Join us for the opening of our new permanent exhibit! Enjoy live entertainment, take part in water workshops, grab a bite to eat from food trucks and visit the refurbished cave at this FREE family-friendly festival celebrating Water Shapes Florida!
Join Gainesville’s favorite jazz ensemble for a special water-themed performance, celebrating how water has shaped Florida!
Porch Swing is a jazz quartet based in Gainesville, Florida, and consists of bass, flute, guitar and voice. Porch Swing formed in 2021, on the literal front porch steps of couple Jackie Davis and Mary Fukuyama, who began performing outside to keep their neighbors entertained and spirits lifted during the Pandemic. One day they invited guitarist Myles Sullivan to play with them, who invited singer Kali Geiger, and the rest is history! Porch Swing performs a variety of jazz and Bossa Nova classics, featuring vocal arrangements from the Great American Songbook.
Danscompany of Gainesville will perform selections from their original work “State of Wonder.” Inspired by the works of incredible activist and writer Marjorie Stoneman Douglas, it features original music by Florida composer, Dave LaGrande and songs by local band, Sister Hazel.
Exploring Wetlands with Mobile Photography- 10:30 a.m. to Noon
Get out in nature to explore the Wetland habitat in the UF Natural Area Teaching Lab! In this free, in-person workshop, photographer, naturalist and Museum educator Alberto Lopez will show you the tips and tricks to use your cell phone to practice nature photography. Learn how to find interesting subjects and take great pictures of them. You will also learn how your pictures can be used for conservation by scientists with iNaturalist for the City Nature Challenge!
Water Wise Planting for Your Home Habitat workshop- 1:30 to 2:30 p.m.
Everyone’s yard and garden are different. This free, in-person workshop looks at how you can improve your own personal ecosystem, conserve water, and improve backyard biodiversity in your yard. Ryan Fessenden, Butterfly Rainforest manager, will talk about what kind of local habitats there are and the questions to ask yourself to learn what you have.
These activities will be taking place throughout the celebration in the Museum classroom.
Water Shapes Land Lines: The Science & Art of Topography
Learn about contour lines that represent hills, mountains, valleys, and depressions. Imagine your landscape and how water and the elements interact with the landscape. Then create the shapes that will form your unique and artistic topography map.
Resist & Blend Watercolor: The Science & Art of Flowing Water
Discover the magic of watercolor resist art, where crayons and watercolor paints create stunning effects. Learn how water and wax repel each other, and how different colors mix and flow together. Try out different methods and mixtures to make your own original and beautiful watercolor resist artworks.
DIY Water Bottle Decoration Station
Join us at the Bottle Up Your Creativity station, where you can decorate your own water bottle. You can bring your own bottle or buy one at the Collectors Shop, and we will provide you with stickers to make your bottle unique and beautiful. This activity is suitable for all ages and skill levels. Don’t miss this opportunity to bottle up your creativity and have some fun!
Take a ride on a glass-bottom boat, walk through a hammock forest, explore the aquifer and more as you learn about our state’s most important natural resource in this interactive experience.
The Recharge Lounge connects visitors to current water issues using a mix of multimedia experiences, interpretive graphics and hands-on displays.
Visitors will join Captain Bill on a simulated ride in a glass-bottom-boat theater to visit local springs and learn more about these unique environments.
A new log cabin display will welcome visitors to the classic cave and hammock area. The museum’s iconic cave remains as part of the exhibit and will be refreshed with new technology, graphics and content.
The Water Lab features real objects and specimens to give visitors a deeper look into Florida’s water and the aquifer below.
An overview of the “Water Shapes Florida” exhibit.
Featured image courtesy of iStock/Xianghong Garrison
The Florida Museum may photograph or video visitors for educational and promotional purposes. Attendance to a Florida Museum event constitutes the attendee’s consent regarding the possibility of appearing in Museum marketing materials.
10 to 10:30 a.m.– Water Shapes Florida Photo Challenge Award ceremony
