Welcome
From the Director
It is a pleasure to welcome you to the Museum of Contemporary Art Jacksonville, a cultural resource of the University of North Florida and one of the Southeast’s largest contemporary art institutions. Situated on Hemming Plaza since 2003, MOCA is dedicated to presenting innovative exhibitions by the finest international, national and regional artists of our time.
This winter, as an antidote to our fast-paced age, MOCA will slow down to contemplate works of art that explore the boundaries of time itself. SLOW: Marking Time in Photography and Film features seven internationally renowned artists that engage photography, film and video to explore questions of time and duration. As many of the works evolve over the course of being viewed in the galleries, they invite the viewer to slow down the process of looking and be drawn into their spellbinding vistas and worlds
The content of SLOW; the artists involved; and how art and science converge and diverge on the concept of time will all be explored through the programs that will accompany this exciting featured exhibition. The dynamic offerings will include an interactive panel discussion with several of the artists, a series of exciting lunch and learn opportunities, a fun and informative lecture with MOSH’s planetarium director, and a community wide Q & A session with me about presenting conceptual-based exhibitions. Moreover, we are once again collaborating with Jacksonville’s photography festival—PHOTOJAX—in presenting an exciting photography-based community response project.
The upcoming installment of Project Atrium will feature Atlanta-based artist Sarah Emerson, whose site-specific wall painting will harness the violence and romantic sadness of the natural landscape to provoke a sense of fragility and instability beneath the surface of the image. Overtaking all three walls of the Atrium, this new commission will brim with natural elements that can also be seen to parallel the conflict between our human and more animalistic tendencies.
MOCA’s ongoing partnership with the University of North Florida opens this season with a juried exhibition of student work. This exhibition is followed by Barbara Ritzman Devereux visiting artist Michael Aurbach.
Taking inspiration from the theme of the SLOW exhibition, this year’s annual benefit— The Contemporary Classic —will present an evening of homage to slow food and local craft cuisine. Proceeds from this spirited event will support our educational initiatives. Arrive early for the seated dinner in our galleries, followed by a cocktail and tasting party.
As we look forward to the many offerings of the season, I hope you will seize these opportunities and take part in our timely journey. I look forward to seeing you often at the Museum.
Marcelle Polednik, Ph.D.
Director
Mission Statement
The Museum of Contemporary Art Jacksonville, a private non-profit visual arts educational institution and cultural resource of the University of North Florida, serves the community and its visitors through exhibitions, collections, educational programs, and publications designed to enhance an understanding and appreciation of modern and contemporary art with particular emphasis on works created from 1960 to the present.
MOCA Jacksonville is a cultural resource of and funded in part by the University of North Florida with additional funding by the City of Jacksonville; Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville; the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs and by the generous support of our members.
MOCA Jacksonville’s website was funded through a generous grant from the Jessie Ball duPont Fund.