The old Lee & Cates Glass building on Forsyth Street has become the temporary home for a series of portraits saluting iconic Jacksonville musicians.
The building, which has been vacant since a 2003 fire, sits on the edge of the LaVilla neighborhood, which was a center for Black culture during the segregation era, earning it the nickname "Harlem of the South." The portrait project shines a spotlight on Black musicians with strong ties to the city.

Cultural Council Executive Director Departs, Interim Replacement Named The Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville Board of Directors today announced that Executive Director Joy Young is leaving the organization to pursue other opportunities. “We thank Joy for her service to the Cultural Council and wish her the best as she embarks on a new chapter,” said Jannet Walker-Ford, board chair for the Cultural Council. “The Cultural Council is in good shape financially and operationally.” 

Arbus Magazine

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What is the role of the Cultural Council to engage and bring awareness? 
As Jacksonville’s local arts agency, the Cultural Council is committed to investing in the arts and culture in the region. One way that we invest in our community is by using a variety of communication vehicles—social media, newsletters, television media, and our website—to spread the word about the incredible creativity that exists here. Creativity is happening around us every day and the Cultural Council is doing our part to ensure that the community knows that artists are producing new work, they are interpreting and documenting these turbulent times through thought-provoking work, and they are entertaining us. Our social media posts often give first-hand accounts about what is happening in our community. Our calendar of events links audiences to our community’s many long-standing arts organizations; in other words, we bring awareness by amplifying the public engagement efforts of the arts and cultural industries of our community.

By Alex Wilson  – Reporter, Jacksonville Business Journal
June 11, 2020
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​On Monday, the Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville reached out to the mayor's office. Around the country, monuments to the Confederacy were coming down, and the council wanted to start a conversation about doing so here.
As the custodian of the city's public art, it suggested creating a civic panel that could look at removing or recontextualizing the statues.
"The civic panel would unify the community through collectively identifying possibilities for actions toward public artworks such as removal, relocation, renaming, reinvestment, or reinterpretations through signage, or altogether new public artworks,” the letter read.
By Tuesday, the suggestion was a moot point.

Jax Daily Record
by: Karen Brune Mathis - Editor
​The programmable artwork featuring LED lighting is expected to be installed by the end of August.

By Alex Wilson  – Reporter, Jacksonville Business Journal
Jun 1, 2020, 2:23pm EDT

​JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA, May 18, 2020 – The Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville 44th Annual Arts awards is scheduled for September 2, 2020. The theme for this year’s event is “Bridges: Connecting Arts, Business and Community”.  To work within the unknowns of the current public health and social climate, they have planned an exciting hybrid event that will combine videos and interactive streaming for a virtual Arts Awards event that can’t be missed.
 
 “Moving forward with this reimagined Arts Awards will actually allow us to acknowledge the extraordinary individuals and businesses who are advocates and champions of arts and culture in our city to a much broader audience", commented Jannet Walker-Ford, Cultural Council Chair.