GoLO Jacksonville

April showers bring May flowers, or so the saying goes. However, if you’re interested in giving Mom something other than flowers this year for Mother’s Day, check out Art Walk on May 4th from 5-9 pm in downtown Jacksonville. Each month, thousands of art enthusiasts flood downtown in search of local, eclectic, and handmade art by local talent. However, the thrill of Art Walk doesn’t end there. In the effort to make Art Walk even more memorable, many local venues are thinking up ways to ramp up traffic and interest in this Jacksonville tradition.
Hemming Plaza is always abuzz, rain or shine, the first Wednesday of the month for Art Walk. This month, experience Love ur Mother 2011, which celebrates the theme of conservation. Talented artisans have items to browse and purchase, local talent is on display, and food is available. For those new to the Art Walk experience, this is a great first stop to check it all out.
More than 40 other venues in downtown’s core participate in this free event as well. Since the Jacksonville Jazz Fest is only a few weeks away, local establishments, including KOJA Sushi and Zodiac Grille, are getting in the swing of things and offering live jazz throughout the event. Meet Jacksonville Jazz Festival poster artist Pamela Miller at the beautiful Snyder Memorial and purchase a signed poster for yourself or for Mom’s big day.
Burro Bags, a local favorite, has teamed up with the owner of the Lomax Lodge in Five Points and Shantytown Pub in Springfield to create the Burro Bar in the old London Bridge location at 100 E. Adams St. Their grand opening kicks off during Art Walk and lasts into the night, with several bands on display and new decor to explore.
Perdue, a popular Art Walk stop on the corner of Forsyth and Main, is offering several ways for you to enjoy the evening with Mom. Shop from over a dozen hand picked vendors specializing in Mother’s Day gifts, enter to win gifts for Mom, make a “floral bouquet”, and check out the music of Paul Vranesh. In addition, meet photographer Jane Shirek and check out her celebrated work up close.
All of these events are easier to get to than you might think. Score a parking space downtown at a meter, free after 6 PM. The Downtown Garage at Adams and Clay offers free parking during Art Walk, and the Skyway is free to ride until 10 PM. However you get to Art Walk, it’s well worth the trip.

This trendy event is composed of fashion-themed galas and runway shows held at popular Downtown locations.  Jacksonville Fashion Week (JFW) and its community partners, including Downtown Vision, Inc., want to put Jacksonville on the map—of the fashion world, that is.  The festivities begin Wednesday, March 23 and run through Saturday March 26, providing stylish attendees with plenty of time to grab unique prêt-à-porter items right off the runway.

Jacksonville Fashion Week presents local looks and collections by established and up-and-coming designers, bringing together local businesses, designers, models, retailers and residents for the grandest fashion frenzy this metropolitan area has ever seen—literally. Much of the buzz surrounding this event is due to the fact that it is the first of its kind. Tiffany Hager, JFW founder and owner of online boutique, Loveofdresses.com, said, “I felt that there should be an outlet to highlight and showcase Jacksonville’s talent.  When I started doing research, I found that many cities have fashion weeks to highlight local and regional talent. With the talent that is based here, it seemed only natural for Jacksonville to have its own fashion week.”

The fashion festivities don’t end in March, either.   On Saturday, April 30, glamour meets retail at AMG Uptown Salon’s Ultimate Runway 2011Fashion Show. AMG shop manager Tangi Green said, “We have top salons, talented make-up artists and local boutiques for our red-carpet, upscale event. It’s not about competition; we want to show Jacksonville what our different industries have to offer.” Plus, visit the First Wednesday Art Walk May 4 for the “Love Ur Mother” fashion show focusing on local conservation-based fashion trends.

Did you know when you eat at Café Nola the fresh herbs that you’re consuming come directly from their very own organic rooftop garden?  On any given day, dining in Café Nola is a treat.  Café Nola, so named for being located on North Laura street, is located inside MOCA Jacksonville.  This upscale restaurant is set amongst MOCA’s high ceilings and floor-to-ceiling windows that flood the space with natural light.  Dining here is truly a treat for the senses.

Every dish is served with Café Nola’s own unique spin, including favorite’s Lobster Mac n’ Cheese and Shrimp n’ Grits, both down-home meals served with a flair of elegance under the hand of head chef Kathy Collins.  Fish Tacos, Indian Chicken Salad wraps and haricot frites are just some other items that round out the unique menu.  Like the museum itself, every plate served is its own work of art.

Lunchtime dining on the average weekday allows for great people watching on busy Laura Street.  After lunch, stroll through MOCA and take in the latest exhibits or visit the MOCA Store and Lab Gallery and see what unique products and gifts are there now. If you’ve never experienced it, Café Nola is definitely worth a trip.  It is one of the gems in Downtown’s dining options for lunch or dinner.  They are open for lunch Monday through Friday from 11:30 a.m. – 2 p.m. and Thursday evenings for dinner.  Plus, of course, every First Wednesday Art Walk.  Visit their website for menus and more.

Art transforms and personalizes our homes and offices. Owning art is a great opportunity for self-expression, but even better is the personal
connection that comes from learning about the history and inspiration directly from the artist who just happens to share your hometown.

GoLo-ers and art lovers rejoice for there is Off the Grid. This community of 14 galleries and studios spaces in the heart of Downtown is entirely run by local—and extremely talented, might we add—artists. Inspired by artist Jim Draper and made possible by a partnership between local artists, property owners, Downtown Vision, Inc. and the Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville, Off the Grid activates vacant spaces in the urban core with artistic energy and provides artists with much needed work and exhibition space.

Spaces are open for select hours during the week, by appointment and during First Wednesday Art Walk. March marks the first anniversary for this amazing arts and revitalization initiative and the March Art Walk welcomed three new Off the Grid locations:

PONO Visual Expressions, located at The Jacksonville Landing, displays contemporary photography of owner and artist Istvan Pono. In additionto Pono’s artwork on exhibit, an on-site studio space offers an opportunity for visitors to watch artists at work. The space also features high quality, state-of-the-art reproductive services, including an acrylic face-mounting technique used in Pono’s artwork.

Thomas Hager / Town Editions, located in the SunTrust building, features works by owner, Thomas Hager, who has created works of art for

morethan 20 years and uses vintage photographic processes. In addition to the gallery space, Hager’s Town Editions offers limited-edition art prints to young and new art collectors and the interior design industry.  Prices for prints range from $50 to $500.

VAULT Gallery, located in the underground bank vaults of the Atlantic National Bank Building, VAULT features works by Ke Francis, Patrick Golden, David Kaminsky, Casey Matthews, Julia Morrisroe, and Steve Williams. The featured museum quality works range in size, medium, and thematic content.

“As a participating artist, I have been inspired by the energy of Art Walk. The whole concept of Off The Grid program is absolutely incredible and I believe it is revitalizing downtown!” said gallery owner, Thomas Hager.

Find the full list of galleries and studios and their hours, here.

If you are an artist interested in becoming a part of the Off the Grid community, download the application here.

On the first Wednesday of every month, crowds of art appreciators gather Downtown to support local Jacksonville artists at the First Wednesday Art Walk. This event, seven years and counting, cooks up a different theme every month, and provides a place for local talent to showcase their work. Rain or shine, these tireless patrons explore the visual, live art and special events that make up Art Walk.

When Perdue Office Interiors moved downtown last year, we were sure that we wanted to participate in this fabled event. Featuring work from Avondale Artworks and spotlighting a local artist every month was just the beginning. While our events were a great success, we thought that 2011 might be the year to bring a little something different to the corner of Forsyth and Main.

A great local program, “Off the Grid”, allows artists to use vacant space and storefront downtown to showcase their work. Not only does this make use of empty downtown spaces; it allows the growth of arts here in town by providing work and exhibition spaces for local talent. Along these lines, Perdue has a local artist’s wall here in our showroom, providing exhibition space and showcasing a different local artist each month.

The theme for Art Walk in March is “Sew Artistic”, meaning the art of fashion will be celebrated. We thought of other local talents, such as artisans and craftsmen, and began to come up with a plan to showcase their work. Many of our Art Walk patrons would be coming from or going to Hemming Plaza, where an open air setting of various artists and craftsmen set up every week to sell their treasures. The decision to set up a “mini” open air market at Perdue seemed to be a no brainer, but finding local artisans proved a little difficult. Etsy, a global phenomenon, allows independent artists to sell their creations without losing creativity or profit to distributors. You can search by item, color, location, or request a custom item. We went to this invaluable collection of artisans and found many in Jacksonville that fit our bill, and from there narrowed it down to five amazing vendors. Some of these vendors are new to Etsy, some were seasoned pros, but their talent and excitement made us take notice and invite them to participate in our upcoming mini market.

-Melissa Carvalho