Business Features
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 moreCutting Culture
Slashing arts and humanities programs may balance budgets today, but will it bankrupt the soul of higher education tomorrow? By Sheri Webber In recent years, the study of fine arts and the humanities has faced an unprecedented and destructive tide of scrutiny and defunding, as colleges and universities across the United States respond to shifting market pressures and political rhetoric. Once considered the heart of a well-rounded education, these disciplines are more often labeled expendable—leading to shocking program eliminations,...
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 moreBaptist Wellness Centers Provide Care Close to Home
Health coaches and classes help individuals reach their personalized goals By Catherine Graham, Senior Vice President of Clinical Service Lines and Ambulatory Business Development for Baptist Health Do you have a goal of wanting to reduce your blood sugar, running in a 5K or maybe just learning better ways of eating healthier? Baptist Health has wellness coaches who can help you plan and track whatever life goal or goals are best for you. Similar to a football coach, our highly qualified, specially credentialed coaches at Baptist Health...
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 moreThe Art of Belonging: Celebrating 10 Years of the Jessie Ball duPont Center’s Mission
As the Jessie Ball duPont Center—known as The Jessie—celebrates its 10th anniversary in 2025, we reflect on how this beautifully restored mid-century modern architectural landmark has become a vibrant engine for community engagement, cultural dialogue, and nonprofit collaboration in downtown Jacksonville. Originally serving as the main public library, The Jessie now stands as a testament to the vision and legacy of the Jessie Ball duPont Fund, thriving as a center for social purpose. Over the past five decades, the Jessie Ball duPont...
read moreFlorida Theatre and Theatre Jacksonville Present A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
By Laura Jane Pittman “Something familiar, something peculiar, something for everyone, a comedy tonight!” This popular refrain, familiar to most people, opens a production that is truly for everyone—the hilarious musical A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, coming to Jacksonville on August 23 and 24 at the Florida Theatre in its second collaboration with Theatre Jacksonville of a Broadway musical in concert. Last year’s late summer musical concert production of Mame, the first ever joint venture between the two historic venues, had...
read moreCity Shapers & World Builders
How Architecture Makes or Breaks Our Built Environment By Sheri Webber The Florida Association of Architects was founded in Jacksonville in 1912 by a group of 42 architects who together laid the groundwork for professional regulation in the state. Three years later, with the association’s backing, Florida established the State Board of Architecture to oversee the profession, and by 1916 the state had administered its first official licensing exam for architects. Today, Florida ranks among the top states for the employment of architects,...
read moreEmerald Trail LaVilla Connection
By Susan D. Brandenburg Artist Overstreet Ducasse and his collaborative team, Grace Bio, Dustin Harewood, and Alexi McMonigle, met at their LaVilla Emerald Trail Mural on an overcast Saturday morning recently. Their pride in their work was palpable. “We are honored to have been chosen to portray the vibrant African American history of LaVilla and Brooklyn in this mural,” says Ducasse. “It has been a labor of love that has enriched our lives.” Underwritten by donors Rushton and Charles Callaghan and sponsored by Groundwork Jacksonville, the...
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