Publisher’s Note
Welcome to our annual Art & Cultural issue. The arts are an essential part of the health and cohesion of our society. They hold space for truth-telling, preserve our shared histories, help communities navigate difficult times, and create economic prosperity.
Every dollar invested in Arts & Culture returns $29.17 to Jacksonville’s total economy.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2024 population estimates, Jacksonville has crossed the one-million-resident threshold. It is an exciting milestone, and it offers an important opportunity to think not only about how much we are growing, but about the creativity, connection, and sense of belonging that will shape the kind of city we become.
That vision will not be defined by development projects or economic rankings alone. It will be defined by whether people feel rooted here, whether families see a future here, and whether Jacksonville’s cultural spirit grows alongside its ambition (read more starting on page 18).
Ritz Chamber Players 25th
Twenty-five years ago, the Ritz Chamber Players (RCP) opened a door that classical music had kept too narrow for too long. Through it came extraordinary Black musicians, overlooked masterworks, new music, and audiences invited to hear the classical tradition with fresh ears. During the 2026–27 Silver Jubilee Season, RCP will celebrate that journey through five concerts united by its founding mission: “Expanding the Stage” (see page 30).
Fighting Antisemitism
The Frisch Family Holocaust Memorial Gallery at LJD Jewish Family & Community Services (JFCS) Jacksonville presents a landmark travelling exhibition from the Wiener Holocaust Library in London, one of the world’s foremost institutions dedicated to the documentation of the Holocaust and Nazi persecution. This is the exhibition’s American debut, and Jacksonville is its first home in the United States (page 28).
Be sure to check out our 2026-27 Art & Cultural calendar and enjoy putting a little culture and fun in your life.
There is art around every corner.
Cinda Sherman, Publisher
