Earlier this month, a dynamic collective of local businesses, artists, educators, and community leaders teamed up to facilitate a community driven public art project on the exterior façade of Knopf & Sons Bindery, located at 1817 Florida Avenue, Jacksonville, FL 32206. The 150’ mixed-media mural, appropriately named Dream Big, is on an exterior wall along E 8th Street, which receives heavy foot traffic due to its proximity to a JTA bus stop and heavy vehicle traffic due to its proximity to on-and-off ramps for the Martin Luther King Jr Parkway.
The mural, which was designed by students from James Weldon Johnson College Preparatory Middle School and their art teacher, Amanda Holloway, was inspired by Taylor Richardson, a 7th grade student at The Boles School who has aspirations of becoming a scientist, engineer, and an astronaut. Richardson recently raised over $100,000 through a crowdsourcing campaign to sponsor 1,000 young girls to see Disney's “A Wrinkle in Time” in theaters at no expense. This public art project is in support of STEAM, an educational approach to learning that uses science, technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematics as access points for guiding student inquiry, dialogue, and critical thinking. The team behind Dream Big, which in addition to Holloway and her students includes Roosevelt Watson III, Nadia Ramoutar, Ryan McNair, Scotty Briggs, and Cheyenne Williams, was in-part inspired after attending a 2017 keynote presentation by artist and community alchemist Lily Yeh, which was included as part of State of the Arts 2017, presented by the Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville.
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Marq Mervin. Photo Credit: Kevin Labrecque, FSCJ
Marq Mervin is a multimedia designer, animator, illustrator, and Professor of Digital Media at Florida State College at Jacksonville (FSCJ). Mervin's work and advocacy centers around providing marginalized and underrepresented groups with multiple points of access to education and professional development opportunities in the field of art and design. He is a member of Jacksonville's chapter of the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA), a professional association for design. Mervin also serves on AIGA's national Diversity and Inclusion Task Force, which is composed of 21 members from 16 different cities. Within this task force, Mervin chairs the Education and Community Committee. He and his fellow committee members explore partnerships with educational institutions and community and minority-based organizations interested in design education, diversity, and inclusion.
In 2016, Mervin led a TEDxFSCJ talk titled "Represent! Diversity and Equity in Arts Education." During this talk, Mervin recalled his own experiences as a young black men pursuing a degree in the arts and recounts how limited diversity amongst teaching faculty impacted his self confidence. It took Donivan Howard, a black animator with esteemed professional credits, to interview for a position at Jacksonville University for Mervin to see himself represented in his desired field of work. It was this representation that reinforced Mervin's belief that he could pursue a career as an artist and succeed. 
Khalil Osborne
At only the age of 20, emerging photographer Khalil Osborne exhibits a high level of ambition. When he was 15, Osborne was given his first camera from a friend. It was a Sony Cyber Shot. He started taking pictures and posting them online through social media. Soon he became known by others in his school as the kid with the camera.
Aspiring for more than a retail or food industry job when he was a teenager, Osborne harnessed his passion for photography and in 2015 he secured a job at Cady Studios. With more than two years of professional experience behind him, Osborne works as a portrait photographer through the family owned school photography business. In his free time he continues with camera in hand, setting up shoots with his peers to add to his growing body of work as a visual artist. Don't be foolish enough to make assumptions about Osborne because of his young age. His maturity and the professional demeanor with which he conducts himself leave most surprised when they find out he just recently broke free of his teenage years. This young man is constantly pushing himself and challenging any constraints that are placed on him, which is perhaps one of the reasons he isn't satisfied being a one-disciplined artist. In addition to photography, Osborne is an event curator and he has started an independent brand of t-shirts and apparel.  Today, individuals and organizations who support the arts have traveled from every state to Washington, D.C. for the 31st Annual Arts Advocacy Day: The Arts Action Summit. These arts advocates represent a united effort to tell Capitol Hill that the arts play a vital role in our communities, that arts education is important to our children, and that the arts improve our daily lives. While we, unfortunately, could not be there in person, we do support their efforts and are there in spirit. But, we know that we don't need to be in Washington, D.C. to make a difference, and neither do you! Your advocacy matters and there are ways to help from your home cities and states. Here are some ways, as recommended by Americans for the Arts, on how you can take action today.
 
Photo Credit: @the_infader
Mark "CENT" Ferreira is a graffiti/contemporary artist and graphic designer who lives and works in Jacksonville, Florida. His body of work has a strong orientation towards typography and geometric shapes, incorporating traditional graffiti letter forms and characters but often with a fresh take. CENT's color palette includes a signature teal that serves as a continuous thread woven throughout his portfolio of work. This signature color is reflective of the ’80s, but also feels evocative of Jacksonville. Working predominantly in aerosol, CENT's work exhibits influences of mid-century modern design and comic books.
CENT was born in Connecticut. As a child, his family traveled to Southwest Florida every summer to vacation. Eventually summers weren't enough for the family and they relocated to the Sunshine State in 1989. CENT's father built their family home in the Naples area. CENT remembers the area feeling too pristine and he often romanticized about living in a gritty metropolitan area. CSGP Orientation
Thursday, May 17, 2018 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM Cultural Council 300 Water Street, Suite 201 Jacksonville, FL 32202 On-Sites Wednesday, July 11, 2018 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM Cultural Council 300 Water Street, Suite 201 Jacksonville, FL 32202 Application Review Thursday, August 2, 2018 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM Cultural Council 300 Water Street, Suite 201 Jacksonville, FL 32202 Hearings Thursday, September 20, 2018 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM Cultural Council 300 Water Street, Suite 201 Jacksonville, FL 32202 Hearings Wednesday, September 26, 2018 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM Thursday, September 27, 2018 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM Davis Gallery Times Union Center for the Performing Arts 300 Water Street Jacksonville, FL 32202 Board of Directors Meeting - Approval of CSGP Awards Thursday, October 18, 2018 12:00 PM - 2:00 PM Don Davis Room Jax City Hall 117 W Duval Street Jacksonville, FL 32202 CSGP Appreciation Mixer Thursday, November 29, 2018 4:30 PM - 6:00 PM Cultural Council 300 Water Street, Suite 201 Jacksonville, FL 32202 Pursuant to the American with Disabilities Act, accommodations for persons with disabilities are available upon request. Please allow two business days notification to process; last minute requests will be accepted, but may not be possible to fulfill.  Dear Advocates for the Arts,
NOW is a critical moment for action in support of state funding for arts and culture organizations and initiatives. We ask that you rally your friends, family members, colleagues, partners, board members, and constituents and encourage them to let their voices be heard as they proclaim their support of government funding for Florida's arts and cultural sector, which as it stands in the proposed budget have been reduced drastically, even completely dissolved in some instances. Appropriations are more fluid in the state legislation and we are hopeful that your continued support and advocacy efforts will make a difference. But, we need to keep pressing legislators, even up to the last minute. Your calls and emails are crucial! There are a number of high priority issues that need addressed in the state of Florida, and it is our firm belief that a properly funded arts and cultural sector can be utilized as a channel to address those issues head one. What Can You Do? 1.) Contact legislative leadership. You can send emails and make phone calls to the Senate and House Leaders. You can find their names, telephone numbers, and email addresses by clicking HERE. 2.) Contact legislative members of the Transportation, Tourism, and Economic Development (TED) budget conference committee. Focus your communication efforts on the Chairperson and Vice Chairperson listed first on this Excel file, and then those members who represent your county. 3.) Express through your social media platforms that you support local, state, and federal funding for the arts and cultural sector and encourage others to advocate on behalf of a government supported sector. 4.) DON'T assume that your voice won't make an impact or assume that the efforts of others are enough. We need YOU to actively participate in this demonstration of support and remain engaged. 5.) We've also created a way to advocate our City government by simply telling your story. There is a form on our advocacy webpage that allows you to reflect on how our robust arts and culture sector impact your life. Please give your testimonial and ask others to share their personal reflections on what the arts mean to them. Thank you for ALL your support. Yours in Advocacy, Tony Allegretti Executive Director, Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville 
Sara Nahid
Sara Nahid was born in Ahvav, Iran. Nahid was exposed to the arts at an early age and she recalls her mother providing her with a paint set when she was about 10 years old. After completing secondary education in Ahvaz, Nahid enrolled in the prestigious Tehran University of Art, Iran's largest art university. There, Nahid pursued her passion for art by studying painting and sculpture. While enrolled as a student, Nahid shared her passion with a younger generation by teaching painting and ceramics to pre-school children.
Unfortunately, Nahid's education only lasted two years. She unenrolled from university after her father-in-law was imprisoned in an Iranian jail, and later died. Fearing for their safety, she and her husband fled from Iran to Turkey. Once settled, Nahid worked in a restaurant but continued to paint, although obtaining supplies was difficult. She and her husband lived in Turkey for five years and it was during this time that she converted to the Bahá'í faith, a religion teaching the essential worth of all religions, and the unity and equality of all people. Nahid, her husband, and their young son came to the United States in 2016. Nahid both loves and is critical of her culture. Her work deals with her experiences as a woman in Iran and her transition to the US. Now living in Northeast Florida, she has a deep desire to move from a place of isolation into a community of belonging. |
Questions? Comments? Submit something for consideration?Please email ellen@CulturalCouncil.org Archives
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