Jax MOCA : 2025-01

I was fortunate to stay in Jacksonville, Florida, in a pretty nice hotel, the Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront, right on the water. It was a trip to KJAX coming from Newark (KEWR). I thought I had been to JAX before in 2018, but after looking it up, it was actually Jacksonville Executive at Craig (KCRG). The weather was perfect on this trip making my first visit very nice. 

If I have time on layovers, I typically search "museum" or "gallery" to see if anything is close. There was a museum of contemporary art nearby, the MOCA Jacksonville. It was close enough to walk and to my surprise, entry was free on Saturdays - perfect. As you might guess, the above picture wasn't in the MOCA, but it was in a traffic circle on the walk over. It's the city's namesake - Andrew Jackson. He was the first governor of the Florida Territory. I researched the statue and found out Clark Mills was the artist. I also found out this is the fourth copy made in 1987. The others are in DC (1853), New Orleans (1856) and Nashville (1880). It has a pretty good story captured in Four Salutes to the Nation.

Digital projection (l), Sister Unreal by Cher Shaffer (c), Untitled (warriors) by Aryz (r).

When you first walk in, the back room/area captured and digitized people within a certain area. It would also change it's point of view (top, front, side) and colorization. I'm in the upper center of tye upper left picture. The center picture captured my eye because I need to work more on people and faces and it reminds me that art doesn't need to look real. I think this is more of her work - Site 1 or Site 2. I really liked the large linen piece by Aryz. I made me think I should incorporate more drawing into some of my art. He has some great work which can been seen here. 

 

Above left is Waymaker (2021) by Emil Alzamora. I thought the form showed great motion and the contrast between the steel and plaster added life to the sculpture. Adrift (2022) by Chris Benchetler is in the center and another Benchetler piece, Crossroads (2023) is on the right. I thought the simplicity, colors and contrast of Adrift worked really well. The motion and colors of Crossroads were what grabbed my attention.

Sea Foam Swirls, 1989 by Sybil Gibson (l)

Untitled (Jesus in chains), 1990s by Purvis Young (c)

Jack O Lanton, ca 1970s by Sam Doyle (r)

I liked Sea Foam Swirls because I thought it showed great motion and it's painted on a paper bag. Jesus in chains caught my attention because of its rawness. Jack O Lanton was made with house paint on metal. It was one of several, but I thought this was the best and appreciated the simplicity. I had previously seen some of Young's art in Tampa.

If you're in the area and like art, I'd recommend visiting MOCA Jacksonville.

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