Jacksonville, Florida – “Bringing education, creativity, and community to the heart of downtown Jacksonville” is part of what the Museum of Contemporary Art will bring to the River City. The museum also celebrates its 100th birthday.
Caitlin Doherty is executive director and this week’s guest on Jacksonville: Business Edition.
“At the Museum of Contemporary Art, we primarily focus on artwork from the 1960s to the present, which means contemporary art,” Doherty said.
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“We focus on art, artists, and ideas, and we do that through exhibitions and programs. “We want to help build a community where people want to work and play,” Dougherty said. “We recognize the critical role of downtown, helping to foster its success and nourish not only downtown but the broader Jacksonville region.”
Part of our conversation delved into the economic impact of MOCA and how it impacts Jacksonville’s museum community.
“It’s that art and culture are the means to promote social and economic change and progress. New works by Frank Stella are now in stock. He is one of the greatest living American sculptors. He’s a modern person.”
Stella has created a specially curated “Jacksonville Stacked Stars” collection for the 100th anniversary.
“It’s a gorgeous sculpture that’s 30 feet tall and weighs about 5 tons, and it fills the entire space of the atrium. It’s literally looking up to the sky and dreaming about the next 100 years,” Doherty said. Ta.
“This is a cultural fabric, and we want to pattern it beautifully. You need every part of that pattern to understand the whole, and Comer needs to do it well.” said Doherty.
Doherty recognized the united front that MOCA shares with other museums and performing arts venues in Jacksonville.
“We need MOSH to do well. We need the Ritz to do well. Yeah, the Florida Theater, the Symphony Orchestra, all these people that we collaborate with, connect with, and advocate for. We advocate for each other. We can’t be isolated. We need to be open. We need to work together and look at the bigger picture that benefits everyone here in Jacksonville. there is.”
MOCA is planning activities throughout the year to commemorate this.
“When we started 100 years ago, these special women said they wanted to create the kind of community they wanted to live in, and they said they would do it through art,” Doherty said. “They brought some of the leading artists of the day to Jacksonville, and through those exhibitions they raised money for public school education.”
Dougherty believes community-building education and the arts have been the museum’s “heart for 100 years.”
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