May 15, 2012 – May 15, 2012

6:30 pm – 7:30 pm

Location: Ponte Vedra Beach Library 101 Library Blvd, Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, 32082

Call 904-280-2976 for reservations.

Claude Monet, French, 1840–1926. Autumn on the Seine, Argenteuil, 1873, Oil on canvas, 21 3/8 x 28 7/8 inches. Purchase with funds from the Forward Arts Foundation, The Buisson Foundation, Eleanor McDonald Storza Estate, Frances Cheney Boggs Estate, Katherine John Murphy Foundation, and High Museum of Art Enhancement Fund, 2000.205.

FOCUS Cummer will host A Spring Garden Party (Garden Hats de Rigueur) on Thursday, April 26^th at The Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens.

The Annual meeting will begin at 5:30 p.m. followed by a lecture on Impressionism from Debra Murphy, PhD at 6 p.m. Also during that time, the bar will open and there will be a Curatorial Tour of the Impressionist exhibit.

The music and program will begin at 7 p.m.

There will also be three Food Stations consisting of beef carving, homemade fried chicken and an ice cream sundae bar.

The cost for members is $90 and $110 for non-members. For every ticket sold, $25 will be donated to The Cummer.

Payments must be received by Friday, April 20^th and there will be no refunds after April 23^rd. To RSVP, contact Wendy Stanley at (904) 899-6007 or send your payment to 829 Riverside Avenue Jacksonville, FL 32204 ATTN: Wendy Stanley.

Friends from the Ocean Communities United to Support The Cummer

The purpose of FOCUS Cummer is to support the Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens and enhance the membership experience. This is accomplished by providing significant financial and volunteer support to the Museum, promoting educational programs for both youth and adults, and creating a variety of fun, Museum-related events for its members.

Richard Chamberlain began this series of paintings encompassing his experiences in Vietnam. He called this collection The Year of the Sheep, which is the Chinese zodiac for the year he spent in Southeast Asia. This series consists of black-and-white images that are reminiscent of the abstracted landscapes. Chamberlain used these paintings to deal with his anger and depression from the war. His healing method resulted in this emotional and brilliant collection.

Adventures in Art is a monthly series put together by FOCUS Cummer and the Friends of the Ponte Vedra Beach Library. All events at the library are free and open to the public.  No reservations are required.

FOCUS Cummer is an affinity group of The Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens. FOCUS members are residents of the Beaches area who are involved with a variety of educational and social events that support The Cummer’s mission to engage and inspire through arts, gardens and education.

The Friends of the Library is organized to enhance and enrich the community by making the Ponte Vedra Beach public library an outstanding educational, cultural, civic and recreational center.

Madame Monet by Claude Monet

Written by Gerry Bialka

The next Adventures in Art series at the Ponte Vedra Library takes place at 6:30pm Tuesday, January 17th. Local artist Jan Bialka will present “The Influence of Japanese woodcuts on the Impressionists” in conjunction with The Cummer Museum’s exhibition of Japanese woodcuts and the forthcoming exhibit of Impressionist art.

As Japanese prints first became available to European and American artists in the late 1800’s, they incorporated the subjects, motifs, and compositional devices of the Japanese into their art. Striving to create a new and modern kind of art, they found both motivation and models in the artistic techniques of the Japanese.

Jan Bialka is a local artist. She studied art history at Lake Forest College and graduated from the Ray-Vogue School of Design in Chicago. More recently you may remember Jan as the owner of Compleat Books in Sawgrass Village or as the president of the Friends of the Ponte Vedra Beach Library.

Adventures in Art is a monthly series cosponsored by FOCUS Cummer and the Friends of the Ponte Vedra library. All events at the library are free and open to the public.  No reservations are required.

FOCUS Cummer is an affinity group of the Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens. FOCUS’ members are residents of the Beaches communities who are united to support the Cummer’s mission to engage and inspire through art, gardens, and education.

The Friends of the Library Ponte Vedra Beach is organized to enhance and enrich the community by making the Ponte Vedra Beach public library an outstanding educational, cultural, civic and recreational center.