The glow of the zoom call illuminated the page in Michael Aschner’s sketchbook on a recent Friday night as he filled it with a drawing of himself and his late dog, Phoebe.
The prompt he received was to draw yourself being comforted or held by a giant creature. This work was a part of a comic-drawing session at Sequential Artist Workshop, and it inspired him toward his newest project, “Phoebe Larger Than Life.”
A year and a half after losing Phoebe, he came to terms with finding a way to grieve her through his artwork.
“This is helping me process something.” said Aschner, a member of SAW’s online teaching fellowship. “I put the feelings into something instead of just feeling sad.”
SAW, located at 1314 S. Main St., is a nonprofit school for comics that fosters a creative community of all ages. It has survived financial challenges and continues to bring artists together in Gainesville and beyond, offering opportunities for learning, experimentation and collaboration.
Assistant Director Carly Shooster has witnessed the organization shift from primarily in-person support to mostly virtual programming for artists after the pandemic, which she saw as beneficial to the organization.
“I have no clue if SAW would still be around if the pandemic didn’t happen, to be honest,” she said.
SAW would have had to move online at some point, Shooster said, pandemic or not, if the organization was to have a larger reach. The transition in 2020 brought long-term success and sustainability to the organization, though it did shift years of consistent in-person learning and studio time.
Keeping the organization afloat was costly, and Shooster must now navigate what is and is not viable for the organization.
She has been a part of SAW since 2018, but when she stepped into her role as assistant director in August 2024, she was immediately faced with the funding problem.
SAW did not receive the state funding it had hoped for in 2024. In 2022-2023, the nonprofit received about $17,000, and it was expecting $25,000 this year. However, when Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed art funding last summer, SAW was left scrambling.
“We had to shut down our emerging artist residency,” Shooster said. “That was totally free to the community.”
This residency was a program fully funded through the state. It gave opportunities to artists to get work published, be mentored and have access to a shared studio. Without this residency, SAW has 12 other programs for community members to participate in, ranging in price and whether online or in person.
She expressed hope of reinstating the program in the future. Although SAW scored 100% on its grant application, funding is not guaranteed.
“We might actually get funding this year,” she said.
The organization opened in 2012, during a rise of local arts communities in Gainesville, and hosted primarily in-person workshops. Now, in 2025 the workshop continues to create community locally and globally via technology first popularized during the pandemic.
Artist and cartoonist Anna Sellheim, who lives in Baltimore, Maryland, has never been to Gainesville but is part of the SAW community. She found a sense of belonging through the virtual connections and opportunities the organization offers.
Shooster believes the integration of online programming has benefited SAW 's growth, but the location of Gainesville remains important to both her and Tom Hart, the organization’s founder.
Amy Lindroth, an artist working in the studio, weighed in on the question of why SAW remains in Gainesville.
“Gainesville needs SAW,” she said before returning to work on a mural outside the studio.
Looking ahead, Shooster emphasized the importance of the workshop remaining in Florida to continue supporting comic arts education.
There is a consistent crowd at the different programs available at SAW, and Shooster said she can feel the impact it has on the community artists.
“The hope is, number one, to keep comics education accessible in Florida,” she said. “Everyone can joke about Florida, but we have a really resilient community here.”