Author: Savanne Giroire, Marketing and Events Intern
Whether you’re looking for ideas for a fun date, family outing, or a new experience to share with your pals, Downtown Jacksonville has some of the coolest exhibitions currently on view at our local museums. Be sure to visit the Cummer Museum and Gardens, the Museum of Science and History (MOSH), and the Museum of Contemporary Art Jacksonville (MOCA) to take full advantage of these opportunities!
Museum of Contemporary Art Jacksonville (MOCA)
State of the Art: Locate and Letters of Love by Chiharu Shiota
Organized by Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas, State of the Art: Locate explores our present moment in time through works by contemporary artists from around the world. Curated by Lauren Haynes, along with associate curators Alejo Benedetti and Allison Glenn, Locate showcases works including sculpture, paintings, performance, photography, and mixed media. Together, these artists create pathways to concepts hidden from view and explore the ways they ground themselves in the world through places and relationships.
MOCA’s Atrium space is currently inhabited by the wonder of Chiharu Shiota’s Letters of Love. Right in time for Valentine’s season, this immersive and wildly captivating work pulls you in with the layering of hundreds of red strings. Symbolizing human relationships and connections, these strings can become intertwined, entangled, and cut, corresponding to emotional links seen through physical space. Stay tuned for Coffee with a Curator on February 26 with MOCA’s Senior Curator to learn more about this exhibition!
Image by MOCA Jacksonville: Letters of Love by Berlin-based artist Chiharu Shiota
The Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens
American Perspectives: Stories from the American Folk Art Collection
Image by @cummermuseum: Felipe Benito Archuleta (1910–1991), Tiger, Tesuque, New Mexico, 1977, Paint and gesso on cottonwood with straw
As the largest fine arts museum in Northeast Florida, the Cummer contemplates this question: what does it mean to be an American? This identity can look and feel like many different things, as showcased by the artists in the brand new exhibition American Perspectives. Each individual carries their own experiences which independently piece together the image of our country.
Organized by the American Folk Art Museum, New York, this exhibition presents the power and effect of storytelling while exposing the idea that America is not monolithic. Yet, this group of artists is united through their American identity. This exhibition is on view until May 22, 2022!
The Museum of Science and History (MOSH)
Bold City Bicentennial: Progress & Perseverance Through 200 years of Jacksonville History
Image by @jaxflrealtor of MOSH mural
Celebrating the 200th anniversary of the founding of Jacksonville and exploring the city’s evolution through the lenses of nature, culture, and innovation, Bold City Bicentennial is MOSH’s new signature exhibition and will be open to the public until January 2023! This exhibition goes hand in hand with MOSH’s mission to celebrate lifelong learning by bringing the sciences and regional history of our city to the forefront. If you love #DTJax, you’ll be sure to love this exhibition!
The MOSH has a multitude of creative and immersive programs for elementary to sixth-grade kids such as Happenin’ Habitats, It All Makes Sense, and The Human Body Machine. Make sure to secure a spot for their Cosmic Concerts, taking place from the 19-26 of February!
Make sure to share your experiences at these educational and cultural centers with us at #DTJax. We’ll see you at the museums!