Business Features
WHERE 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 moreWHERE THE RIVER LEADS TO STORIES TOLD THROUGH PUBLIC ART
We Often hear, “What is Jacksonville’s Identity?” That is a question that is difficult to answer. However, a city’s identity can be shaped and expressed through public art. Businessman Preston Haskell has commissioned many sculptures throughout Northeast Florida and believes that public art “will make our city even more beautiful, more attractive.” For more than a decade, Haskell has led the Downtown Sculpture Initiative to place colorful, large-scale, contemporary sculptures that are highly visible from private property or installed...
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 moreCinda’s Cellar Valley Smoke: Low and Slow Wood-Smoked Barbeque
If you’ve driven the stretch of Roscoe Boulevard alongside the Intracoastal Waterway in Ponte Vedra Beach, you’ve probably noticed a contemporary farmhouse-style restaurant surrounded by the lingering aroma of barbeque. That would be Valley Smoke, one of the restaurant concepts from Southern Table Hospitality, operated by owners Ben and Liza Groshell—the same folks that created Marker 32, four Fish Camps, Billy Jack’s, AB Kitchen, and Dockside Seafood Restaurant. While many of these destinations feature seafood, the emphasis at...
read moreThe Conversation: Kimberly Noble
George W. and Kathleen I. Gibbs Director & CEO Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens You’re a Jacksonville native stepping into leadership of one of the city’s most beloved cultural institutions. How has growing up here shaped your connection to the museum and its mission? Growing up in Jacksonville, the Cummer Museum has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. Like so many in this community, I have deeply personal memories tied to both the gardens and the galleries. As a child, I visited on school field trips, and...
read moreNa’Zir McFadden Jacksonville Symphony Assistant Conductor
Photo: ©Andrej Grilc Audience connection is at the heart of your work. From the podium, how do you create those powerful moments of connection? I try to create moments that feel personal and alive—where the orchestra and audience breathe together. It’s about honesty and presence, letting the music unfold naturally so everyone feels part of the same journey. When that connection happens, the performance becomes something shared, not just witnessed. Your career has already seen impressive milestones at such an early stage. Is there one moment...
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.
read morePublisher’s Note
Hello 2026! With a new year brings hope. Hope for the new year elevates feelings we experience when we foresee a path to a better future. At the moment, with rising health care costs looming, many are feeling hopeless. For those concerned, feeling frustrated, or feeling hopeless, we wish you good health and the strength to cope. Enhancing Education With The Arts The arts play a pivotal role in education. Involvement in the arts supports a student’s social and emotional learning and empowers them to succeed inside school and...
read more35 Years of Art Ventures at The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida
By Laura Jane Pittman If you have visited the Jacksonville REI lately, you may have admired the North Florida park posters displayed near the check-out counter that are modeled after 1930s-era national park posters of old. These are the brainchild of Kathy Stark, a local artist who was recently recognized with the 2025 Ann McDonald Baker Art Ventures Award by The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida. A Jacksonville native, Stark has specialized in fine art, mainly oils, watercolors and acrylics, of North...
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