 MYRA OH WHILE TRAVELING IN GERMANY (2016) Myra Oh, now a resident of Jacksonville, was born in Oakland, California and lived in the Bay Area into her early 20s. At the age of 14, Myra enrolled in courses at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. There she attended classes including figure drawing, fashion design, printmaking, and painting. During Myra’s senior year of high school she attended the Oxbow School, a private single semester arts school located in Napa, California. Myra enrolled in college after high school, with a focus on printmaking, but dropped out before graduating.
During her formative years Myra found herself involved in the punk rock and hardcore community. It was in this community where Myra first discovered her interest in tattoos as an art form. Her interest in tattooing as a profession developed when she was 16 years old. Myra attended tattoo conventions and formed friendships with the artists working at Secret Sidewalk, a shop located in Tracy, California that specialized in black and grey “Chicano style” tattoos. It was at this shop that Myra received her first tattoo when she reached the age of 18.
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It takes a special person to have a heart that advocates for the arts. Arthur Milam was that type of special person.  ARTHUR MILAM (1927-2016), PHOTO (2016) BY RENEE PARENTEAU PHOTOGRAPHY Arthur Milam passed away on the morning of Wednesday, August 24, 2016 at the age of 89. Milam played an integral role in relocating the Museum of Contemporary Arts (MOCA) to downtown Jacksonville. Originally located off Art Museum Drive, Milam identified the historic Western Union Telegraph building across from Hemming Park as a proposed site for relocating MOCA. He then crafted a partnership with the City of Jacksonville to purchase the building. MOCA relocated to the heart of downtown Jacksonville in 1999.
Milam served on MOCA’s Board of Trustees from 1998 until 2009. He served as Chair for the first eight of those years. Current Chair of the Board of Trustees, Charles Gilman III, had this to say about Arthur Milam, “His service and vision has sustained the Museum through its many phases. Arthur encouraged me to become more involved with MOCA when I moved here, and as usual, his advice was prescient. I will remember Arthur as a man of generous spirit and strong character. We have lost a true friend.”  PHOTO USED WITH THE PERMISSION OF THONY AIUPPY Thony Aiuppy is a practicing visual artist and an art educator. He is also a husband and father of three children. He and his family live in the historic Jacksonville neighborhood of Springfield.
Making Springfield home for he and his family was an intentional act after previously residing in both Riverside and Jacksonville Beach. The diversity of the area appealed to Thony, as did the urban neighborhood’s history. In his blog Thony has said the following about Springfield: “This is the setting for which my journey starts in regards to the story of the work that I make as an artist.” Thony’s work as an artist is an extension of his desire as a citizen to better understand local and regional history. Thony is a formally trained artist. He holds an MFA in Painting from the Savannah College of Art and Design (2013) and a BFA in Painting/Drawing from the University of North Florida (2010). Thony’s work powerfully intermixes socioeconomic and political themes with his own personal experience living in the American South.  Cristina Danielle Photography, photo used with permission from the Florida Theatre April 8, 1927, opening night at the Florida Theatre. The program that evening boasted fanfare from the American Legion Bugle Corps, a live beauty pageant, and a live performance by Frank Morris and the Brilliant Florida Orchestra. The feature attraction that evening was a two-real silent film titled "Let it Rain" (1927). Organist Robert E. Mitchell accompanied the film on the theatre's new $100,000 Wurlitzer pipe organ.
The Florida Theatre has a rich history, including a notorious 1956 performance by rock n' roll icon Elvis Presely on August 10 and 11. At the time of his performance Presley was riding a wave of success that came as a result of his hit singles "Heartbreak Hotel," Hound Dog," and "Don't Be Cruel." Presley played a total of six shows over the course of two days. Elvis had played Jacksonville a year before and city officials were deeply disturbed by how teenagers responded to the performer's on-stage gyrations. In advance of his return, a committee was formed, and Juvenile Court Judge Marion Gooding prepared arrest warrants, with charges of “impairing the morals of minors.” Presley himself was invited to Judge Marion's office, where the Judge threatened to execute the warrants if Elvis’ on-stage antics were too suggestive. "Life Magazine" chronicled the episode and Jacksonville, Elvis, and the Florida Theatre received extensive national coverage. The judge and police were present during Elvis' performance. It was unclear whether they were there to keep the audience from rushing the stage or as a visible reminder to the performer to behave. |
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