The Art Center Cooperative (TAC) is a non-profit corporation whose focus is to cultivate talent and make art accessible to the residents of Jacksonville.  TAC supports this objective through its community partnerships and two galleries and studio spaces located in downtown Jacksonville.  TAC's Main Gallery is located in The Jacksonville Landing and TAC II is located at the corner of North Hogan Street and West Monroe Street.  Both locations are accessible by public transportation and are in close proximity to other cultural institutions such as the Times-Union Center for the Performing Arts, Museum of Contemporary Art Jacksonville (MOCA), and the Jacksonville Public Library.  

TAC operates as a cooperative, which means that artists interested in utilizing their offerings must apply for a  membership.  TAC relies on active participation by its member artists in the curating, sales, and maintenance of their galleries.  As a result of their participation, members are allowed to display 2-5 works in the galleries and they are featured on TAC's website.  What is on display in the galleries is rotated on a monthly basis and visitors can buy original works or art or prints.  

Julian Robertson once had a fear of words.  As an elementary and middle school student Robertson struggled with reading and writing.  His life changed when his mother, upon his request, enrolled him in a summer theater camp.  There, Robertson learned the power of language and this influenced him to embark upon artistic and academic pursuits that harness that power.   

Robertson, who is now 19 years old, graduated from the Douglas Anderson School of the Arts in 2016.  It was at Douglas Anderson that Robertson challenged his reading abilities.  Being self conscious of his reading level, while in the 9th grade Robertson borrowed books from upperclassmen and would then read the books alongside a dictionary, which he would refer to when he didn't know the meaning of a word. It was in the 10th grade that Robertson, as a result of seeing similarities between hip hop and poetry, began to find his voice and overcome his fear of writing.  What's equally important is that during Robertson's formative years he had people around him encouraging him to cultivated his artistic craft and pursue his passions. 

Robertson has overcome obstacles and barriers that are far too often a reality for the youth in Jacksonville's underserved neighborhoods.  His family has known extreme financial hardships, which even resulted in the teen being homeless for a period of time.  Through it all, however, Robertson continued to move forward and pursue theater.  As a result of his dedication and hard work, Robertson was one of 18  acting students accepted to The Juilliard School, the nations premier performing arts conservatory, during the 2016-2017 academic year with a full-ride scholarship.

At the intersection of Roselle Street and King Street is CoRK Arts District, an 80,000 square foot warehouse that serves as art studios and gallery spaces.  Some of Jacksonville's best known artists currently hold, or once held, studio space inside CoRK.  One of those artists is Jeffrey Luque, an oil painter whose studio is located in the CoRK Labs.  

Luque, a self taught artist, started painting at the age of 23 while living in Black Mountain, North Carolina.  Luque has gravitated towards oil paints and oversized canvases since he first picked up a brush.  While living in New Mexico, Luque experimented with large scale floral paintings, which eventually led to his current series "Girl with Flowers."  

Luque's process is rooted in pointillism but explores the technique further by combining bursts of colors and geometric shapes such as triangles, squares, and circles. These macro details, which are only visible up close, give each piece its definition and character when viewed from afar. Luque has dedicated the last two years to his "Girl with Flowers" series, which includes 12 pieces in total, each piece measuring 72"x58."

​In May of 2017 Luque completed the 12th painting in the series and on May 19th he will host an opening at CoRK to showcase the series.  The event, which starts at 5:00 PM and concludes at 9:00 PM, is free and open to the public.  Those who RSVP in advance will have their names entered into a raffle and one individual will win an original floral painting by Luque. 

The Art in Public Places Committee met on May 10, 2017 at 12:00 PM in the Don Davis Room in City Hall.  All Committee meetings are public noticed in advance and the general public is encouraged to attend. ​

Agenda (5/10/2017)
Minutes (5/10/2017)

The Committee is also recruiting for a community representative from Planning District 6 to join the Committee.  

CPAC District 6: North 
City neighborhood coordinator: Michelle Godwin (904) 255-8236, MichelleGW@coj.net CPAC chair: Bobby Taylor, (904) 251-9557, njsurfer@bellsouth.net 
City planner: Connie Patterson, (904) 255-7822, ConstanceP@coj.net 
Boundaries 
West: GS&F Railroad 
South: Garden Street to CSX RR to I-295 to Trout River to St. Johns River 
North: Nassau County line 
East: Nassau County line and ocean​

Additional Information

Visual artist Lana Shuttleworth is best known for how she uses safety cones and post-consumer plastics as mediums. In 2008 Shuttleworth and her work were featured as an answer on television's "Jeopardy."  Host Alex Trebeck read, "Lana Shuttleworth created this 10 ft landscape out of these roadside safety devises." 

Shuttleworth has been working with non-traditional mediums for more than 20 years.  She creates through a transformative process that starts with deconstruction and then progresses to formation. One person's trash is another person's, well... art supplies, and Shuttleworth's artistic statement is linked to her belief that as citizens of the world we must act as stewards of the environment and reduce, reuse, and recycle to prevent catastrophic degradation of the Earth's resources and natural landscape.