Member of the Cultural Council staff recently had the privilege of having a private tour of MOCA, Jacksonville with the chief curator, Ylva Rouse. The experience was nothing less than inspirational, and we came away with a much greater sense and respect for the curatorial process and the hours, experience, knowledge, and detail that goes into each and every decision. The Atrium exhibit, per usual, is formidable. The voluminous space commands an impressive display and the current exhibit, like all before, delivers just that. The colors, patterns, sounds, and vibrancy of “PROJECT ATRIUM: CARL JOE WILLIAMS: MAKING GREAT LIVES MATTER, welcomes you to the museum and sets the stage for what to expect on the ascending floors. Making Great Lives Matter considers the idea of the American Dream. In the Atrium, Williams' signature vibrant and rhythmic geometric patterns, inspired by African American quilt patterns and ancient sacred geometry, cover the 40ft high Atrium walls. Embedded throughout are objects and power symbols, including Adinkra symbols from West Africa; the American flag, and Confederate flag; as well as ancient symbols adopted by supremacist groups in the 20th century; all woven together to form a historical backdrop for the televisions and video monitors in the lower tiers. The televisions feature harrowing newsreel footage of injustice, including the death of George Floyd that shook the country in May of 2020. The lower tier of videos features members of the Jacksonville community providing answers to a series of questions posed by the artist that explore their own perspectives on the American Dream. (taken from the MOCA Jax website) The second floor is home to exhibits from the museum’s permanent works. As we viewed the geometric and patterned images on the walls, Rouse explained the creative process of collecting works from the museum’s permanent collection to create an exhibit around a particular theme. The current exhibit, THE CIRCLE AND THE SQUARE, focuses on the ancient connection between geometry and art. ROMANCING THE MIRROR The next exhibit was ROMANCING THE MIRROR An international collection of artwork using an array of media and techniques to portray contemporary views of femininity, appropriately on display during Women’s History Month. Click here to learn more about this exhibit. MULTIPLE ONES: CONTEMPORARY PERSPECTIVES IN PRINTMAKING, was located on the third floor of the museum, during our visit, but has since ended. Visitors were able to view an array of work that challenges the concept of traditional printmaking, bringing it into a 3-dimensional art form. One of the impressive pieces was created by Sheila Goloborotko, Professor of Printmaking at University of North Florida and curator of the exhibit. A collection of hand cut, clear, mylar images suspended from the ceiling, that, when seen under the right light reveal important words from our nation’s history. The exhibit featured the work of contemporary printmakers and has been shown at the Hunterdon Art Museum, Clinton, New Jersey, and in the Kwan Fong Gallery of Art and Culture and William Rolland Gallery of Fine Art at California Lutheran University, Thousand Oaks, California. Making our way back down the stairs, we ended our tour with the JEREMY DEAN: NEITHER I, NOR TIME, NOR HISTORY. Dean has poignantly woven together archival materials with present day footage and multimedia, to bring to light the history of the Civil Rights movement in Florida, and give context for present day attitudes. Click here to learn more about this exhibit. This review of our tour is a meager attempt to describe the multi-sensory experience of everything we saw and learned from Ylva. It’s meant to give you just a taste of what awaits you at the museum, during your own in-person, or virtual tour.
To learn more about visiting MOCA Jacksonville, go to: https://mocajacksonville.unf.edu/
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