Project Atrium: Muralists in Action

September 22, 2025 - February 15, 2026

Photo by Andrea Bottin

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Conceived as an accompaniment to Jax Contemporary: MOCA Jacksonville Arts Triennial, Project Atrium: Muralists in Action will showcase Jacksonville's vibrant muralist scene. Led by veteran artists Shaun Thurston and Dustin Harewood, authors and collaborators on many murals around the city, a group of emerging muralists will transform the museum's Atrium Gallery into a vibrant colorful mural. During the first few weeks of the exhibition, the visiting public will be able to observe how the work progresses, culminating in a final work of art.

Thurston and Harewood are local artists who are both currently featured in MOCA's Jax Contemporary exhibition. A graduate of Douglas Anderson School of the Arts, Thurston has been transforming walls all over Jacksonville for decades. Thurston was a Project Atrium artist in 2014, when he painted One Spark, an iconographic feast of crystals that began near the base of the wall in simple geometric forms, exploding at the top into complex, science-fiction shapes. Harewood's art practice draws inspiration from his familial lineage and the 21st century world of desire for immediacy in all aspects of life, while seeking to find nuance within vanishing moments in order to capture a narrative between histories.

Project Atrium is a bold series of site-specific and site-sensitive art installations created by emerging and mid-career artists and commissioned by MOCA Jacksonville. Located in the lobby at the heart of the museum, MOCA's flagship Project Atrium series is free and open to the public daily. The unique placement, dimensions, and scale of the Atrium Gallery provide a compelling challenge to the chosen artists—a call to reinvention and active collaboration with the architecture of the museum on a monumental scale. Since it began in 2011, MOCA’s beloved Project Atrium series has provided dozens of artists with an opportunity to accelerate their careers by creating monumental site-specific installations in our unique Atrium Gallery.

CORPORATE PRESENTING SPONSOR // VyStar Credit Union

FALL ARTS CELEBRATION

Oct 18 | 12 - 2 p.m.
Meet the artists participating in Project Atrium: Muralists in Action and join us for the announcement of the Jax Contemporary Arts Triennial Awards. This brunch-style opening is a community event featuring live music, light bites, and a cash bar. Plus, explore the new exhibition in the UNF Gallery, Sebastian Vallejo: Where The Wild Zephyrs Sleep.
FREE

Dustin Harewood was born and grew up in New York City and became a junior member of the Brooklyn Museum at seven years old. His family later moved back to Barbados where he attended high school. He later moved back to the U.S where he attended the HBCU- North Carolina Central University (BA) and then the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (MFA). Dustin has been twice recognized with a Distinguished Faculty Award from Florida State College at Jacksonville. In 2017 the Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville awarded him the prize of ‘Arts Educator of the Year.’ Harewood draws inspiration from his familial lineage and the 21st century world of desire for immediacy in all aspects of life. He seeks to find nuance within vanishing moments. The content of his work and life is reflected in his projects between three specific locations— Jacksonville Florida, Christ Church Barbados, and Aomori Japan.

Shaun Thurston, a Jacksonville native, began his artistic journey at Douglas Anderson School of the Arts, graduating in the 1990s as a visual arts major. With roots in street art and graffiti, he expanded his formal training at Florida School of the Arts before briefly attending Savannah College of Art and Design in 2000. Choosing to step away from academia, Thurston embarked on a 20-year career defined by his dynamic blend of fine art and public murals. His career gained momentum in Atlanta, where he immersed himself in contemporary mural painting, achieving critical success. Collaborating with organizations like Living Walls, Forward Warrior and galleries throughout Atlanta, Thurston became recognized as a prominent emerging artist. His works were featured in numerous art and culture publications, solidifying his reputation as a powerful voice in large-scale public art. In 2011, Thurston returned to Jacksonville to be closer to family, while continuing to travel for projects. Since then, his influence on the city’s cultural landscape has been profound. He has worked with major institutions such as the Museum of Contemporary Art Jacksonville (MOCA), the Museum of Science and History (MOSH), the Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens, Art in Public Places, and the Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville. His clients also include organizations like the PGA Tour, the Jacksonville Jaguars, and the Jacksonville Port Authority, as well as countless public and private patrons. Thurston’s work has become a ubiquitous part of Jacksonville’s visual identity, recognizable to anyone familiar with Duval County. Beyond his murals, Thurston maintains a prolific studio practice at the CoRK Arts District, creating commissioned and personal works that often culminate in solo and group exhibitions. His paintings are held in museum and private collections across the country, and his evolving body of work continues to explore the intersection of imagination, organic forms, and the human experience.