MOCA Jacksonville announces summer of exhibits, programs

The Museum of Contemporary Art Jacksonville (MOCA), a cultural institute of the University of North Florida, is presenting a new exhibition along with programs and events scheduled for the summer. 

“Honoring Rauschenberg” commemorates the 100th birthday of artist Robert Rauschenberg, whose artistic practice inspired generations of artists. The exhibition is on view in the museum’s first-floor lobby, which is always free to visit during the museum’s open hours, through Oct. 19.

The exhibition celebrates Rauschenberg’s (1925-2008) expansive creativity, spirit of curiosity and commitment to change

The breadth of Rauschenberg’s transdisciplinary and collaborative practice, as well as his wide-ranging and enduring commitment to philanthropy, are not widely known. Following his first trip to China in 1982, he developed Rauschenberg Overseas Culture Interchange (ROCI), an active global program of traveling exhibitions and cultural dialogues intended to bring people closer through art. He received the National Medal of Arts in 1993.

Rauschenberg’s own artistic practice revolved around integrating “the real world” into his art.

“I want a picture to look like something it is,” he said.

This vision led him to incorporate found objects ranging from taxidermized animals to newspaper clippings and photographs into his work. His famous “Combines” would further blur the distinctions between painting and sculpture. His collaborative work with other great artists such as John Cage, Merce Cunningham, Jasper Johns and Cy Twombly had a decisive influence on post-war art and the fields of dance, music, painting and sculpture.

Also Happening

Time is running out to see the UNF Student Artist-in-Residence exhibition, “Dustin Sims: Nature Re:Wired,” featuring kinetic animal sculptures made from previously discarded materials, in the fifth-floor gallery. Exhibit runs through Aug. 3. The exhibition features the work of recent graduate, retired military veteran and sculptor Dustin Sims.

Plus, visitors can vote for their favorite artwork in “Jax Contemporary: MOCA Jacksonville Arts Triennial, Presented by Dolf and Anna James,” the exhibition highlighting 64 local artists on the museum’s third floor. Learn more during “Jax Contemporary” Artist Talks that take place the first Wednesday of every month and select Saturdays. Upcoming speaking artists include Sarah Crooks, Gail Beveridge and Jason John.

Weekly sessions of Summer Camp @ MOCA run through Aug. 8. Kids ages 6-14 are inspired with weekly themes, including Figure & Character Drawing, Comics & Animation, 3D Design & Sculpture, Painting, and Art of the Theater. Space is limited.

Additional programming such as art workshops and free movie nights take place throughout the summer.

The museum offers free admission every Saturday thanks to the support of VyStar Credit Union and every first and third Wednesday evening during Museum Nights @ MOCA presented by Florida Blue. Military families and first responders receive free access through Veterans Day, presented by CSX and in partnership with the Blue Star Museums initiative.

Here are some details:

Summer Camp @ MOCA Weekly sessions for ages 6-14

9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Cost: $350 Family level members and above, UNF students, faculty and staff save 15%. Includes optional extended care from 8 to 9 a.m. and 4 to 5 p.m. Projects vary between age groups, which are divided into ages 6-8, 9-11, 12-14.

Free Movie Nights

July 16 – “Flow”

Aug. 20 – “Anselm” Concessions available from Setlan Coffee and the MOCA Bar

Ideas of Our Time: “Jax Contemporary” Artist Talks Taking place in the MOCA Theater during free admission days, these artist talks showcase those selected for the exhibition on view on the third floor of the museum. Each artist will have the opportunity to speak for 30 minutes, providing insight to their work and practice.

• Saturday, July 5, 1 p.m. Sarah Crooks, Gail Beveridge and Jason John

• Wednesday, Aug. 6, 7 p.m. Zakriya Rabani, Stephen Heywood and J. Adam McGalliard

• Wednesday, Sept. 3, 7 p.m. Lance Vickery, Robert Adams, Jenny Hager and Erin Kendrick

• Wednesday, Oct. 1, 7 p.m. Susanne Schuenke, Hillary Hogue, Tanner Pletzke and Chip Southworth

• Wednesday, Nov. 5, 7 p.m. Yna Cruz, Laura Colomb, Holly Blanton and Joshua Cooper

Additional Programming:

• Art of the Figure with William McMahan: July 5, 19 and Aug. 2, 7, 16. Members $20, non-members $30. Ages: 18 and older

• Kids Art Lab: July 12 and Aug. 9. Members $5, non-members $10. Ages: 6-12

• Studio Practice: Aug. 9. Members $10, non-members $20. Layered abstraction with Lilly Kuonen

• Seize the Clay Ceramic Workshop: July 12, 26 and Aug. 9, 23. Members $20, non-members $30

• Ceramics Open Studio at MOCA: July 12, 26 and Aug. 9, 23. Members and non-members $20. Self-guided

View MOCA’s full schedule of programs and details online:

https://www.eventbrite.com/o/moca-jacksonville-2715586970

Other Exhibitions

• “Rafael Lozano-Hemmer Spectral Subjects, Presented by Joan and Preston Haskell” runs through Sept. 14. This is a new interactive artwork in Project Atrium commissioned for MOCA Jacksonville. The piece is a thermal observatory — a constantly updating map of the room’s temperature, projected in the round. Using state-of-the-art thermographic cameras, the project detects and displays heat and cold in the environment, including the building’s ventilation, visitors’ body heat and inanimate objects. As with previous biometric art projects by Lozano-Hemmer, the piece is a call to think of the human body as a continuum with the environment around us.

• “The Armory South: The 1924 Jacksonville Woman’s Club Exhibition Rediscovered” runs through Nov. 23. This exhibition reassembles core works from a forgotten but seminal Modernist exhibition mounted in March 1924 by the Woman’s Club of Jacksonville and the newly founded Jacksonville Fine Arts Society (now MOCA). The Armory South tells related stories of essential importance to the introduction of Modernism to the American South, the history of women in Modern art, and the ideas and relationships shaping American art in the mid-1920s.

• “All Hands on Deck: 15 Years of Collection at Small Craft Advisory Press” runs through Aug. 29 in the UNF Gallery. This exhibit presents artist books created by Small Craft Advisory Press (SCAP) at Florida State University. Founded by Professor of Art Denise Bookwalter, SCAP brings together artists, writers, designers and scholars to work collaboratively on projects that challenge the conventions of what books are and do.

For more information including hours of operation, admission prices and upcoming exhibitions and programs, call 904-366-6911 or go to mocajacksonville.unf.edu.