​The City's official collection currently consists of 115 pieces of art, including works from local, regional, and national artists. The collection includes photography, murals, mosaics, sculptures, and street furnishings. ​The goal of APP is to exhibit visual art that is compatible with and will enhance the architecture and general environment of the City.  
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​A Gust of Wind #2
 Jerry Smith (2003)

Jacksonville artist Jerry Smith has completed an 8-foot by 9-foot painting for the entrance of the San Marco Branch Library. The entrance area is used by both the Library and the Balis Community Center located on Hendricks Avenue. The artwork is from Smith’s series “Paintings of ‘S’, and depicts a San Marco landscape near the St. Johns River. In it, a sudden gust of wind from an incoming storm catches a girl’s umbrella and causes pages from her book to fly into the sky. “These recent paintings have been made In Jacksonville about life in Jacksonville in one way or another,” said Smith. “Most often I choose as subject matter those closest to me and the spaces inside and outside my door. I seek the desire to send with the viewer a lasting impression of beauty and grace.”

Allegory of a Library
Kathryn Freeman (2005)

The Artist creates this allegory through architectural references, portraits of famous Jacksonville personalities and writers, and illustrations of literary works by Jacksonville authors.  The city’s beginnings as Cowford, as well as the contemporary skyline are part of this visual exploration of Jacksonville's culture and history.
Working with local historians and community leaders, Kathryn Freeman used local architecture as the framework for the murals. In response to her invitation, over 1000 school students wrote the artist regarding their favorite books, characters, and the authors which the artist incorporated into the work. The murals include authors with ties to Jacksonville, characters from children’s classics, historic civic leaders, and favorite local pastimes.

​Aquacycle
​Phillip Estlund (2004)

Eight icy blue panels of layered heat-formed acrylic sheets suggest forces of nature such as breaking waves, the artist states, “The interpretations of the viewer complete the work by the act of visual engagement. I welcome all possible interpretations.” The artist guides the viewer with the title; the word “aqua” comes from the Latin word for water. Phillip Estlund is a 1992 graduate of Douglas Anderson School of the Arts in Jacksonville and grew up in Old Arlington.

Art in Public Places Photography Collection
Various Artists- Ongoing

The works of 15 notable photographers’ comprise the city of Jacksonville’s Art in Public Places Photography collection. Thirty-six works are currently displayed in the lower level gallery of the Main Library including artist and artwork information. An interactive kiosk located in the gallery also features highlights of community engagement as part of recent Jacksonville Public art projects. The following artists are represented.
Linda Broadfoot, Tom Chambers, Frank Dienst, Susan Kae Grant, Judy Habert, Tom Hager, Paul Karabinis, Thersa Segal, Jay Shoots, Amy Stein, Maggie Taylor, Anna Tomczak, Jerry Uelsmann, Rick Wagner, and Mark Sain Wilson.

​Charles E. Bennett Statue
William F. Duffy (2004)

Homage made in bronze, this life-size statue of Florida’s longest serving congressman stands erect in Hemming Plaza and faces in the direction of Washington. Mr. Bennett had few requests for his depiction, one of them being the inclusion of the U.S motto “In God We Trust” a quote found on all U.S currency and an act of legislation Bennett helped sponsor.
William F. Duffy is an acclaimed sculptor of public and private collection. “As an artist, I have become keenly aware of the importance of public art amenities.  I reject the notion that sculpture is a decorative afterthought in a public place, believing instead that art and its surroundings are part of an organic whole with multiple layers of meaning.” – William F. Duffy

​Circ de Vie (Circle of Life)
Sarah Crooks Flaire (2006)

In Circ de Vie, Sarah Crooks Flaire explores the natural world by combining figurative drawings with botanical imagery completing a bountiful circle of life. This monumental puzzle painting incorporates three-dimensional cutouts of the five elements (water, fire, earth, wind and space) and is a visual celebration of the diversity of living things.

​Coruscating River
Felici Asteinza & Joey Fillastre ​(2013)

“Coruscating river,” by St. Augustine artist Felici Asteinza and Joey Fillastre of Milagros Art Collection, is best seen by drivers entering downtown from the Hart Bridge Expressway, a main thoroughfare carrying over 50,000 motorists each day. This mural depicts the qualities of line, shape and color to radiate human dignity and the vibrancy of life.

​Flywheel
David Griggs (2006)

David Griggs’ birds appear to fly around the exterior tower and encircle the rotunda, casting colored shadows and creating a sense of dynamic movement. The design was intended to engage children, parents, neighbors, staff, and visitors with a playful and welcoming presence. Griggs’ interest in creating a sense of movement with stationary sculpture can be seen in other works, such as a suspended atrium sculpture at a fitness center in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

The Gathering
Paul Braun (2005)

Paul Braun explains, “Sculpture is about creating form in which the artist demonstrates control, balance, and mystery.” The carved abstract symbols and organic patterns inspired by Celtic carvings and ancient stone formations, such as Stonehenge. Soapstone has been used for carving for thousands of years by artisans throughout the world. Braun intentionally left the stone rough in some places to reveal the natural beauty of the material.

Girl with Origami
Sean Mahan (2013)

“Girl with Origami” is a symbolic creation from Neptune Beach artist Sean Mahan, meant to express the harmonious interaction between an individual and her surroundings. Mahan’s mural is designed to engage pedestrians at the street level and serve as a visual connector to accessible public parking.

Haven Creek
Allison Watson (2005)

Allison Watson, a lifelong resident of North Florida, is renowned for large-scale landscape scenes in Florida and the South. Watson paints from her own photographs of local sites as well as remote locations around the world. Haven Creek depicts woodlands found in Western Duval County.

​Imagination Tree
Kelli Bickman (2005)

“All of the wonderful things that we can find in the world of imagination can be found between the pages of a book,” Kelli Bickman writes. This whimsical and colorful mural depicts children engaged in reading to illustrate the power of books, the magic of libraries, and the importance of imagination. Bickman is not only a painter but has published her own book of photographs (What I Thought I Saw) in addition to illustrating and designing book jackets for several notable authors.

Lavilla Braid
Susan Cooper (2007)

Susan Cooper's three-part installation was inspired by the rich history of art, music, and film at the theatre. She uses light and color as her predominate artistic media. Eight aluminum wall-mounted sculptures depict abstractions of film, music, art, and water. A sculpture made from woven, colored LED light tubes wraps around the southwest corner of the building, while an installation of crisscrossed lights projects onto the top level of the building - viewable from a considerable distance. Cooper was inspired by MaVynee Betsch, better known as the Beach Lady, who worked for over 30 years to preserve American Beach, one of the few beaches open to African-Americans from the 1930's-1960's. Like Betsch's complex hairstyle, Cooper braids metal, color, and light to reflect the Beach Lady's intertwining of history and culture.

Lyrical Light
Caroline Madden, Jonathan Christie with students from Jacksonville University's College of Fine Arts Glass Program (2006)

This large-scale glass sculpture is suspended from the ceiling of the Times-Union Center for the Performing Arts. The spiral form is reminiscent of a corkscrew, twists of a rollercoaster, or rolling waves of water. Funded by Brumos Motor Cars, Inc. and presented as a gift to the City of Jacksonville, the work was created by Jacksonville University faculty and students. It weighs approximately 4,000 pounds and consists of more than 300 individual glass horns.

Meander 
​David Olson (2005)

David Olson describes the work as, “abstract gestural starfield with constellations and a copper river undulating through the center.” The title of this work, Meander, refers to the windings of a river or the act of wandering. Like the title suggests, library is a place to wander and discover, a place where facts and imagination meet.

​Memorial to the Great Fire of Jacksonville
​Bruce White ( 2002)

This memorial commemorates the Great Fire of Jacksonville in 1901, the largest metropolitan fire to have occurred in the South, before or since. Reportedly the fire started at a mattress factory in the LaVilla area, quickly destroying over 2,000 buildings, leaving 10,000 people homeless. Despite the devastation, the fire triggered an amazing reconstruction effort that established the foundation of modern Jacksonville. Bruce White describes this memorial as a form "rising from the ashes." His Memorial to the Great Fire of Jacksonville was the first work created after the City of Jacksonville adopted the Art in Public Places Ordinance.

Mirrored River: Where do you see yourself
RouxArt (2015)

“Mirrored River: Where Do You See Yourself?” by Kate and Kenny Rouh of RouxArt is a mirror mosaic of the St. Johns River, surrounded by an organic and flowing wavy pattern of blue tile and mirror, and five quotes about the rivers significantly hidden throughout. The curved blue forms mimic the St. Johns River, while the geometric shapes reflect the city. The pattern represents the movement in both realms and is used to visually mend the two.

​No Couch Potatoes Here
Roxanne Horvath & Peter Rumpel (2006)

Roxanne Hovarth and Peter Rumpel are local artists/architects. No Couch Potatoes Here is a group of three oversized chairs designed to attract visitors to the outdoor amphitheater and to encourage interaction with the work. The backrests of each chair/throne feature abstract shapes related to football, basketball, and tennis - all of which are after-school activities at the PAL. Horvath and Rumpel also designed the Richard and Annette Bloch Cancer Survivors Park on State Street in downtown Jacksonville.

​The Pathway to Consciousness
Dana Chapman (2005)

These larger-than-life size, three-dimensional sculptures resemble organic objects found in nature. Dana Chapman describes the installation of the artwork as a trophy showroom, displaying natural objects rather than animals. Chapman states, “I explore the phenomenon of collecting and how generations use objects to recall memories.”

Pine Breeze Dandy
​Michael Stutz (2004)

Michael Stutz's signature technique weaves and welds bronze to capture this graceful horse in motion. His work investigates the history, physical characteristics, and daily activity at the site of each of his works. In the case of Pine Breeze Dandy, the subject reflects the purpose of the facility while the title was inspired by the pine trees surrounding the wooded site. Stutz stated, "My role as an artist involves a great deal of communicating, educating, and listening."

​Revelation
Joe Segal (2005)

Segal was confronted with a difficult task - to create a piece that would serve as both an artwork and as identification for the building. He chose to create one vertical sculpture while another horizontal sculpture doubles as a sign for the library and community center. Both illustrate Segal's trademark minimalism and hand-worked surfaces. In this work and others, the artist strips away the surface of the material to reveal what lies beneath, much like the erosive processes in nature. Both pieces intentionally complement the exterior of the library.

​Rookie Card
Barbara Grygutis (2005)

“I create works of art designed to give meaning and to identity public spaces," Barbara Grygutis writes. Her sculpture depicts a baseball player in classic uniform, framed by the outline of a baseball trading card. Here Grygutis celebrates both the great American pastime and the shared nostalgia of collecting baseball cards. Her installation is complemented by granite benches shaped like baseballs- creating a gathering place for people to meet at a game.

​Rotary Monument
(2012)

In 1918, the Rotary Club of Jacksonville  was instrumental in organizing a community-wide effort to create Memorial Park to honor the 1200  Floridians who died in World War I.
The year 2012 marks the 100th anniversary of the founding  of the Rotary Club of Jacksonville Florida's first club. This monument  recognizes Rotary's contribution and commitment to service above self.

​Showing the Way: Tillie K. Fowler Memorial
Brower Hatcher (2009)

Artist Brower Hatcher was inspired by the tree imagery Rev. Barnum McCarthy used in Fowler’s eulogy – “She may have been known as a Steel Magnolia, but to me she was a mighty oak. She reached out in all directions, gracing everything she touched. She always made a difference.” Fowler served as Jacksonville’s first female City Council President from 1982-1985 and later served four terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. When she retired in 2000, Fowler was the highest ranking woman in the U.S. Congress and received the Navy’s Distinguished Public Service Award and the Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service. Fowler joined the Washington D.C. office of Holland & Knight in 2001, and died in March 2005.

​SquirrelyQ
Liz Mapelli (2005)

SquirrelyQ is suspended across the glass facade of the building in five vertical columns. The fused glass, or glass that has been fired in a kiln at a range of high temperatures from 1,100°F to 1,500°F, is brightly colored and interestingly textured. The use of dichroic glass introduces an iridescent surface that creates a luminous effect in natural and artificial light. Additionally, Liz Mapelli was commissioned to create Deepest Secrets, a mosaic of glass tiles, for Baptist Hospital South in Jacksonville, Florida in 2005.

​Stepping Stones
Nofa Farha Dixon (2005)

Stepping Stones is a series of trompe l’oeil or “fool the eye” paintings depicting irregular groupings of stones painted directly on the floor tiles. Nofa Dixon is known for painterly surfaces on three-dimensional clay forms. The artist also uses two-dimensional formats with "the intent of pushing the clay medium to new levels of form and embellishment."

​Sun Salutations
​BJ Katz (2005)

BJ Katz is a leader in the kiln-fired art glass industry. Inspired by the rich quality of sunlight in Florida, the artist created a work of art based on sunshine. Sun Salutations hangs under the glass ceiling of the library and is illuminated by natural light during the daytime. Light quality, viewer perspective, and light refraction make this piece appear to change; on a sunny day the piece looks different than on a cloudy day.

Talking Continents
Jaume Plensa (2003)

Six kneeling figures greet visitors as they gather for events. The figures symbolize the six inhabited continents of the world and silently communicate through the universal language of color. Lights inside the kneelers are programmed to change colors regularly, as if the figures are speaking to one another. By placing the figures atop 30' high poles, the artist forces the viewer to gaze upward towards, what he called, "the beautiful Jacksonville sky." The kneeling figures, in proximity to a nearby restored historic church, also evoke a connection between the heavens and the earth.

​Untitled ( Reading Room Mural)
​Al Head (2006)

Al Held is well-known for his large-scale paintings of abstract geometric forms. Like many painters in the 1950s-1960s, Held reacted against the spontaneity and disorder of gestural Abstract Expressionist painters such as Jackson Pollock. The artist was originally commissioned to create four paintings for the Library's Grand Reading Room, but only one was completed before his death in July 2005. The artwork was funded by a gift from the Jacksonville Public Library Foundation.

​Untitled Quasicrystal Sculpture
Tony Robbin (2004)

Untitled Quasicrystal Sculpture suggests the structure of a gigantic, 300 pound molecule. In fact, Quasicrystal refers to a relatively new branch of crystallography, which is the study of atomic and molecular structure. Tony Robbin explains, "My work uses a new geometry taken from science and mathematics to create structures with new visual properties appearing to change shape as one passes by on foot." Much like a kaleidoscope, as you move closer to or father away from the work, its configuration seems to magically transform. To date, Untitled Quasicrystal Sculpture is Robbin's only public art on view in the world.

​Wisdom
Larry Kirkland (2005)

Larry Kirkland uses the owl, a traditional symbol of wisdom, to identify the Main Library as a place of information and learning. In ancient Greek mythology, Athena, Goddess of Wisdom, was the daughter of Zeus. She was able to change form, often into an owl. This work was inspired by a sculpture created by Michelangelo for the Medici Chapel in Florence, Italy. The golden key behind the owl incorporates the Greek letters for A and Z, referencing the beginning and the end, while the book itself unlocks the knowledge inside books. In 1999, Kirkland also created an installation of cast bronze animals, toys, and trains in the Kid's Walk, a 650-foot bridge connecting Jacksonville's Wolfson Children's Hospital and Nemours Children's Clinic.

​Wisdom Walls
Jan Tomlinson Master &Wendy Mandel McDaniel (2004)

The artists describe the entrance as, “a gateway to a safe haven for learning and friendship.” Nearly 100 children worked with two artists to design and install the mosaic entryway. Quotes from world leaders such as Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. intermingle with whimsical imagery of spirals, butterflies, and harlequin shapes to inspire the children each time they enter the building.

 Downtown Investment Authority Urban Arts Project Phase I 

Guardian of the River
Rafael Consuegra (2017)

The Sculpture is a feminine figure with wings. The woman represents maternity; the wings symbolize the liberty and freedom, the waiving arrow in her hands is pointing North, representing the flow of the St. John's River. Consuegra's main objective is to create a stopping point where everybody can have access and interact with the piece. His purpose in creating the sculpture is to create a symbol for the City of Jacksonville. 

Urban Flora No.1 & Urban Flora No.2 
​Jenny Hager (2017)

The sculptural seating is located in the kids play area of Hemming Park. This type of functional art gives flare and color to otherwise mundane spaces. The abstracted flower forms are meant to contrast the harshness of the surrounding concrete and brick. 

Syncopated Pixels 
​Michelle Weinberg (2017)

Weinberg designed images for vinyl wraps that were placed on seven traffic signal cabinets. "My work involves a personalized approach to the sublime geometry that exists in nature and the right angles that make the built environment possible. All my work addresses architectural spaces as if they were theater sets , and the urban street corner is a very potent axis for human social activity. The traffic signal cabinet is a marker on the urban grid, a pixel in a game scheme." - Weinberg 

Earth, Fire, Water, and Air
​Lance Vickery (2017) 

Sculptural bike racks balance form with function and comply with national bicycle parking standards ​to make bicycle parking more readily available along shared streets and at destinations. Lance's sculptural bike racks resemble the elements, earth, water, fire, and air. His sculpture concentrates on tension between interiority and exteriority, both metaphorically and physically.

Lance's concept was to activate the urban landscape with line and form and interesting use of color. To become a cultural touchstone that forms a strong community bond through the arts.