Art walk canceled for April, pending for May

The rapid outbreak of the coronavirus has put a chill on art and events around Jacksonville. While the arts are proving to be essential to maintaining our mental and emotional health, in-person displays and exhibitions will simply have to wait.

For now, April's Art Walk is the only one that has been canceled and May is still scheduled as planned.

Unfortunately, it seems unlikely that May's show will go on - and even if it does proceed, attending might not be particularly wise.

While the governor's stay at home order only covers thirty days, it leaves huge exemptions for public gatherings - even ones that local governments have tried to curtail. This is likely to make them relatively ineffective at stopping the spread of covid-19, and that just means the time to stay at home will have to be extended.

Even if the order is lifted, we're likely to still be experiencing a peak in new diagnoses, hospitalizations, and deaths. So if the event goes through, it will just end up being another vector for infection.

The most optimistic estimates right now are pointing to a peak in late June or early July. It's probably just not going to be a good idea to gather together for any reason until then, so take advantage and enjoy some of the resources that are available online!

• Getty Challenge
• National Gallery of Art
• Vermont Art Online

Cummer Museum Seeks New CEO

The current director and CEO of the Cummer Museum and Gardens abruptly announced his pending resignation less than two years after taking on the role. Adam M. Levine told a stunned audience that he would be pursuing an opportunity to curate ancient art in Toledo, Ohio.

Unfortunately, the time he spent working as CEO at the Cummer was shorter than the time the Cummer spent looking for him.

For anyone who has known anything about the arts scene in Jacksonville, the Cummer Museum is a cultural foundation. Students of all ages attend field trips, and I recall writing essays about several of the paintings on several different occasions. I was never even an art major!

In addition to the meticulously magical gardens, the museum holds some of the city's most prized and most famous artworks. Local artists - as well as nationally and internationally renowned artists - are represented in the collection.

Unfortunately, the job search is not so representative of the local Jacksonville community.

The financial leadership of Jacksonville seems to have turned against the people of Jacksonville

Instead of considering local applicants for leadership and executive jobs, people are continually imported from out of town based on aggressive resumes that show growth - by job hopping. These applicants appear impressive on paper - and they may even do good work - but they have no loyalty to the organizations that hire them and they have no loyalty to the city that supports those organizations. We provide that next step on the career ladder, and they're back off to where they came from so they can settle down.

A wealth of artistic and administrative talent reside in Jacksonville 

While leaders imagine Jacksonville becoming a global city, that won't happen if our local citizens never have a chance to exercise career growth and leadership in city institutions. It's not fair to argue that all positions, contracts, and grants should be reserved for local citizens, but it isn't fair that a majority of that funding and those senior positions do go to candidates from outside of Jacksonville. A balance must be struck by consulting with the various academic, professional, and philanthropic institutions.

Efforts must be made to mentor the next generation of artists and art leaders, and that includes on the job with promotions in the museums and galleries that they already run and operate. We do want to be a world class city, and we've got the potential, but someone has to invest in the people who define what that city ultimately is. Then and only then will we attract the highest quality of talent from around the world. Until then, we're left to hire expensive mercenaries who will flee at the first sight of difficulties or a better opportunity.

Scammer Busted for Fake Art in Jacksonville

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MilwaukeeWorld: ART FAKE DEALER KENNEDY, FIGURE IN 2005 MILWAUKEE CASE, ARRESTED ON FEDERAL CHARGES IN FLORIDA

A repeat offending art scammer was arrested this week in Florida on federal charges and now faces as much as 10 years in prison. The final charge was for retaliation against a witness or potential witness, but this guy has been moving around the country selling fake art and even pushing it online.

All the details are at Milwaukeeworld (I told you, this guy gets around!)

Thanks to the Jacksonville FBI offices and other local law enforcement for catching up with this guy and keeping the Jacksonville art scene honest.

Jacksonville Artists on Blogspot

Attention all visual artists in the Jacksonville and north-east Florida area! This blog is here for you! We'll be building up links to local artists and we'll be displaying art from the best talent Jacksonville has to offer.

If you are an artist, or know someone who is, please send me an email with a link to your work or a few sample pictures. It doesn't matter if its painting, ceramics, computer design, sculpture, or photography: This is the place for visual art from Jax. FL.