Publisher’s Note
With a new year brings hope. Hope for the new year elevates feelings we experience when we foresee a path to a better future. Hope acknowledges the significant obstacles and deep pitfalls along that path. True hope has no room for delusion.
Violins of Hope
During the Holocaust all most people had was hope. Hope is a powerful desire that can have a profound impact on an individual’s life as well as the world at large.
Examples of such hope are the 70 lovingly restored string instruments symbolizing resilience and unity following indescribable horror that will be showcased in a series of events in Jacksonville. Violins of Hope: Building Bridges Through the Power of Music will feature instruments that were played by Jewish musicians before and during the Holocaust, each with its own story that will be shared to educate the community and inspire understanding. Presented by the Jacksonville Symphony on February 15 (page 16).
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 out. Not only do arts programs motivate children to come to school, but they also help reduce stress, sharpen communication, and fuel social and emotional development. We are fortunate to have a wealth of arts education programs across all art forms that allow our students to not only learn how to express themselves in the classroom but support their future career growth (page 28).
Art Ventures Awards
Marsha Hatcher is this year’s 2024 recipient of the Ann McDonald Baker Art Ventures Award from The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida. Hatcher is an art teacher at Douglas Anderson School of the Arts and has been creating art in Jacksonville for more than three decades. 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 (page 22).
Put a little spring in your step and enjoy putting a little culture and fun in your life.
Cinda Sherman, Publisher
Enjoy putting a little culture and fun in your life.
There is art around every corner.
Enjoy putting a little culture and fun in your life.
