Art & Culture Features
Jax Rising From Ashes to Ambition: The Unfolding of an Architectural Renaissance
By Sheri Webber In Jacksonville, architecture has always told a story of resilience. From the devastation of the Great Fire of 1901 to the steady momentum of today’s redevelopment surge, the city has repeatedly reimagined itself through the built environment. Now, as cranes punctuate the skyline and long-envisioned projects rise along the St. Johns River and throughout the city, Jacksonville appears to be entering another defining chapter—one shaped not by crisis, but by intention. “This really started in 2012 and 2013, for JWB, with...
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The Haydon Burns Now The Jessie: Rebirth of a Welcoming Community Space
By Wayne W. Wood A century from now, when architectural historians come to visit Jacksonville, one of the four most important buildings they will want to see is the former Haydon Burns Library, aka The Jessie. (The other three would almost surely be the St. James Building, Gulf Life tower, and Chart House.) The fact that the old library building still exists is a miracle in itself. Like many of the buildings in downtown Jacksonville, it is interwoven with the story of destruction and rebirth. On May 3, 1901, 90 percent of...
read moreThe Great Fire of 1901 Jacksonville’s Day of Destiny
By Wayne W. Wood Most people in Jacksonville have heard about the Great Fire of 1901, but few know the story of how it all started. It began on Friday, May 3, 1901. Not much was happening in Florida’s largest city, population 28,000. The weather report had not changed for weeks—hot and dry. In the LaVilla suburb west of town, workers at the Cleaveland Fiber Factory were taking a break for the noonday meal. Located diagonally across from where the Ritz Theatre is today on Davis Street, this large factory had a 200-foot-long elevated...
read moreOutside Looking In The Paintings of Amer Kobaslija
“I think it is about looking closely around you and responding with a sense of urgency. Not imposingviews but implicitly reflecting.” ~Amer Kobaslija When you see the world through the eyes of the artist and feel their connection to the place or the people depicted, that is when they capture your attention. Hyper detailed and often layered with meaning, Amer Kobaslija’s work is inherently documentary, though not always literal. With clear mastery of both Western and Eastern traditional painting styles,...
read moreWHERE THE RIVER LEADS
Downtown Jacksonville’s Parks & Trails as Living Works of Civic Art Jacksonville’s city center is in the midst of a generational design movement —one that treats parks and trails not as passive green space, but as active civic infrastructure and works of public art. Across the Northbank and Southbank of the St. Johns River, landscape architects, engineers, artists, nonprofits, philanthropists, and public officials are composing a connected urban experience rooted in movement, belonging, and wellness. For arts and business leaders alike,...
read moreWhitney Oldenburg: left behind
Edited by Amber Sesnick, Director of Communications, Arts UNF Photos by Elisabeth Bernstein A dynamic emerging sculptor who grew up here in Jacksonville but is now working out of New York, Whitney Oldenburg has cultivated a deeply reflective practice examining the relationships we build with everyday items. Her exhibition “Whitney Oldenburg: left behind” is on view through April 19 at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) Jacksonville. MOCA’s team had the pleasure of speaking with Oldenburg, the 2025 recipient of the Eden Arts...
read moreSmall Businesses With a Big Mission
There are a variety of health and wellness facilities and businesses in Northeast Florida. Degree Wellness offers an effective range of recovery and wellness services such as cryotherapy, infrared saunas, IV drips, and compression therapy in one luxurious space with private suites. Be Still Float is a wellness center that aims to help those suffering from anxiety, stress, pain, and incontinence through float therapy, emsella, MLS laser therapy, and massage therapy. Row House in San Marco provides full-body group fitness classes that are...
read moreCover Artist: Jennifer J. L. Jones
Jennifer J. L. Jones, (b. 1971 in Alexandria, Virginia), is an acclaimed American artist whose artwork captivates international audiences with her exploration of beauty and energy. Raised in the historic, coastal tidewater region of Virginia and beneath the rocket-lit skies of Florida’s Space Coast, Jones creates contemporary paintings that echo the grounded rhythms of nature and the boundless wonder of discovery. Her work weaves layered abstraction with refined glazing, building luminous, organic patinas that echo memory, emotion, and place....
read moreGold Star Restaurants
This annual list features top-notch, locally owned eateries that are favorites of Arbus staff, friends, and readers. Our list is based on more than the quality of food—it is service, consistency, atmosphere, hospitality, and value. Places that make you smile with their sense of community, indefatigable restauranteurs, and excellent food. All are worth visiting for an exceptional meal and a unique regional experience.
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