MOCA Jacksonville looking for a successful 2008

News

by Caroline Gabsewics

Staff Writer

The Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) Jacksonville will be expanding on past success in 2008.

In addition to looking forward to topping 2007, the museum is introducing a new type of event for the MOCA Art Council aboard the SeaFair Fine Art Yacht on March 19. The six-story yacht with 28 galleries will allow art enthusiasts around Northeast Florida to view art in an unusual venue.

Christopher Ford, manager of special events and facility rentals at MOCA Jacksonville, said there aren’t too many new events in 2008, but the museum is going to dig deeper to make events more art focused.

“A lot of our events were based around dance parties and we want to take some of the dance party out, and give our events more of an art focus,” he said.

Events that will see the change include Canvas of Sound on Feb. 9 and Mosaic on April 12.

“Essentially we are a museum,” said Ford. “Part of our mission is to educate the community on art and culture.”

At the last Canvas of Sound in September, Ford said they introduced new aspects of the event to see how guests reacted. Those who attended the event were able to create their own art projects as well as get a behind-the-scenes tour of the museum’s latest exhibits.

“We tried it out in September and it was a huge success. People really got into it,” said Ford.

By creating their own art projects, people were given a chance to understand and appreciate how a piece of art work is created. Deputy Director and Chief Curator of the museum George Kinghorn led the behind-the-scenes tours to show guests what a curator does before they present an exhibit to the public.

“We had a huge response from the tours and art projects,” said Ford. “From the feedback we got, they wanted more art related events.

“So we are going to give them what they asked for.”

Feb. 9’s Canvas of Sound will have an Asian flare to it. Ford said the museum is working alongside the Jacksonville Asian American Alliance.

Ford added that in the past, the museum found that people wanted to come to their Mosaic event, but were under the impression it was only for Jacksonville’s gay and lesbian community.

“We are involving a lot of people from the community, not just the gay and lesbian community,” said Ford. “It’s for anyone who supports art and that community is welcome. The event is designed to show our appreciation.”

The museum will also continue its series of art classes for adults with new opportunities to explore your personal creativity. “Studio MOCA” offers two six-session art classes on Wednesday evenings beginning Jan. 30 and concluding March 5.

“Studio MOCA” is offering two types of classes — Acrylic Essentials and Go Beyond Figure: Drawing with Live Models. The Acrylic Essentials classes cost $130 for members and $150 for non-members. The Drawing with Live Models classes are $150 for members and $170 for non-members.

Ali Isabelle will teach students how to model form, create texture and show depth with acrylic paint. Working from still-life objects, students will concentrate on light and shadows while exploring the possibilities of color interaction. The class is for past students, beginning and intermediate painters.

According to a press release, Isabelle is currently an art teacher at Martin Luther King Elementary in Jacksonville. She previously was Assistant Director of Education at MOCA Jacksonville and a museum educator at the Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens. she shows her acrylic paintings locally and nationally in public and private collections.

Jonathan Lux’s classes on Drawing with Live Models will focus on a natural approach to drawing that will allow the students to accurately reproduce what they see and not what they think they see. Students will examine the human form through a variety of models, and develop an understanding of the elements of visual logic.

Lux is an artist who has exhibited locally and regionally. His work has been included in “UNF’s Street Scene: 10 Years of New Painting in Jacksonville” and the “All Florida” show in Tampa. He has shown previously at MOCA Jacksonville.

Studio MOCA classes are for adults and teens ages 15 and up. All classes meet six sessions and are held in the 5th floor art studios of the MOCA Jacksonville Education Center. Register early to insure your spot. Full payment is required with registration.

To register or for more information on courses, class times, material lists, and instructors, please contact the Education Department at 366-6911 ext. 212 or [email protected].

Beginning Feb. 6, MOCA Jacksonville’s MOCA Underground Spring Cinema series will return and run through April 23. Twelve films will be shown on Wednesday nights during “MOCA in the Middle,” at the museum. Films will be shown in the museum’s 125-seat theatre beginning at 7 p.m.

MOCA Jacksonville box office opens at 6 p.m. MOCA Jacksonville advises to arrive early, because seating is limited.

MOCA Underground will cover the three universal topics of love, politics, and religion with diverse documentaries, fascinating foreign language films and experimental shorts.

MOCA Underground Cinema

Love

• Feb. 6: “Venus” — 2007

• Feb. 13: “Beyond the Rocks” — 1922

• Feb. 20: “Kolya,” — 1997

• Feb. 27: “Love: Experimental and Short – New Short Films from the International Fest of Cinema & Technology” Politics

• March 5: “The Devil Came on Horseback” — 2007

• March 12: “Enemies of Happiness (Vores Lykkes Fjender)” — 2006 & “I Was A Teenage Feminist” — 2005

• March 19: “The Lives of Others (Das Leben der Anderen)” — 2006

• March 26: “The Body Politic: Experimental and Short Films from the International Fest of Cinema & Technology” Religion

• April 2: “Short Cut to Nirvana” — 2004

• April 9: “For the Bible Tells Me So” — 2007