Art & Culture
Kindred Spirits
Laura Bennett calls it heckling. Matthew Bennett calls it a heated conversation. The “conversation” under discussion, one that sparked their relationship on the steps of the Willard Building at Penn State, was with the Willard preacher, Gary Cattell. Cattell has been preaching at Penn State since 1982. “He would talk about how we’d all go to hell, but we could all be saved,” explains Laura. “I disagreed with the preacher’s assertions that we were all going to get spanked at the end of our lives,” Matthew interjects.
read moreSound Connections
The soulful sound of “Mrs. Candice”’s “Hello” song fills the room as nine eagerly excited children enter the class at Ocean Palms Elementary School. Some children arrive being assisted by a wheelchair, pushing a walker or holding their paraprofessional’s hand; others need no help as they run towards the music. These children with exceptionalities bounce to the beat of the guitar and sway to the melody of the music, a therapeutic tool used by Candice Sirak to help these children achieve educational goals.
read moreI Still Matter & I Still Color
I Still Matter is a grassroots organization of volunteers who are living with mental illness or have loved ones who are. The organization was founded by Carmen Joyce, executive director, who moved to Jacksonville from Central Florida in 2011. During that time, she was struggling with manic depression and grieving the loss of her father.
read moreCalling All Curious Listeners
When talking about live music, local community organizer and culture advocate Keith Marks makes an interesting point: “Most people only go see music they know, music they trust, music that’s familiar.” Enter Avant Arts, Marks’ newly-formed non-profit 501(c)3 that is bringing unique, genre-bending musical experiences to Jacksonville through a gift of music to the Jacksonville Public Library (JPL) and a concert series aimed at curious listeners and acoustic explorers.
read moreCelebrating the Gardens
The Cummer Gardens are beautiful throughout the year, but they peak during the month of March. This year marks the fourth year the museum will host Garden Month to celebrate these remarkable spaces. With a history dating back more than one-hundred years, the Cummer Gardens are places of learning, energy, and respite.
read moreThe Remarkable Ken Fallin
Does the style of the artwork gracing the cover of this issue of Arbus look familiar? No surprise: This image of Elizabeth Gilbert, author of the best-selling Eat, Pray, Love, who will be appearing at a benefit for Theatre Jacksonville, was created by internationally renowned illustrator and caricaturist Ken Fallin, whose work regularly appears in many major publications. Fallin is originally from Jacksonville, as Sarah Boone, executive director of Theatre Jacksonville, discovered during a chance meeting in New York. A meeting that led to the collaboration for this cover.
read moreBulla Cubana
Starting in January, North Florida residents will be rocking to the celebration sounds of Cuban arts and culture with the debut of Bulla Cubana, a multi-venue, three-month festival taking place across Gainesville’s cultural centers through March.
read moreA Youth Movement Hitting Jacoby Hall
The Jacksonville Symphony recently announced several additions to the orchestra and four of the new members can definitely qualify as part of the youth movement that is hitting Jacoby Hall.
read moreArt (Re)Public
“It’s too ambitious.” In January 2016, when the first whispers about Art (Re)Public could be overheard from a nearby table at Bold Bean, this was the general consensus. While nearly everyone loved the idea, many said it couldn’t be done. It was too ambitious. There wasn’t enough time.
read moreThe Ritz Chamber Players — Fifteen Years of Music and Diversity
The Ritz Chamber Players are one of Jacksonville’s most extraordinary cultural assets. Founded fifteen years ago by classical clarinetist and pianist Terrance Patterson, the group has received international and national acclaim, and yet still proudly calls Jacksonville home.
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