Art & Culture
The Gilded Age: Treasures from the Lightner Museum
Opens June 7 This major reinterpretation of the museum’s permanent collection celebrates the opulent art and furnishings of America’s Gilded Age. A dynamic era that shaped modern America, the Gilded Age witnessed the sudden rise of a new millionaire class whose wealth derived from emerging industries including railroads, oil, and steel manufacturing. These titans of American industry expressed their high status by building stately mansions filled with beautiful objects and substantial art collections. The period was chronicled in the...
read moreMellen C. Greeley
THE DEAN OF FLORIDA ARCHITECTS By Wayne W. Wood Mellen Greeley walked with a cane, but his stride was brisk. He had a full head of snow-white hair, and, despite the warmth of the afternoon, he was wearing a tie. He had just set a bowl of dogfood in the grass twenty feet away, so he and I would be able to watch as the racoons emerged from the marsh grass. First one, then two, now four or five, enjoying their daily handout. Greeley joined me on the bench in his yard, overlooking the Arlington River. He was the last of the great architects who...
read moreJacksonville Symphony Celebrates 75th Season with New Branding and Special Events
By Steven Libman, President and CEO of the Jacksonville Symphony It is with great joy and excitement that we unveil the Jacksonville Symphony’s 75th season. Over the past seven decades, the symphony has served as the fabric of Jacksonville’s cultural landscape, weaving together the threads of music and community spirit through uplifting experiences. This milestone is a testament to our mission of reaching new artistic heights year after year, and the 2024/25 season promises to soar to an even higher caliber. In 1949, several...
read moreA Riverfront for All (Part 2)
By Laura Riggs It’s been demonstrated in many other markets that well-designed, maintained, and programmed public spaces strengthen the real estate market while positively impacting the local economy. Understanding that any plans must also take into account various past visioning exercises, the Jessie Ball duPont Fund convened a diverse coalition of business leaders, change makers, planners, and visionaries in 2021 to steward plans for a riverfront that best serves the needs and wants of the community. The duPont Fund partnered with DVDL, an...
read moreLong-Awaited Collaboration between the Florida Theatre and Theatre Jacksonville Culminates in Mame:
The Broadway Musical ~ In Concert! August 24 and 25 By Laura Jane Pittman It’s about time! A staged concert of the 1960s Broadway classic Mame—which originally starred Angela Lansbury and Bea Arthur—is coming to the Florida Theatre this month in a first-ever collaboration between two of the oldest venues in the region. The chief executive officers of the Florida Theatre and Theatre Jacksonville first began kicking around the possibility more than a decade ago, shortly after Florida Theatre president Numa Saisselin had moved...
read moreThe Essential Role of Parks to Jacksonville’s Well-being
Parks are more than just green spaces in a city—they are crucial components of a healthy, vibrant community. For the Blue Zones Project Jacksonville, parks play a central role in promoting well-being and longevity. Ninety percent of Americans spend most of their lives within a 20-mile radius of their home, this is known as the Life Radius model. When parks exist within that radius, communities can have access to more spaces to make healthy choices easier. Parks are integral to this mission of longevity. Promoting Physical Activity One of the...
read more“Gateway to Himalayan Art” at the Harn Museum of Art
A traveling exhibition that introduces the main forms, concepts, meanings, and traditions of Himalayan art and cultures organized by the Rubin Museum of Art, New York will be on view through July 28 at the Harn Museum of Art at the University of Florida in Gainesville. “Gateway to Himalayan Art,” features 110 objects from the Rubin Museum’s collection as well as multimedia elements—audio, videos, essays, maps, and more. “The Harn is the only Southeastern US venue for the exhibition,” says Harn Museum of Art Director Lee Anne...
read moreFrank Stella Jacksonville Stacked Stars
Frank Stella has produced an extraordinary body of work over the past six decades and continues to explore the expressive possibilities of visual space. “Jacksonville Stacked Stars” is a brand-new work of art created by Stella for the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) Jacksonville’s Project Atrium and is a beautiful response to the museum’s 100th anniversary year. Throughout his career, Stella has returned to the star as motif, exploring its form, both abstract and figurative, in multiple variations of two-dimensional, free-standing, and...
read moreWhat’s one big thing you suggest Jacksonville do to activate the riverfront(or create more value for the riverfront)?
The above question was posed to top architects of the AIA Jacksonville Chapter. Hear what they have to say.
read moreLandscaping the Intangible
Walter HoodAmerican Designer/Professor/Artist How to begin describing Walter Hood, the creative director and founder of Hood Design Studio? His work, accolades, and influence are extensive, and a single article cannot hope to encapsulate it all. So, rather than peppering you, the reader, with nonstop paragraphs, this piece is built upon the language Hood so often uses. This is an invitation to sink into a favorite chair and have a conversation with an icon from the affinitive spheres of art, landscape, and urbanism. HYBRIDITY How...
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