Art & Culture
St. Augustine Art Association Celebrates Its Centenary
By Kim Brown Nestled in a protected nook on the northeast seaboard of Florida, St. Augustine is known for its rich history and vast cultural tapestry. It has long been the home and inspiration of many artists, dating back hundreds of years. It is also home to the St. Augustine Art Association (STAAA), a nonprofit dedicated to celebrating, supporting, and promoting visual arts in the community. What started as a modest collective of artists gathering for artistic companionship has blossomed into a foundational organization that is preparing to...
read moreMOCA Jax Celebrates 100 Years
of Celebrating Art, Artists, & Ideas By Amber Sesnick, Director of Communications & Marketing at MOCA Jacksonville January 2024 is the launch of a year of celebration that marks a significant point in the history for our fine city and reaches beyond local impact into the history of art and culture in our country. The Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) Jacksonville celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2024, holding the distinction of being the first visual arts organization in the city of Jacksonville, as well as the oldest art...
read moreThe 21st Annual Gingerbread Extravaganza
December 8 – 27 The Jacksonville Historical Society’s Gingerbread Extravaganza will enthrall visitors of all ages as they ooh and aah over dozens of delectable gingerbread creations built by amateurs and professionals. The event includes decorated trees, a scavenger hunt, holiday shop, and Kids Day on Sunday December 10 from noon to 5 p.m. Your holiday celebration won’t be complete without a visit. Old St. Andrew’s Church, 317 A. Philip Randolph Blvd. Tickets required. Hours vary; closed Dec. 11, 17, 18, 24, and 25. For more...
read moreExtravaganza 2024: Alchemy
February 24, 2024 For over 30 years, Douglas Anderson’s (DA) annual Extravaganza has been a testament to the seemingly magical process of transformation, creation, and combination, known as alchemy. This year, our theme will showcase the best of what our talented Douglas Anderson students have to offer, spanning a wide range of music, writing, film, dance, theatre, and visual art. This is the second year our school has focused on a theme for Extravaganza. “We wanted a way to elevate Extravaganza from a variety show to an experience that...
read moreScotie Cousin
Artist—Cousin’S Critters Photo: Laird How do you envision your critters? What is the inspiration? Let’s start with God first. Because He’s just kind of telling me what to do. He has really supercharged the creative gray matter between my ears. Sometimes it just flows out so effortlessly. I don’t do any specific species, mainly. I get a lot of people asking me to do a dolphin or a shark and I still love doing that, but what I really love is not knowing what I’m going to do next. And then what happens is I go, “Wow,...
read moreNew Exhibit Remembers the Past Speaks to the Present.
By Caryl Butterley The LJD Jewish Family & Community Services (JFCS) is an organization rooted in the Jewish tradition of tikkun olam or “repairing the world.” JFCS puts this into practice through its many social service programs, including child welfare, financial assistance, mental health counseling, senior services, and so much more. At the heart of the agency stands the Frisch Family Holocaust Memorial Gallery, a space dedicated to remembering the six million Jews who perished during the Holocaust and as a place for...
read more2023 Shop Local Gift Guide
Retail is back in full swing, so shopping for gifts during this holiday season will likely feel super festive. It remains crucial to our beloved independent local businesses that we give them support as they continue to rebound from the pandemic. In thinking of things to make your dearest people smile, let’s try to shop our values and make our community smile, too. Each year, Arbus Magazine presents our Shop Local Gift Guide so that you can see what locally owned businesses are offering and be inspired to enjoy gift shopping. Enjoy browsing...
read moreTHE WISDOM OF PEARLS
By Laura Riggs Legend has it that Cleopatra and Mark Antony had a bet as to who could host the most expensive dinner party. During dinner, Cleopatra crushed up a natural pearl, dropped it into a glass of wine (some say it was vinegar), and drank it. The estimated value of the pearl was equivalent to 60 million sesterces, or 1,875,000 ounces of fine silver, or $9,375,000, making her the winner. In the Hindu faith, another legend says that Krishna, the embodiment of Vishnu, the protector, plucked the first pearl out of the sea to give to...
read moreFlorida Theatre Restoration Sets Stage for Next Century
By Lorrie DeFrank Photos by Lily Snowden it’s showtime again at the Florida Theatre and competing for top billing is the building itself. Restored to its original magnificence, it’s set for a 50-year encore—at the very least. In preparation for the historic landmark’s 100th anniversary in 2027, a major—but not final—phase of the renovation was completed while it was closed from July to October this year. Patrons attending The Rocky Horror Picture Show on October 28 were the first theatergoers to see the transformation. But...
read moreThe Character-Driven World of Illustrator & Designer Stephen BaileyThe Character-Driven World of Illustrator & Designer
How to Remain an Artist Once We Grow Up By Sheri Webber Seeing Leonardo da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa” requires a trip to the Louvre. Works by Pablo Picasso can be viewed in Spain or at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City and visiting Michelangelo’s “Moses” involves a plane ticket to Rome, Italy. Bringing home a masterpiece—Leonardo da Vinci’s “Salvator Mundi,” for example—might save on plane tickets and museum admissions but could cost up to a cool $450 million. Not too many art collectors can swing that kind of cash, but what if it was...
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