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2024

Dr. Kip and Ann Strasma

MOCA Member Highlight: Dr. Kip and Ann Strasma

December 2, 2024

Every time we see the 100th Anniversary logo created for the year, we are reminded of what MOCA is: A community center for displaying and capturing our potential and hopes, said MOCA Members Dr. Kip and Ann Strasma. MOCA is grateful for all of our Members and will feature impactful stories in MOCA Member Highlights!

Lauren Baker poses with DJ Temo and MOCA Development Director Gabrielle Dean-Rector

Outstanding Volunteer Fundraiser

August 27, 2024
MOCA is thrilled to congratulate Lauren Baker for being recognized as the First Coast’s Outstanding Volunteer Fundraiser of the year by the Association of Fundraising Professionals!
Headshot of Ian Carey

Welcome Ian Carey, Curator of University Galleries and Instructor

August 20, 2024

Carey will curate the UNF Gallery of Art, Lufrano Intercultural Gallery at UNF, and the UNF Gallery at MOCA, as well as collaborate with faculty for exhibits in the UNF library. He is teaching the course curatorial practices. 

five members of MOCA's Teen Art Council pose for a picture

New VyStar MOCA Centennial Scholarship to UNF

August 8, 2024
VyStar Credit Union partnered with Florida Prepaid College Foundation to fund a scholarship for a Bachelor of Arts Degree at UNF, which will be awarded to a member of MOCA's Teen Art Council.
Members of MOCA's Teen Art Council presenting on a panel at the Southeastern Museum Director’s Conference

MOCA's Teen Art Council Provides Engaging Opportunities

May 28, 2024

Every year, MOCA's Teen Art Council is tasked with increasing teen engagement with the museum through new and innovative programming and volunteering throughout the year to ensure that happens. 

2d art depicting a woman with cat in tree

MOCA Receives Important Gift from Gordon W. Bailey

May 23, 2024

MOCA is pleased to announce an important gift from Los Angeles-based scholar, advocate, and collector Gordon W. Bailey, in honor of the museum’s 100th anniversary. Consisting of 21 artworks, the gift expands MOCA Jacksonville’s permanent collection and significantly adds to the museum’s holding of works by untrained artists. 

a family of three walks towards Project Atrium: Frank Stella at MOCA Jacksonville

Blue Star Free Military Access Presented by CSX

May 20, 2024

For the second year, CSX is making contemporary art more accessible by supporting Blue Star Free Military Access, which offers free admission to the families of active duty and former military and first responders from Armed Forces Day on May 18 through Labor Day on September 2, 2024.

headshot of UNF Student Artist-in-Residence Elysa Adams

Q&A WITH STUDENT ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE ELYSA ADAMS

April 23, 2024

Elysa Adams is a multidisciplinary artist born and raised in Jacksonville. She is majoring in Printmaking, Painting, and Drawing, with a minor in Psychology. 

Lynda Benglis headshot from the '70s

#5WOMENARTISTS Lynda Benglis

March 31, 2024

Lynda Benglis is a sculptor and visual artist known for work that showcases materials in action. Benglis often explores the behavior of fluid mediums such as molten beeswax and latex. She would use these to create works that resembled painting, but occupied space the same way a sculpture would, calling them “pours.” She is also known for creating pieces centered around her experience as a female artist.

Portrait of Yoko Ono in the '70s

#5WOMENARTISTS Yoko Ono

March 28, 2024

Yoko Ono is a Japanese multimedia artist, singer, songwriter, and peace activist. In the early 1950s, she moved to New York, she and later became associated with the Fluxus group and further developed her avant-garde style. After decades working as an artist, Ono continues to make conceptual art pieces and participate in exhibitions, as well as publishing books and films.

Cherry Vanilla in the '70s

#5WOMENARTISTS Cherry Vanilla

March 27, 2024

Cherry Vanilla is an iconic performer, poet, and author. A fixture of the 1970s music scene, Vanilla is a native New Yorker who rose to fame after appearing in Andy Warhol’s 1971 play Pork. Her talent soon carried her across a variety of fields with Cherry Vanilla seamlessly balancing her acting career with stints in several bands including Kasim Sulton and Cherry Vanilla Band, all of which cemented her as a pioneer in the punk rock scene.

Tina Girouard

#5WOMENARTISTS Tina Girouard

March 26, 2024

Tina Girouard was an experimental and performance artist and an integral figure of the 1970s New York scene. In her early days, Girouard’s art consisted primarily of live performances. Later in her career, she became part of the Pattern and Decoration movement, which was a post-minimalism movement to combat the male-dominated art world of the time by using traditionally feminine-related materials to create art.

Profile image of Sarah Charlesworth

#5WOMENARTISTS Sarah Charlesworth

March 21, 2024

Sarah Charlesworth was a conceptual artist known for exploring the ubiquity of photographs. She was part of the Pictures Generation, which was a group of artists who came of age in the '70s and created work that both questioned and embraced pop culture and mass media.

MOCA curatorial team installing artwork at GOCA Charter School

Beyond the Museum

February 1, 2024
MOCA's Museum Without Walls program loans work from our permanent collection to institutions around the community, and the newest recipient is GOCA Arts Charter School. The works are presented to inspire students, and feature artists such as James Melchert, Pablo Picasso, James Rosenquist, and Lucienne Zwirn. 

2023

the building MOCA was established and the front of MOCA today merged with a turquoise line down the middle

MOCA Passes the American Alliance of Museums’ Core Documents Verification Program

September 29, 2023

MOCA Jacksonville has passed the American Alliance of Museums’ Core Documents Verification, an important milestone in its ongoing efforts to demonstrate excellence and meet standards and best practices. As MOCA approaches its 100th Anniversary in 2024, continuing the steps and securing accreditation will solidify the fact that the museum has a century of impact. 

 

headshot of Yahalice Donayre

Meet Our Interns: Yahalice Donayre

September 26, 2023

Yahalice Donayre is a marketing and education intern who is a senior at Mandarin High School. She is highly involved at her school as president of the Eco-Art Club and takes on projects such as Deck the Chairs and working with Think Green Network to create a sustainable market. She is also Co-President of MOCA's Teen Art Council. 

headshot of Caitlin Doherty

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR CAITLÍN DOHERTY RECOGNIZED AS ULTIMATE CEO

August 17, 2023

Local arts leader and Executive Director of MOCA Caitlín Doherty has been selected by Jacksonville Business Journal as an Ultimate CEO honoree. She is among 25 individuals being recognized for their stewardship and community involvement.

headshot of Isabella DiStefano standing in MOCA's archive

Meet Our Interns: Isabella DiStefano

July 26, 2023

Isabella DiStefano is a curatorial intern at MOCA Jacksonville for the summer of 2023. She grew up in Saint Johns, attended Bartram Trail High School, and is now a student at Emory University in Atlanta Georgia double majoring in Art History and Anthropology.

a family stands in front of a Robert Rauschenberg silkscreen on a mirror

BLUE STAR FREE MILITARY ACCESS PRESENTED BY CSX

June 23, 2023
MOCA Jacksonville has proudly joined forces with Blue Star Museums and CSX to offer free admission to the families of active duty and former military and first responders from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend.
the exterior of the MOCA Jacksonville building with people entering and exiting the front doors

Three Local Companies Partner for Downtown Success

June 14, 2023

Setlan Coffee Co. and SoulFULL Eats join team at MOCA Jacksonville to enhance visitor experience, downtown coffee options, catering, and special events.

painting by Bo Bartlett titled Life During Wartime featuring a table of people holding up drinks to cheers

LEADING AMERICAN REALIST PAINTER BO BARTLETT AT MOCA JAX

June 5, 2023

Bo Bartlett: Earthly Matters addresses the issues of our time in grand scale.

mickalene thomas in an art studio throwing paper

#5WOMENARTISTS MICKALENE THOMAS

March 31, 2023
Mickalene Thomas is best known for her large-scale collages that weave themes of Black female beauty, power, and sexuality into classical genres of portraiture and landscape.
maria chavez using a turntable

#5WOMENARTISTS MARIA CHAVEZ

March 27, 2023
Maria Chavez is an avant-garde sound artist from Lima, Peru. She is well-regarded for her experimental turntable performances and is often referred to as a turntablist.
Hiromi Moneyhun holding a piece of her artwork

#5WOMENARTISTS HIROMI MONEYHUN

March 24, 2023
Hiromi Moneyhun's proposal for MOCA's next Project Atrium installation, 幽 霊 Yūrei (Ghosts), which will open in April, is a call to action on behalf of the ocean. 
goloborotko in the studio

#5WOMENARTISTS SHEILA GOLOBOROTKO

March 17, 2023
As a cultural institute of UNF, MOCA frequently works with the university galleries and art department. One of our most prolific collaborators is Sheila Goloborotko, UNF Associate Professor in printmaking, multidisciplinary artist, innovative printmaker, curator, and studio owner.
joey and felici standing in front of their exhibit

#5WOMENARTISTS FELICI ASTEINZA

March 9, 2023
Project Atrium: MILAGROS Flutter Zone has been a hit on social media, but how much do you know about the woman behind the colorful, interactive exhibition? 
roberts playing a saxophone

BLACK ART MATTERS WITH MATANA ROBERTS

February 24, 2023
MOCA Jacksonville's virtual lecture series Black Art Matters (BAM) highlights Black art, culture, representation, and history. Each talk is led by leading Black voices in the arts, including noted artists, curators, and historians. In December, we were joined by Matana Roberts, a visual artist, jazz musician, and composer.
shervone artist headshot

BLACK ART MATTERS WITH SHERVONE NECKLES

February 21, 2023
In January, we were joined by artist Shervone Neckles, whose exhibition Bless This House is on view now at MOCA Jacksonville. 
samuel levi working in an art studio

BLACK ART MATTERS WITH SAMUEL LEVI JONES

February 18, 2023
This month, join artist Samuel Levi Jones, pictured above in his studio, to learn more about his work and career in the world of contemporary art.
anna membrino's climb

MOCA JACKSONVILLE ANNOUNCES ACQUISITION OF WORK BY UNF ALUMNUS

January 24, 2023
MOCA Jacksonville, a Cultural Institute of the University of North Florida (UNF), announces the acquisition of Climb (2019), a painting by artist Anna Membrino. 
Caitlín Doherty at a podium

MOCA JACKSONVILLE DIRECTOR CAITLÍN DOHERTY RECOGNIZED BY MERIDIAN INTERNATIONAL CENTER

January 24, 2023
Jacksonville arts leader and Executive Director of MOCA Caitlín Doherty has been invited to serve on the Meridian International Center's Cultural Diplomacy Leadership Council. Doherty is among 55 Council members including prominent cultural figures, many representing major arts and cultural institutions.