebrook Village recently announced plans for its inaugural Spring Arts Festival to be held April 2-3 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day, replacing the popular Santa Fee Springs Arts Festival, which was canceled the past two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The festival will feature more than 50 artists in mediums such as painting, sculpture, photography, glassworks, pottery, jewelry and more.
Hoggtowne Music owners Joe and Malorie Dorsey will be running the show.
“When Santa Fe decided they didn’t want to do it, the artists asked me if I would be willing to host it here, and I said ‘sure,'” Joe Dorsey said.
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Thornebrook Village, located at 2441 NW 43rd St., is also home to several restaurants, jewelry stores, salons and art galleries.
The annual fall Art Festival at Thornebrook will still be held Oct. 22-23 as planned.
Dorsey said if and when the Santa Fe Spring Art Festival returns, he will gladly step aside.
“This is not about me trying to run an art show, this is about me trying to help my friends,” he said. “These people are just wonderful. It’s what makes our community great here in Gainesville.”
Dorsey said any money made from hosting the festival will go toward improving the landscaping around Thornebrook Village.
An announcement on the Santa Fe College website regarding this year’s event says “Future dates and plans will be announced as soon as they become available.”
A call to the Santa Fe College Office of Advancement yielded no answer as to why this year’s event was canceled.
The annual two-day festival, which unofficially began in 1969, typically showcases more than 200 artists and brings more than 100,000 people to Gainesville’s downtown historic district.
The Santa Fe College Spring Arts Festival celebrated its 50th anniversary in April 2019 but hasn’t returned since. Shortly after in July, Raul Villarreal, the producer and curator of the festival, died unexpectedly at age 55.
“I think Gainesville residents and artists are pretty understanding,” said local artist Hugo Cruz. “Hopefully they’ll come out of this in 2023 and it’ll be better than ever.”
