With a spoken word performance by Carol Alexander, the Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville kicked off its annual Arts Awards Tuesday at the T-U Center. Over 300 people from the arts community were present to hear Mayor John Delaney discuss the importance of the arts and find out who won this year’s awards.
Thanks to the Arts in Public Places Ordinance, roughly $200,000 a month for the next few years will be spent on public art, according to Delaney.
“Art provides a new way to look at an object or person,” said Delaney. “It gives us deeper insight into humanity. Why art? Because science cannot explain love, death or war.”
Because of his efforts to promote culture in Jacksonville, Jacqueline Holmes presented the mayor with the Cultural Council’s Founder’s Award.
“The Founder’s Award is not given with any regularity but only when an extraordinary person in our community has made an enormous difference in the progress of arts and cultural life in Jacksonville,” said Holmes.
City Council president Jerry Holland and Missy Boney, chair-elect for the Cultural Council Board of Directors, presented awards to Erik Hart, executive director of the Florida Theatre, in the individual category; Sea Turtle Inn, nominated by the Beaches Fine Art Series, in the small business category; Target Stores for the corporate category; and artist Daniel Wynn in the Educator in the Arts category.