MOCA Member Highlight: Dr. Kip and Ann Strasma
December 2, 2024
MOCA Jacksonville is grateful for all of its members who help support the museum and its mission to promote the discovery, knowledge, and advancement of the art, artists, and ideas of our time. Get to know MOCA Members throughout the year with MOCA Member Highlights! Want to share your story? Let us know at mocamembership@unf.edu.
Q&A with MOCA Members Dr. Kip and Ann Strasma
Q: Why do you feel that it is important to support MOCA’s mission to promote the art, artists, and ideas of our time?
A: Museums provide moments to learn about people of all backgrounds who have experiences different from ours. This we love about MOCA--like the current show Fill My Heart With Hope Works From The Gordon W. Bailey Collection or the first show we saw in the atrium when we moved here, Project Atrium: Camp / Wall / Flock (pictured below), by Khalid Albaih with the tented passports and massive bars--just stunning. These moments continue to expand our frame of understanding of values we share: Empathy, inclusivity, kindness, and beauty.
Q: Why did you become a member of MOCA Jacksonville?
A: We've been involved with the arts in cities we previously lived, like Peoria, IL, where the arts are condensed and rich, as well as Miami, FL, where the arts are vast and equally as rich. We adore Jacksonville, which provides a mixture of both Peoria and Miami. And we value being a part of MOCA, which provides us and our community with opportunities to meet professionals and new friends, listen to jazz and engaging speakers, and--of course--the art that continuously blends the hope that is Jacksonville and the beauty of the world around us.
Q: What member benefits do you value the most?
A: As a board member, Kip values the leadership of Caitlín Doherty and the excellence that she surrounds herself with in her team members. Her work over the last decade has shaped the museum into a wonderful example of a living center for contemporary arts. This has been absolutely on display this year during the 100th year anniversary, redeployment of the museum's strategic plan, and partnerships with leaders like Mayor Donna Deegan and UNF President Moez Limayem. As a member of the museum, Ann enjoys First Wednesday Art Walk downtown where MOCA is the arts anchor for everything in the surrounding streets and James Weldon Johnson Park. Both of us love the many friends we've made at openings and impacts we have made as donors to the museum's mission.
Q: Is there anything else that you would like to share about your experience as a member of the MOCA community?
A: Probably the most fun we have had recently at MOCA was the sold out 100th Anniversary Gala event. It was a blast to dress the 70s glam part and take to the dance floor with our guests and friends grooving away. 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.
Become a MOCA Member to enjoy the benefits and be a part of the impact.