MOCA: URBAN SPACES

UNF PHOTOGRAPHY STUDENT EXHIBITION

November 21 – December 6, 2026

Overlapping black-and-white views of Jacksonville’s skyline.

Emma Bouchard, Jacksonville in Layers, 2026. Courtesy of the artist.

Layered black-and-white views of bridges over a river.

Emma Bouchard, Crossing Paths, 2026. Courtesy of the artist.

Black-and-white view of a security camera on a building corner.

Isaac Davis, 21 W Church St, 2026. Courtesy of the artist.

Two security cameras on a paneled wall in black and white.

Isaac Davis, 501 W Adams St, 2026. Courtesy of the artist.

Person seated amid palm fronds and small yellow flowers.

Sara Laurick, Bushed, 2026. Courtesy of the artist.

Person in a neon yellow shirt in front of a shipping container.

Sara Laurick, Stacks, 2026. Courtesy of the artist.

During the 2026 Fall semester, University of North Florida students met at MOCA for their Photography Practicum course. In this course, students are introduced to a variety of photographic approaches, as well as topics regarding urban life through a series of lectures, exercises, assignments and field trips. Under the guidance of Associate Professor of Photography, Alexander Diaz, students were encouraged to explore the possibilities of photography within the context of Downtown Jacksonville. Throughout the semester, students documented the people and places of Downtown, and created works that responded to their urban surroundings.

Diaz is an Associate Professor of Photography at the University of North Florida. A practicing photographer himself, Diaz's artwork is a marriage of documentary photography and conceptual art. He utilizes photography to express his concerns and to comment on environmental issues, consumerism, religion, and the particulars of place. His work has been exhibited at many institutions such as the Museum of Contemporary Art Jacksonville, Norton Museum of Art, and Mobile Museum of Art.