Northeast Florida Visual Artist Marsha Hatcher
Recognized With Ann McDonald Baker Art Ventures Award
By Laura Jane Pittman
On a sunny day in November, a small group gathers in the courtyard of Douglas Anderson School of the Arts and are all smiles. Artist and local visionary Marsha Hatcher—the 2024 recipient of the Ann McDonald Baker Art Ventures Award—poses for photographs with the late Ann Baker’s daughters and son and staff from The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida.
Hatcher, who is also a long-term substitute for an advanced placement painting/drawing class at Douglas Anderson School of the Arts, is presented with a $20,000 check in front of her students, a complete surprise to the young people at Hatcher’s request.
“Don’t forget where art can take you, and don’t forget your hopes and dreams,” Douglas Anderson Principal Timothy Feagins tells the students after the presentation. “This is a great example of the importance of giving back to the community.”
As an individual artist, Hatcher has been a recipient of The Community Foundation’s Art Ventures grants on two previous occasions. She has been creating art in Jacksonville for more than three decades and is a founding member of The Art Center Cooperative, a nonprofit collaboration of nearly 35 Northeast Florida artists. She is also a founding and current board member of Jacksonville Cultural Development Corporation (formerly Jacksonville Coalition of African American Artists) which elevates the work of Black artists.
The criteria for the Ann McDonald Baker Art Ventures Award include demonstrating artistic excellence, bringing distinction to Northeast Florida, and community impact. This year’s $20,000 grant doubles the amount of previous years, making the Ann McDonald Baker Art Ventures Award the largest award of its kind in the region.
