An Exquisite Showing at Hyatt Place
Threshold
The beginning of a new event, state, or phase.
The point that triggers an action, rule, or reaction.
The point of entrance to a building or structure.
The word threshold carries many meanings, shifting depending on the circumstances in which it is spoken. It can describe the instant before transformation, the invisible line that provokes a reaction, or simply the doorway through which one enters a room. Yet on July 31st in Gainesville, Florida, a single exhibition managed to inhabit each of these definitions at once.
In the heart of downtown during Artwalk—the final Friday of every month when galleries and creative spaces across the city open their doors to the public—the Hyatt Place hosted an exhibition titled Threshold. It marked the hotel's second exhibition of the year, both of which were organized and curated by the artist known as Pascal.
The evening brought together works by local creatives, a collection of pieces for purchase by ceramic artist Teri Davis, a performance from DJ Mojo Jojo, and even a one-night-only cocktail created around the show's central theme. Yet despite the variety of artwork and festivities, what ultimately united the night was something remarkably simple: an invitation to paint.
Mojo Jojo’s DJ booth
The centerpiece of the exhibition sat only a few feet from the hotel's entrance. A large canvas and work area stretched across the lobby, divided into more than a dozen sections in the spirit of the Surrealist technique known as Exquisite Corpse. Guests were encouraged to claim an empty panel and leave behind whatever image came to mind. Pascal refers to the project as an “Exquisite Fragment”, and the resulting composition reflected the unpredictability of its participants. Stick-figure families stood beside radiant suns, abstract patterns flowed into blue skies, and playful symbols shared space with quiet moments of reflection. No single panel attempted to dominate another. Instead, each became one voice in a larger conversation, the finished work humming with the warmth of hospitality and community.
Perhaps the most fascinating aspect of Threshold was its setting. Hotels are designed for arrivals and departures, places where people exist only temporarily before continuing elsewhere. Yet for one evening, the Hyatt became something different. Guests wandering in from the streets of downtown—many dressed for dinner reservations or an evening out—found themselves lingering before a canvas with a paintbrush in hand. Some stayed only long enough to contribute a few careful strokes before disappearing into the warm Florida night. Others remained for nearly an hour, leaning over their chosen square with the quiet concentration of lifelong painters. Throughout the evening the crowd of summer dresses and Khaki pants ebbed and flowed like a tide, but the canvas was rarely left untouched. At nearly every moment, someone who had entered the building as a hotel guest left, having briefly become an artist.
Had the exhibition been held inside one of Gainesville's established galleries, this transformation might not have carried the same weight. Spaces dedicated to art naturally attract those already seeking it. The Hyatt Place, however, offered something rarer. It welcomed people who may never have planned to visit an exhibition at the Gainesville Fine Arts Association, stepped inside the Sweetwater Print Cooperative, or spent an afternoon at the Harn Museum of Art. Removed from the expectations often associated with traditional art spaces, visitors approached the canvas with curiosity rather than intimidation. The absence of polish became its own invitation, reminding people that creativity asks only for participation.
Like its title, Threshold revealed itself through many interpretations. For some artists, the exhibition represented a personal milestone. Photographer Sydney Launay, still early in publicly exhibiting her work, presented an image exploring the complicated relationship between drug use– both advantageously healing and a dangerous form of avoidance . For others, the threshold existed entirely within the mind. The artist known simply as "N." described the theme as "the boundary between the conscious and the unconscious mind," allowing both of his mixed-media paintings to emerge without predetermined plans, guided instead by instinct and wandering thought. Yet perhaps the evening's most meaningful threshold belonged to the visitors themselves. With every hesitant brushstroke placed upon the communal canvas, adults rediscovered a form of play many had unknowingly abandoned since childhood.
There is a quiet irony in the fact that one of Gainesville's most welcoming exhibitions this year took place inside a hotel rather than a gallery. At a moment when many traditional art spaces have become increasingly difficult for emerging creatives to access, Threshold suggested another possibility. A thriving arts community depends not only on places where artists can exhibit their work, but on places where anyone feels invited to become an artist, if only for a single evening. If Pascal's exhibition marks the beginning of that shift. Perhaps future Artwalks will continue spilling beyond the gallery walls and into restaurants, cafés, and neighborhood dive bars—where creativity can meet people exactly where they are.
From left to right: Mojo Jojo, Pascal, and Cherry Hybrid
Some Questions with Pascal
Q: What does threshold mean to you?
Pascal painting on the Exquisite Fragment
A: Threshold, to me, is the point of no return into the absolute world of being an artist. Pushing forward with ambition, ideas, and striving for no regrets. Going forward, doing things, and not being afraid to look a certain way to anyone else. The “threshold” is just taking that initiative to step beyond those limitations that we set for ourselves. This event here is to showcase something of that, which is why I wanted to do this experience– a derivative of Exquisite Corpse–called Exquisite Fragments.
Q: Was there a reason why you presented your show at Hyatt Place?
A: It took nearly three years to gain a way to host such a humbling event like Threshold and I'm honored to have been given such a privilege. To answer your question directly, I'm not sure I directly chose Hyatt Place as the location. This just came to be! And I received it in grace. Fostered throughout the years, it also aligns with the business that I'm working on right now called Artanumis. This showcase is presented by Artanumis LLC, which is my production company, and our goal is to do cultural programming. For example, this hotel’s culture is spanned around people, and people interacting in a common space, and that common space has to be adapting to everyone. So art is also one way to translate that.
Q: Why did you decide to have this interactive event, the Exquisite Fragments? Why was it such a pivotal role to this event?
A: That decision was made to activate as much of the space as possible. It gave anyone who walked through the door a sense of belonging and excitement. I think that was achieved through the many smiles and conversations that were happening during this interaction. As you noticed, a lot of people came up to the Exquisite Fragment. When I was designing the canvas for the event, I wanted it to be as welcoming as possible. However, some still felt intimidated. This was the point however; to provide a neutral environment for the practice of overcoming obstacles. I mean, look at the result of Thresholds passed through by so many. The finished canvas is now being called “Threshold” in memory of so many individuals’ bravery towards a positive change. I would like to say that I'm truly grateful and appreciative of you, Ian, for facilitating this year’s Threshold. To John, N., Sydney, Sachi, Terry, Evan, Mrs. Skinner, and most importantly the wonderful persons at Hyatt Place GNV, who’s help I couldn't make this event without, thank you!
Q: Are there any goals you and your company, Artanumis have in the future?
A: The next step is to create many different cultural programming for a lot of different types of businesses. Potentially, I want to try to do something with the University of Florida, though I'm reserving that for my senior year. Perhaps the creation of a festival. Right now that is a horizonal goal but one I do want to obtain.
You can check out some of Pascal’s work through his Instagram account: @the.1pascal
