David Hansford, Winged Victory Statue, 2011, acrylic on canvas, 36 x 24 in.
Exhibiting at the Cummer from June 14 – July 31, 2011: The Neighborhood as Art: Celebrating the Riverside-Avondale Area.
As part of the Cummer’s 50th Anniversary, the Museum has partnered with Riverside Avondale Preservation to celebrate our wonderful neighborhood with a juried exhibition. Opening on June 14th, the Cummer will host The Neighborhood as Art, which will feature works that celebrate the art, architecture, people, parks, river, and landscape that make the Riverside-Avondale neighborhood great.
Recently named one of the American Planning Association’s 10 Great Neighborhoods in America for 2010, and the first in Florida to win this honor, the Riverside-Avondale neighborhood is a cultural treasure to Jacksonville residents and visitors. And, as it has played such an important part in the Cummer’s growth and legacy, it only seemed fitting to honor the community by presenting this exhibit within the Cummer’s 50th Anniversary celebration.
Christina Foard, Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens, Aerial, 2011, oil on canvas, 36 x 48 in.
Earlier this year, the Cummer Museum and Riverside Avondale Preservation collaborated to jury this exhibition, which will showcase local artistic talents and what the neighborhood means to the Jacksonville community. We announced a Call to Artists, encouraging local artists to submit their original works of art that capture the Riverside-Avondale area for a juried exhibition. We welcomed artists to submit past, present, and/or future visions of the neighborhood. The jury received a remarkable response, in which artists submitted over 150 works of art to be considered.
Thirty-four selected works of art by local artists will be on view in the Thomas H. Jacobsen Gallery, including paintings, photographs, 3-dimensional works and video. Additionally, several of Riverside Avondale Preservation’s historic photos will be featured, which will provide a historical perspective of the neighborhood alongside the artists’ contemporary interpretations. The exhibition will be open through July 31st, and will include programming such as a lecture on the history of the Riverside-Avondale neighborhood as well as self-guided tours of local artists’ studios.
Pablo F. Rivera, Memorial Park Through a Pinhole, 2010, photograph, 4 x 16 in.
Mark your calendars for our Community Opening of The Neighborhood as Art, on Tuesday, June 14th, from 4 to 8 pm. There will be free 45-minute leisurely neighborhood bike tours with (red-e)2ride bike tours, given at 5:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.; use your bicycles or ours! There will also be live music and family activities. Admission is FREE, and there is no registration necessary. So come celebrate our Great Neighborhood with us!
