On May 1, 2024, The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida hosted a Donors Forum at Everbank Stadium in partnership with the Jacksonville Jaguars to hear from several cultural institutions in Jacksonville that are bringing or have brought new attractions downtown. The program opened with an introduction by TCF President Isaiah Oliver, who thanked the Jacksonville Jaguars for their partnership in bringing this program to life and recognized the Lucy Gooding Charitable Foundation Trust for an ongoing grant that supports Donors Forum. An introduction followed by Whitney Meyer, Senior VP and Chief Community Impact Officer for the Jacksonville Jaguars. Meyer recognized efforts by the Jacksonville Jaguars Foundation to partner with local arts and culture organizations, including efforts to sponsor transformational art in public places that foster community inclusivity and representation.
An overview of the arts and culture landscape of Jacksonville was then presented by Diana Donovan, Executive Director of the Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville, followed by presentations from leaders of three downtown projects: Dr. Alan Bliss – CEO of the Jacksonville History Center, Dr. Alistair Dove – CEO of the Museum of Science and History (MOSH), and Retired Captain Stan Halter of the Jacksonville Naval Museum and the USS Orleck. The presentation concluded with a question-and-answer session.
- The mission of the Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville is to enrich life in Northeast Florida by investing in arts and culture, and it is one of the strongest economic drivers in the Northeast Florida region.
- The Cultural Council serves more than 30 non-profit organizations that are mission-centric in arts and culture. Out of those, the regional economic impact for 2023 was $114 million – $105 million of that was downtown-focused.
- In the 2022-2023 year, the number of members and donors was 28,934, with 25,000 being local to downtown, and non-profits and CSGs logged 71,000 volunteer hours.
- Arts and culture connect to a tremendous number of cross sectors in the downtown community, including health care, children’s education, mental health, STEM and STEAM, preservation, and performance. Public art helps promote infrastructure, reduce blight, boost public safety, among other positive impacts.
- Community and civic vibrancy depends on a city getting to the point of hosting multiple experiences at a time and allowing downtown activation to grow and develop.
- The power of popups (examples are the interactive Van Gogh, King Tut exhibits that recently came to Jax) can be huge in bringing culture to places that are underserved or undesired, and in promoting diversity in arts and culture to reach a wider audience.
- In 2020, the Cultural Council was at the same funding level as it was 20 years ago, and this was a turning point for the organization. The operating budget was $2.25 million.
- The organization began to focus on stability, consistency, and competency. The budget has now grown to more than $8 million in operating and capital grants. This is the highest funding level the organization has ever had, and it is maximizing talent and a variety of platforms.
- There have been some very intentional public/private partnerships to invest in public art and art programs, in addition to equity in art and CPAC funding from the city.
Summary of Alan Bliss’s remarks:
- The Jacksonville History Center (formerly the Jacksonville Historical Society) was founded in 1929, and it currently has two campuses with two historic buildings on each. The A. Philip Randolph Campus includes the 1879 James E. Merrill House Museum and the 1888 Old St. Andrews Church. The Palmetto Street Campus includes the 1878 Old St. Luke’s Hospital building and the 1920 Florida Casket Company,
- The three-story warehouse that used to be the Florida Casket Company is currently being converted into space that will house the Haskell Archives of Jacksonville, a research library, a museum and exhibit space, and an event space. The project has three phases and is currently in phase 2.
- The Jacksonville History Center has a strong community presence, collaborating with schools, providing internship programs, promoting historic preservation, and supporting area restoration projects.
- The last three to four years have been spent rolling out a new identity for the organization, making sure that not only the appealing and magical parts of history are being told, but also the tragic parts – making it widely inclusive and making sure all stories are being heard.
- As far as presenting history goes, there are so many amazing things that technology can do to present the people and events of the past that were not in the scope of technological innovation even as recently as 5 or 10 years ago.
Summary of Alistair Dove’s remarks:
- Since its inception in 1941 (from Marge Wallace sharing her insect collection with children at her house in Riverside), MOSH has had a mission to spark a joy of lifelong learning.
- Its current building was built in 1969, and the museum and the city have both outgrown the space.
- Building a new museum in this prime location is a fantastic opportunity for both MOSH and the City of Jacksonville. Being on the Northbank Riverwalk will enable connection to many nodes of downtown, and the museum will serve as a primary attraction and cultural organization, as well as contributing to the cultural corridor in that area.
- The first floor of the new museum will house a nature/culture exhibit from Florida’s first inhabitants to the present day. On other floors, there will be permanent hands-on and manipulative exhibits utilizing the psychomotor method of learning, as well as visiting exhibits. There will also be a multi-function theater with a planetarium, lecture hall, and event space. Outside, there will be park space and an event lawn.
- Construction is expected to begin around December of 2025, with museum opening expected in 2027. A building campaign exceeded its goal of $40 million.
- The endowment chapter will be next for MOSH, with the museum ever mindful that while a new building is exciting, there is still a need to create a sustainable organization with adequate future funds for operating costs.
Summary of Stan Halter’s remarks:
- One of the long-term goals of the leaders behind the Jacksonville Naval Museum has been to bring a navy ship to Downtown Jacksonville, and this was realized with the USS Orleck, which came here in the fall of 2022.
- The ship was commissioned in 1945 and was famous for being an original train buster in Korea, then in Vietnam, where it fired more rounds than any other ship – 11,000 from two sets of guns.
- Restoring a historic ship has been a huge effort, including creating interactive displays for visitors and installing handicap access. It has required, and continues to require, the effort of hundreds of volunteers to keep it up and running.
- The ship is open for tours Wednesday through Saturday, saw 20,0000 visitors in 10 months, and has hosted/held more than 5,000 events. Some of the events have been surprising, like the number of weddings that have been held on the ship. The ship recently held its first “sleepover” – hosting 20 sea cadets from Tallahassee.
- Students from more than 10 schools have visited the ship and its museum. One of the future goals is to continue to contribute to educational programs for schools by utilizing STEAM topics – with the addition of “seamanship” to the lineup.
- One of the biggest future endeavors will be a Veteran’s Museum that is in the process of being compiled – capturing oral and video histories of veterans in Northeast Florida, and possible expanding nationally.
- The Orleck museum is utilizing current and future technology with such things as working on a hologram exhibit and using QR codes for interactive exhibits.
Summary of Panel Discussions:
- All three presenters are looking forward to the new stadium and its keystone contributions to the area. Keeping up the synergy and momentum for downtown activation to continue requires continued capital investment from the community and from donors.
- The area around the stadium has adjacency with other cultural institutions, the Northbank Riverwalk, future parts of the Emerald Trail, and it is a very walkable space. It is the hope that with attractions like these, and others in the future, people will want to come back down to this part of Jacksonville for football and many other reasons.
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