This week, The Contemporaries, the young professionals organization at the Museum of Contemporary Art, will take over the museum in preparation for the group's third annual "333NYE" New Year's Eve celebration.
The theme this year is "Welcome to the Future."
"It's going to be a futuristic fete," said Christa Hanson, museum membership and development coordinator.
Guests are encouraged to attend in costume with black tie optional, she said. The evening includes music, dancing, a casino area, hors d'oeuvres, dessert and a champagne toast at midnight.
Kathy Collins, chef at Café Nola, said she is creating a visual, avante-garde menu.
"There will be dry ice involved," she said.
The party will be an opportunity to view a new exhibit featuring the work of artists who teach other artists.
"First Coast Portfolio: A Juried Art Educators Exhibition" showcases several North Florida art instructors from North Florida K-12 public and independent schools, including Jim Smith, recipient of the 2012 Memphis Wood Excellence in Teaching Award, and Tamara Culbert, the 2011 recipient.
Also, the museum has received a $75,000 grant from the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts to support and sustain MOCA's "Project Atrium" series. The foundation is focused on identifying and supporting contemporary art that is experimental or challenging.
Project Atrium allows nationally known artists to create installations for the museum's three-story gallery adjacent to the lobby.
The current exhibit, "Simony" by Ian Bogost, is an interactive video game. The top scorers will become a jury and will determine how funds raised by the game will be distributed.
"It's wide open. They could choose to fund a new acquisition for the museum – or they could elect to throw the money into the street," Bogost said in November while installing the exhibit.
"Receiving this recognition from the Warhol Foundation speaks to the caliber of artists and art exhibited in the museum's Project Atrium series and of MOCA's nascent national reputation. The series embodies Andy Warhol's inventive, open-minded spirit and desire for the visual arts to have a profound impact for generations to come," said MOCA Director Marcelle Polednik in a news release.
For more information about 333NYE, museum exhibits, hours and membership, visit mocajacksonville.org.
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