By: Alex Barnhart
In the heart of downtown Jacksonville, a beacon of creativity shines out of the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA).
MOCA is situated at 333 N. Laura St. and features a variety of exhibits, pieces and artists. Originally founded in 1924 by four women, MOCA serves as an education center for anyone who wishes to enrich their understanding of contemporary art and culture. Amber Sesnick, the director of communications for Arts UNF at MOCA, speaks about the museum’s vision for connecting the Jacksonville community to art.
“It can be enlightening, inspiring, you know, to look at the world through another person’s viewpoint, and artists give us a really good opportunity to do that,” she said.
A MOCA ambassador, Emily Amado, talks about the different artistic techniques and eras museum patrons will glimpse on their visit.
“You see a lot of the Cubism, Impressionism, Realism in there, and then like, the duality between exhibitions that show the future of modern art and more contemporary designs and styles,” Amado said.
MOCA is home to historical art pieces. But it also houses pieces created by artists around today. Sesnick says she loves this aspect of working at the museum.
“It’s an opportunity to interact with people who are creating now, exploring the things that we are all experiencing,” she said.
It’s also a way to build empathy, she says, when viewers see and ponder art that represents another person’s experience or perspective they may not share. Dustin Harewood is a Jacksonville artist and muralist currently hosted by the museum. In fact, guests are greeted by his work as they walk in — his mural, created jointly with artist Shaun Thurston, emblazons the back wall facing the museum entrance.
The piece, standing nearly three stories high, relies on Harewood and Thurston’s brilliant attention to detail and striking use of color. The mural, referred to currently as Project Atrium: Muralists in Action, references different aspects of the city, such as the statue of Andrew Jackson and Synder Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church across the street.
In the mural, Harewood and Thurston draw attention to Jacksonville’s identity, and beckon viewers to stop a minute. Stand, stare, and be silent — and allow the art to speak.
Harewood feels very strongly about art and its potential to educate. He talks about his own experience with art: “I think I realized at some point, as a young adult, that this is kind of why I’m here.”
Teresa Cook is a watercolor artist and instructor that often teaches and sketches at the musuem. Through a combination of talent, hard work and grit, Cook has been able to pursue art full time and support herself doing so.
“I see being an artist, being a full-time artist as a luxury. I think it’s something that everybody doesn’t get the opportunity to obtain,” she said.
Not everyone can be a full-time artist — but there’s always something to see and learn at MOCA. Eugene Bell, a security guard at the museum, started his job almost a month ago, and he admits he’s no artist. But he says his job has given him a new appreciation for the beauty around him.
“At first, I really didn’t know too much about art, until I started to walk around a lot, and started to see different things that I didn’t know I could recognize. But it’s really interesting and gave me a new look on art,” Bell said.
MOCA is open to Jacksonville residents from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays.
Find additional information on hours, ticket pricing and special events of MOCA, click here.
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