Art & Culture Features
Project Atrium: Muralists in Action Dustin Harewood & Shaun Thurston
Local artists Dustin Harewood and Shaun Thurston have teamed up to lead the creation of a mural inside the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) Jacksonville. Their collaborative installation, part of the museum’s ongoing Project Atrium series, is more than a mural—it’s a living process, unfolding over weeks in full view of museum visitors. Harewood and Thurston have both contributed to the development of Jacksonville’s now vibrant mural scene, which even a decade ago looked quite different. Think back to 2010 or 2015 and you might remember...
read moreFrench Moderns: Monet to Matisse, 1850 – 1950
Courtesy of the Harn Museum of Art In honor of the Harn Museum of Art at the University of Florida’s 35th anniversary celebration, the museum is presenting “French Moderns: Monet to Matisse, 1850 – 1950.” The exhibition showcases 56 works, including paintings, drawings, and sculptures, from the Brooklyn Museum’s esteemed collection of European art. The Harn’s presentation of “French Moderns” will also feature Claude Monet’s “Waterloo Bridge,” on loan from the Lowe Art Museum,...
read more
PHX JAX: A Springfield Protopia
Phoenix Arts & Innovation District By Sherry Magill The Road to Utopia runs through Jacksonville. Not the 1945 comedy featuring Bing Crosby and Bob Hope, but rather a 2024 documentary film featuring the repurposing of Springfield Warehouse District into a regenerative community. This Road to Utopia is found on Food Matters TV via Prime Video and highlights the Phoenix Arts & Innovation District (PHX JAX), south Florida developer Tony Cho’s Jacksonville dream and prototypical demonstration project. A native of a...
read moreTwo Artists, Many Stories
Peter K. Philbin Brilliant Studio The Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens’ fall exhibitions highlight landscapes as sites of inspiration and remembrance. By Holly Keris, J. Wayne & Delores Barr Weaver Chief Curator The Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens brings two impressive solo exhibitions to Northeast Florida this fall—Andrew Wyeth, one of America’s most prolific and important artists of the 20th century, and Calida Rawles, a contemporary artist considered to be a “rising star.” Despite very different artistic and stylistic bodies...
read moreLooking To the Past To Create Our Future
The Art of the Jessie By Caitlin Flynn Buildings echo the past, even as they await the future. One of Jacksonville’s most iconic buildings, the Haydon Burns Library, had strong historic and architectural roots in the community. But in 2005, after a new Main Library opened, it lay dormant. Until 2013. That’s when the ghosts of the past were swept away and the Jessie Ball duPont Fund Board of Trustees invested in its renovation. Partnering with Robbins Design Studio, the space was reimagined as a hub for nonprofits and a community center....
read moreThe Eyes of the World
FROM D-DAY TO V-E DAY A Night of Heroism, Humanity, and Hope Experience a one-night-only musical, multimedia event that brings the final months of World War II to life while raising funds for Wolfson Children’s Hospital on September 30th. Boston Pops at Symphony Hall Wednesday, May 29, 2024 in Boston. (Photo by Winslow Townson) The Eyes of the World: From D-Day to V-E Day Keith Lockhart, conductor John Monsky, historian and narrator Ian Weinberger, music director and arranger Katie Couric, special guest Shereen Ahmed Kate Rockwell...
read moreInaugural JAX Contemporary: MOCA Jacksonville Arts Triennial Ignites the City’s Creative Spirit
By Ylva Rouse Senior Curator, MOCA Jacksonville Photos by Camille Garzon A palpable buzz of excitement filled the air at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) Jacksonville on the night of April 10, as participating artists from the greater Jacksonville area, together with family and friends, streamed through the doors for the inaugural “JAX Contemporary: MOCA Jacksonville Arts Triennial” opening celebration. More than 750 members of the community joined the celebration. The excitement made many people recall the energy and engagement around...
read moreThe Conversation Cady Huffman Tony Award-winning actress, singer, director, and producer
On August 23 and 24, the Florida Theatre and Theatre Jacksonville will present their second annual Broadway musical in concert, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, starring acclaimed artist Cady Huffman, who will be in town to play the role of Pseudolus. Huffman has so many theater, film, TV, digital, music, and directing credits that it’s impossible to list them all. Highlights include her performance as Ulla in The Producers with Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick (for which she won Tony, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle...
read moreSaving the Blue Heart: The Ichetucknee River Story
Words by Betsy Schifanella Photos by Tom Schifanella Sacred Waters With early morning mist rising from the crystal-clear run, only birdsong breaks the morning quiet, while spider webs drip with dew. This is a magical paddle over a swirling aquatic garden. Nine named blue-holed springs, frolicking otters, manatees, wading birds, a myriad of fish and maybe even an alligator, make the upper portion of the Ichetucknee an intimate experience. Later, joined by tubers, it is a shared time, all marveling at the beauty, wonder, and cold water at...
read more
