We are super excited for the Scholastic Art Competition Awards event held at the historic Florida Theater in downtown Jacksonville on Saturday, February 4. It’s going to be a great time celebrating our award winners! Click below to view a pdf of the invitation and the event program. See you there:)

Oh my goodness what a great art show we put together at Unity Plaza! There is a variety of work on display at Unity Plaza from now until May 24. The opening saw a good turnout on a warm April evening. The thought occurred that, while the quality of the art was fantastic, what is really enjoyable about this event was the interaction of all the good people who were present. It’s great to get art ed professionals together,  to meet the families and to see their personal work. The conversations were lively and interesting; I was there for three hours and it felt like five minutes. At the show we made a few connections that will likely lead to subsequent art shows in the near future which is exciting, as our membership is talented indeed and how fun to have outlets to show and celebrate the creative process!

Click here to see a gallery from the show, or hover over the exhibitions tab at the top of the page in the navigation bar.

DCPS’s Elementary Art Show is currently on display at most of the County’s public libraries. We will have an opening for the ‘Best of Elementary’ Art Show, comprised of work culled from the library shows, on May 10th at FSCJ’s Kent Campus Art Gallery. After the show we will be gathering at Rain Dogs in 5 Points Riverside to talk story and enjoy some good company. Come for both events or just one; either way we’ll be delighted to see you.

Also, the application window is still open for Leslie Bedder Scholarships. We have up to $500 available so that qualified applicants can take advantage of professional development opportunities. Interested? You should be.Click -> LB Grant Application to download an application, or click the ‘Teacher Scholarship’ link in the navigation bar at the top of the page for more information.

Students at Chet’s Creek are exploring organic and geometric shapes using watercolors and Sharpies. Fun! Click here to go to their blog post.

It’s preplanning week for teachers here in Northeast Florida. Today all the art teachers got together for a day of professional development facilitated by the legendary Jack Matthews. Jack has been a force  in the art program in Duval County for the past 35 years, and is largely responsible for the robust program we all enjoy. He’s retiring at the end of the month to enjoy a well deserved rest. Thank you so much for your service!
Our day of professional development took place at Lavilla Middle School in the heart of downtown Jacksonville. There’s so much quality art on that campus; the images below are paintings showcased in the school’s dining room.

 

The good people at Finegan Elementary recently dropped a new blog post at Finegan Arts about the optical art their second graders have been creating. Check it out by clicking here.

DCPS art teachers had the opportunity today to enjoy a perspective and portrait workshop today led by the excellent Joi Hosker.