A Reimagined Jacoby Symphony Hall
By Steven Libman The 2026/27 season of the Jacksonville Symphony will introduce new sounds, new faces, and a refreshed experience for our audiences. As I write this, Jacoby Symphony Hall is undergoing a significant transformation, with larger, more comfortable seating, new carpet, enhanced acoustic elements, and new speakers—all set to debut in time for the upcoming season. This project has been in development for more than two years...
Art in Bloom
Holly Keris, J. Wayne & Delores Barr Weaver Chief Curator Drawing upon the Cummer Museum’s broad permanent collection, “Art in Bloom” creates a through line from the 18th century through today by showcasing historic floral still life paintings alongside works by contemporary artists who explore nature’s bounty through a variety of media. It may seem hard to imagine, but paintings of artfully arranged cut flowers did...
Freedom Flies The Ark Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation
By Judith Leroux Photography by Stan Hill The cage door opens and one foot steps slowly forward, as if questioning if this can really be happening. Who can blame him, after a month on the inside? Another foot soon follows, and his huge brown eyes slowly scan the landscape, blinking as the afternoon sun hits his face. But the majestic barred owl’s time behind bars is really over, and as delighted human onlookers watch, he...
Ellen Diamond: A Legacy of Love
By Susan D. Brandenburg Ellen Diamond’s book, “Chasing Color,” is a celebration of her long and fruitful journey on this earth. The artist’s fabulous life and legacy in the artworld are beautifully illustrated on each page. Her early paintings, European landscapes, gardens, beaches, waterways, flowers, trees, towns, and bridges leap from the pages, thrilling the senses and satisfying the soul. “Like my life, this book has been...
The Haydon Burns Now The Jessie: Rebirth of a Welcoming Community Space
By Wayne W. Wood A century from now, when architectural historians come to visit Jacksonville, one of the four most important buildings they will want to see is the former Haydon Burns Library, aka The Jessie. (The other three would almost surely be the St. James Building, Gulf Life tower, and Chart House.) The fact that the old library building still exists is a miracle in itself. Like many of the buildings in downtown...
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