Arts Infusion

The Arts Infusion program offers local and and up-and-coming artists a stage for showcasing their collections.

Current Artists

More information about our current artists, Kathy Stark and Dustin Harewood, is coming soon.

Apply to the Arts Infusion 2024 program here.

Artist in Residence

MOSH integrates art into its programs and exhibits in an effort to connect with visitors on a multitude of senses.

2023 Artist in Residence – Caelen Proctor and Heartspace Art

Caelen Proctor is the lead artist of this project and a recent graduate of University of North Florida’s (UNF) sculpture program. Caelen’s art has been featured in prominent locations, including James Weldon Johnson Park and the UNF Sculpture Park. Caelen is an up-and-coming artist sure to become one Jacksonville’s boldest contemporary sculptors.

See Proctor’s work Reef Seed on display in Atlantic Tails on the first floor at MOSH.

For more information about MOSH’s Local Artist Program, contact our Curator at moshcurator@themosh.org.

Click here to view the Artist in Residence program and application.

Funding has been provided by the PNC Foundation, the charitable arm of the PNC Financial Services Group.

Past Artists

Roseann Egidio

January – March 2023

Roseann Egidio is a native of New Jersey and has lived in Jacksonville for the past
fifteen years. Her previous career was in advertising as an art director in New
York City. She has been working in watercolors for years. As a member of both the
Jacksonville Watercolor Society and St. Augustine Art Association, Roseann has
won many awards over the past three decades.

Roseann teaches art to children with autism and special needs and offers adult
classes both privately and through the Atlantic Beach Arts Market. She also
demonstrated at the Cummer Museum in Jacksonville. Roseann was a recipient
of the Jacksonville Community Foundation Grant for Individual Artists. Her work
has appeared on the cover of New Smyrna Magazine. She was also senior “Artist
in Residence” for the Arts in Medicine Program at UF Health (formerly Shands)
Hospital in Jacksonville.

Roseann’s work is currently on display at the Atlantic Beach Arts Market and Zora
Bora Gallery in St. Augustine. You can follow Roseann on the following social media
platforms: Facebook – Roseann Egidio Watercolors &
Instagram – @roseannegidiowatercolors

“Watercolor is my passion! It is the most exciting and unpredictable medium there is!”

 

Princess Simpson Rashid

Artist in Residence – Princess Simpson Rashid

Princess Simpson Rashid is an American painter, printmaker, blogger, art activist, competitive sport-fencer and coach. Her current body of work explores the relationship between color, perception and symbolism. Rashid has exhibited in solo and group exhibitions in museums, art centers, galleries and alternative art spaces across the United States including the Pacific Grove Art Center in Pacific Grove, CA, Felix Kulpa Gallery in Santa Cruz, CA, Tempus-Projects in Tampa, FL and the CoRk Art District in Jacksonville, FL.

See Simpson’s work on display in the JEA Science Theater and the Creation Station at MOSH.

Neurodiversity & Inclusion

Douglas  Anderson  School  of  the Arts

May – September

Black Arts is a student-run club based at Douglas Anderson School of the Arts. Black Arts seeks to inspire, support, and provide a platform for young African-American creatives through yearly performances and galleries. As a student-led organization, they strive to promote excellence in art as well as community building through the enactment of programs like the Black Arts Youth Initiative (BAYI).

For more information, contact on Instagram @dablackart or email: douglasandersonblackarts@gmail.com

Deja Echols is an Art Educator at Douglas Anderson and is the faculty sponsor of the Black Arts program. Deja graduated from the University of North Florida in 2020 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Painting, Drawing, and Printmaking and a minor in psychology. Echols has exhibited across the country, from Athens, Georgia to New York City. Her work was featured in 2020 at the International Print Center New York. Deja Echols has pieces in collections both institutional and private.


Neurodiversity & Inclusion

Weave Tales

May – September

Weave Tales is a nonprofit organization based in Jacksonville—their work transcends geography, however. Weave Tales connects with refugees to provide support and empowerment through the telling of their stories. The organization is rooted in the belief in the power of inducing meaningful policy and cultural changes surrounding refugees through direct storytelling, and they hold various events to create opportunities for the public to learn more about refugees and their journeys. Weave Tales is also a proud partner of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) through the #WithRefugee Coalition.

Neurodiversity and Inclusion 

North Florida School of Special Education (NFSSE)

March 29 – May 20

North Florida School of Special Education opened its doors in 1992 as a learning environment where children who traveled a different developmental path were embraced, educated, nurtured and equipped with the life skills to become contributing members of their community.

The School began as a humble dream, but has gained tremendous momentum over the past 25 years—they moved in 2004 to the newly built Anderson Smith Campus on Mill Creek Road; earned Florida Council of Independent Schools (FCIS) accreditation in 2014; and, in January 2020, NFSSE opened its new Christy and Lee Smith Lower School Campus. The Delores Barr Weaver Equestrian Center sits adjacent to the building and offers equine therapy for NFSSE students and children and adults with IDD in the greater Jacksonville community.
North Florida School of Special Education serves students with intellectual and developmental differences between the ages of 6-22, and also offers a Postgraduate program for young adults between the ages of 22-40.

Art with Soul is the art-enterprise program at the North Florida School of Special Education. Artists with intellectual and developmental differences develop their artistic perspectives and create work that is celebrated and made available for purchase. The joy of Art with Soul is working together to discover each other’s strengths and our commonalities. Every artist has a purpose, a story to tell. The results are breath-taking pieces of art as unique as the artists who create them.


Neurodiversity and Inclusion 

Transition to Healthiness, Resourcefulness, Independence, Vocation, and Education (THRIVE) of UNF

March 29 – May 20

Across the nation, hundreds of individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are applying and enrolling in institutions of higher education. The THRIVE Program at the University of North Florida (UNF), created and developed by dedicated staff within Student Accessibility Services (SAS) and the College of Education and Human Services (COEHS), is proud to serve students with ASD as they transition to and experience life at UNF. The THRIVE program was first developed in 2012, and supports students with ASD at UNF throughout college to ensure their experience is both successful and fulfilling. THRIVE’s basic supplemental services are provided to all eligible degree-seeking students at no additional cost. THRIVE supports skills development in social situations, independent living, career development, and executive functioning to both increase the students’ opportunities for success in college and to prepare them for life beyond UNF.

Autism affects individuals in different ways, which is why THRIVE is not a one-size-fits-all program; our ever-developing supports are designed to meet the individual needs of each student. Participation in THRIVE is voluntary, and students who put in the effort will get the most out of the program.

In addition to the resources we offer, the THRIVE program serves as a community for students on the spectrum to meet and interact with like-minded individuals, as well as connect with people and employers in the Jacksonville area through events and volunteer opportunities.

WAGMI

An Exhibition of Works by FORGE

Fear. Uncertainty. Doubt. It’s been a long two years, and if you’re comfortable and ready, we invite you to see a collection of our works. From re-creations of Jacksonville’s past to modern landmarks, these past projects reflect what our community was. Artifacts from a time when the only thing that distanced us were bridges. Now we must find a way to move forward together, and we hope these works remind you of what that was like. WAGMI

We also present works inspired by a universe as far away as the nearest screen—the Metaverse. We are showcasing several of the NFTs that helped us establish an HQ in this completely digital domain. We will be airdropping an NFT specific to this exhibit to visitors that tweet or email us @forgejax.com.  You are more than welcome to take pictures of these NFTs in this universe, but the only way to get the benefits of owning them in the Metaverse is to officially have them authenticated and verified in your wallet.

Enjoy fam.  WAGMI – We are all gonna make it.


FORGE was founded in 2013 to make emerging technology accessible. What if Picasso never had paint? What if Sir Isaac Newton didn’t have access to an apple tree? What if Shakespeare was never given reading lessons?

FORGE combines old world craftmanship with technological precision to make things. We make digital manufacturing technologies accessible and simplified to encourage innovation – and geniuses – locally. We are inspired by complicated challenges and simple bios.

More info available in any universe at www.forgejax.com

Specialization is Overrated

An Exhibition of Works by Clint Burbridge

My sculptural work is inspired by a blend of environment, art history and technology & an exploration of the new. Combining traditional art making methods and concepts with new technologies allows me to create dynamic works of contemporary art. My goal is to keep learning, keep experimenting and keep exploring the possibilities in art technologies.

Environment: I live at the beach, a luscious sub-tropical space where water meets sand to generate a rich biodiversity of plants and flowers. I’m drawn to the line that divides flora and fauna, and I am fascinated by how each can take on aspects of the other. My work looks as if it may harm you if you were to reach out and touch it, like many of the plants and animals you could encounter in our marine environment.

 Art Technology: I combine handblown glass elements with 3D printed components in an effort to create truly unique pieces, combining two very different processes – the ancient and freeform art of glassblowing with the slow and calculated precision of computer-generated 3D printing.

Art History: Conceptually, I’ve tried to marry my love of the modern with an equally important love of the Florida tropical environment. I’m inspired by the Modern colorists such as Joseph Albers, Paul Klee, Mark Rothko and Richard Diebenkorn; their work influences my vivid color pallet.

Exploring the New: My work involves capturing new 3D print technology and the development of methods to blend it with other media. I have created a technique of blowing glass into a copper cage, then later dissolving the copper in acid, to leave only an impression of the structure on the glassy surface. The glass often expresses itself through the cage in unexpected ways, whereas the 3D printed elements are very controlled.


Clint Burbridge is a multi-disciplinary artist currently living and working in Florida. His work ranges from Contemporary Art to Art Education, and includes mediums such as digital design, 3D printing, woodworking, painting, drawing and glassblowing. His practice blends traditional skill sets with modern technology to create unique sculptural works.

Burbridge earned his BFA with honors from Pratt Institute. Previously he was the Art Director at Jacksonville Magazine and an Adjunct Professor at Florida State College at Jacksonville.

More info at: www.clintburbridge.com

Spirit

An Exhibition of Works by Stephanie Pyren-Fortel

Coming from a background of artists and musicians, I was encouraged at an early age to create through lessons in both music and art. My mother, who was an excellent portrait artist, inspired and instructed me while she painted for her clients.

This personal background and my trips to various places throughout America and abroad have always been a wonderful source of inspiration for me—the museums, galleries, architecture and countryside all forming a powerful visual cornucopia of never-ending, amazing scenery just waiting to be painted.

Another aspect of my life that has had a profound influence on my art is in the realm of energy healing and vibrations which are deeply rooted in my family’s philosophy, as well as my own. My body of work is based on the timeless beauty of nature – its energy, vibrations and colors. My figurative paintings explore Mankind’s connection to the Elements of the natural world. I hope my creations evoke emotions, questions, love for life and a spiritual connection for all who view them.

Stephanie Pyren-Fortel was born in Pennsylvania and raised in California where she received her BFA from California State University, Northridge. Skilled in a variety of medias including oil, watercolor, pastel, mural painting and graphic art, Stephanie has exhibited in solo and group shows nationally and internationally and has built a clientele of collectors worldwide.

Stephanie worked in several major animation studios in Los Angeles as a character designer and background painter and has illustrated four children’s books. She also taught life drawing, fashion illustrating and window display at Columbia College in South Carolina.

In 1989, Stephanie left the animation industry and moved to Barbizon, France where she became involved in the new Barbizon School of Arts. While in France, she was commissioned to paint commercial and private pieces, including portraits, murals and reproductions of famous artworks. At this time, The American Animation Co. asked her to travel to Bangkok to teach traditional background painting for the Warner Bros. animation show “Tiny Toons.” Upon returning to France, she sold several pieces to an art buyer, unbeknownst to them that they would be married and eventually both become dual citizens of their countries.

Stephanie and her husband relocated to Jacksonville where she quickly became involved in the local art scene and throughout Florida. She is a current member of the Jacksonville Artist Guild and has recently joined the Jacksonville Branch of the National League of American Pen Women.

Funding has been generously provided by the Cornelia T. Bailey Foundation

Singularity Voyage

An Exhibition of Works by Todd Rykaczewski

Singularity Voyage is an exhibition of works by Artist & Author Todd Rykaczewski, exploring the space between the wires. Curated in collaboration with the Museum of Science & History and Word Revolt Art Gallery Inc., each piece in this ImagINvention interactive art exhibit is created to spark joy and discussion around technology’s function in society and the future. 

Todd Rykaczewski is an accomplished writer, self-taught mixed media artist and congressionally awarded photographer. After moving to Jacksonville in 2013, Rykaczewski continued following his passions of writing, photography and art which manifested into realizing his dream to open Word Revolt Art Gallery in 2017, a brick-and-mortar nonprofit exhibition gallery and studio in Atlantic Beach Florida, dedicated to hosting 100% free monthly events to benefit creatives, charities and the community. 

Funding has been generously provided by the Cornelia T. Bailey Foundation.

PETALS & LACE

Lumen Prints by Mary Catherin Lewis

Lumen printing, a camera-less photography method invented in the 1830s by pioneer William Henry Fox Talbot, utilizes photographic paper and sunlight to create an image. Mary Catherine Lewis was inspired by Talbot’s “photogenic drawings” and has been experimenting with camera-less photography to create her series “Petals & Lace.”

For Lewis, the first step in her artistic process is to arrange lily petals and lace on top of photo-sensitive paper to create her composition. Then she carefully covers the arrangement with a layer of glass before placing the sandwiched materials outside in direct sunlight to expose the image. The last step is to stabilize the developing image by submerging the paper in a bath of fixer solution before rinsing and drying it. Lewis enjoys the chance aspect of this creative process and finds excitement in the unpredictability of exact results.

Mary Catherine Lewis is a painter and photographer living and working in Jacksonville. She received a Bachelor of Arts in English Education from the University of Florida and a Bachelor of Arts in Fine Arts/Cinematography from the University of South Florida. Since retiring from teaching at Stanton College Preparatory School, Lewis is currently studying drawing, painting and photography at the University of North Florida. She also is an active member of The Art Center Cooperative, Inc. and FemArt Gallery.

ASTRONAUT PROJECT

Photography by Adam W. Hill

Growing up near Kennedy Space Center, my childhood was riddled with yellow school bus rides that started with sticky brown vinyl seats and ended with foil wrapped freeze-dried astronaut ice cream and “the ice cream of the future,” Dippin’ Dots. As a kid I always believed the dried out chalky pink, white and brown substance I got in the gift shop was the actual food astronauts ate in space.

I believed that the future could be what I saw in the dioramas of Disney’s Horizons, an animatronic future world, where shiny silver tentacle armed robots messily made dinner and Jetson-like robot butlers vacuumed the floors. I believed in a future unburdened by the hard facts and realities of contemporary science and government funding: a time when the limits of our imaginations would be the only boundaries of possibility.

These photographs are based in idealism and artifice. The constructed scenes in my work depict classic imagery of the isolated astronaut reimagined and fashioned from old glass fishbowls, vacuum parts and secondhand snowsuits. The alien landscapes are derived from lost home worlds of my past: the dunes I played in as a child, an orange coquina rock beach, and eroding east coast beach towns.

The Florida landscape and its ability to transform seemingly mundane spaces into something foreign and fascinating has been a center point for my work in this project. These photographs depict the potential of Floridian environments to transport viewers and alter perceptions through the camera lens. I have lived on the coast my entire life, so I have a strong connection with the beach. White sand, palms, and sparkling blue water are commonly associated with these locations. These beaches were chosen as an antithesis of that projected pseudo image. They are all places I have lived but are no longer “home.”

Funding has been generously provided by the Cornelia T. Bailey Foundation.

REFORMATION

Sculptures by Clifford Buckley

I create most of my work from paper once used for various purposes – junk mail magazines, brochures, playbills, and even Florida Lottery tickets. It amazes me the large amount of paper produced, only to be used once and then thrown away or recycled. All this paper had a specific purpose at one moment in time. Oscar, my large octopus, was created using old processed Florida Lottery tickets. He is composed of 3,760 folded triangles, each triangle representing one lottery ticket. If people spent an average of $5 per ticket, the total amount invested in Oscar would be $18,800. I like the idea of giving this paper another use, while simultaneously bringing life to my animal sculptures.

Clifford Buckley is a Jacksonville self-taught artist who uses modular origami paperfolding techniques to create 3D sculptures and mosaic panels.

Years of working as a truss designer allowed Clifford to develop his spatial reasoning skills. A truss designer takes a set of plans from an architect and creates schematic drawings for building structures through computer-aided design software. During a period of unemployment, he stumbled upon the fascinating world of 3D origami while online one day. This discovery unlocked a creative mind and helped him through a difficult time. Clifford’s animal sculptures combine art and technology. He applies his technical background to help visualize his work.

Clifford has been a featured artist for the art show Hidden Truths, The Mind Unraveled, Jacksonville International Airport Arts Commission and AnnMarie Sculpture Garden in Maryland. He has displayed at MOSH and the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens. He was also a featured artist on exhibition at the Thrasher-Horne Center art gallery.

Florida Botanicals:
Watercolors by Sandy Harington

As a native Floridian, I am inspired by the beauty of our native tropical plants. This series of watercolor botanicals is the fruit of that inspiration. I love to showcase the vivid color that surrounds us in North Florida even in our own backyards. We have some of the most beautiful flowers and trees in the world. Botanical art has an important scientific function in identifying new species and capturing the natural world around us. It is crucial in helping sustain our planet and in helping develop newer species that can flourish in our ever-changing environment. As an artist, helping someone look twice at the details of a flower petal and the intense color of a tropical flower is truly a joy.

Sandy Harrington is a Jacksonville ink and watercolor artist. Her art training began in illustration and advertising at the Daytona Beach News Journal and the Hurd Moss ad agency in Volusia County. Sandy also created background and program art for Volusia County High School Theatre Departments in Daytona Beach and The Children’s Musical Workshop in Ormond Beach. Since retiring, she has focused on the use of color using all types of ink and watercolor.

Photographic Abstraction:

Conceptual Photographs by Marcia Brito

I create photographic abstractions to explore the intersections of art and science and satisfy my thirst for innovation. My artwork employs optics, color, and the physics of light as tools to craft an alternative world. By manipulating a digital camera, I offer a subjective and abstract view of everyday reality. It is up to the viewer to interpret the shapes, colors and textures playfully presented through fragmented subjects.

The photographic abstractions provide an escape, even if only momentary, from the daily struggles we all encounter. The work is non-objective in order to heighten the purity of aesthetic elements and perceptual experience, transforming otherwise recognizable subjects to encourage the audience to delight in ambiguity. I hope that my photographic abstractions promote a joyful realization of the colors, patterns, and textures that underlie reality.

The series defies traditional rules of photography, pushing the medium past its documentation limits. The images are created in-camera without post-production photography software. I manipulate the lens and make gestural movements with the camera to highlight the role of speed, color, and light in the process of abstraction. The artwork is a marriage of the expression of the mind, heart, and soul with the technology of digital photography, bridging the more scientific aspects of photography with the gesture and vibrant color of abstract expressionism.

Marcia Brito is a conceptual photographer and visual arts professor based in Miami. She is currently pursuing a Master of Fine Arts degree at Jacksonville University. Her work can be seen at www.britoart.com. For purchase inquiries of the artwork on exhibit here, please email Chris Cooney at ccooney0492@gmail.com or call (305) 619-5663.

Digital Morphology:

Sculptures by Michael Cottrell

For many years, my sculptural artwork has been inspired by forms found in nature. I am inspired by the texture of tree bark, the swirls in a seashell, and the graceful curves of a bone structure. My explorations are derived by interpreting forms found in nature and objects that are in some way hidden or obscured. As an abstract artist, I am constantly seeking out interesting “source material” for creating innovative forms – things such as bones, fossils, microorganisms, and crystalline structures – items that are familiar, yet are not a part of our conscious observation of everyday environments. I strive to capture the elegance of the essential qualities of these forms and bring them into view to encourage others to fully engage with the nuances of the world around them.

I have used many types of materials such as welded steel, cast metal, and even fabric to interpret natural objects in an abstract way, but digital processes have opened up fascinating new avenues for this type of work. By scanning actual objects to generate virtual 3-D models, I can manipulate these forms in the virtual space in ways that simply are not possible in the physical world. I can create abstractions not only by re-imagining the aesthetic characteristics of a form, but also by manipulating the actual objects into new fantastical versions of themselves. The results are still familiar, but invigoratingly fresh. They demand investigation as they seem plausible, but are impossible.

Atlanta native Michael Cottrell is Professor of Sculpture at Florida State College at Jacksonville. He received his BA in ceramics from Warren Wilson College and his MFA in sculpture and ceramics from East Carolina University.

 

Images of Florida’s First Coast:

Photographs by Will Dickey

Will Dickey has been a Jacksonville resident since he became a staff photographer for The Florida Times-Union in 1983. News events, environmental portraits, sports, business, digital illustrations and features are among his daily assignments for the newspaper. His work has also been featured in Water’s Edge, Florida Trend, Newsweek and Time magazines, the ABC Evening News and National Geographic’s website.

Dickey has won regional and national awards for his newspaper work, but he has a special respect for nature and for the beauty of northeast Florida, especially the Timucuan Preserve, the St. Johns River and the Atlantic coastline.

The waterways and woods are his passion, professionally and personally, and photographing them is something of a return to his roots. He grew up in Alabama and wet his first hook as a young child, fishing alongside his father and uncles in the creeks and ponds of his hometown Chatom, north of Mobile. In high school and college (Auburn University) he developed an interest in photography and turned his camera to nature.

Dickey’s images of First Coast landscapes have been displayed in local art galleries and outdoor art festivals for the past several years. You can see more of Dickey’s nature photography at www.willdickey.com and his editorial photography at www.willdickeyphotography.zenfolio.com.

 

Decoding the Infinite Forest:

Photographs by Doug Eng

How do you photograph a forest? A forest presents itself along a path, creating an immersive and timeless experience, unfolding in a progression. Most photographs depict a contained space at a moment in time. I am interested in extending both of these dimensions.

A “forest” is conceptually unconstrained and without bounds. By creating a long window into the scene with no sky/foreground elements, I intended to imply the infinite and replicate what our normal field of vision would see on a trail. The forest is presented consistently as an objective composition within this frame. My interest is to study multiple locations, subjects, and types to determine if there is a visual signature unique to each condition, appealing to my engineering disposition to rationalize the chaos that is the forest. This code becomes apparent only when viewing multiple tree forms as they become the notes, chords, rests and tempo of a musical score.

Our culture of consumption continues to have a devastating effect on our forests. As a witness to the miraculous place any forest can be, my hope is that this project may, in some way, contribute to the wisdom to conserve, manage and protect these living resources.

Trained as an engineer and software programmer, Jacksonville native Doug Eng is a photographer and installation artist whose work may be seen at www.dougengart.com.

Bearing Witness:

An Installation by Sarah Crooks Flaire

As MOSH’s 2016 Artist in Residence, Sarah Crooks Flaire explores the landscape of natural springs as a metaphor for the heart of our St. Johns River. Rooted in her personal mythology of Red Pearl River, where she redirects her energy daily from consumptive to creative partnership, Bearing Witness explores the tension between domestication and wild that the St. Johns River struggles with daily.

Like liquid light bubbling from underground darkness, water emerges from mystery and flows through our collective subconscious, bringing archetypes and stories. Worldwide, Original Peoples revered water as sacred and celebrated this gift of life by honoring its purity.

Fountains of youth belonged to everyone, and springs were historically sites for Councils of Reconciliation. In this current time of global climate change, we too have the opportunity to honor our water. Through conscious choices, we can move away from anthropocentric living towards reciprocity with the natural world.

Biographical Statement

Sarah Crooks Flaire is an artist and certified Florida Master Naturalist who earned the 2016 Ninah May Holden Cummer Award for artfully connecting people with the environment. She delights in creating tools and images that combine art and science while nurturing positive relationships with the natural world. Her work has been collected by corporations and healing centers, and her solo exhibitions include installations at Henry P. Leu Botanical Gardens, the Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens, and the Thrasher Horne Center for the Arts. To schedule a workshop, purchase a piece in this exhibition, or to learn more, please visit www.sarahcrooksflaire.com.

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Inherent Attraction:

Assemblages by Crystal Floyd

My works explore themes of nature, storytelling and adaptive reuse. From my love of natural history, I construct sculptural vignettes as cabinets of curiosities. I employ preserved insects, taxonomical items, natural artifacts, living plants and artificial objects in my work to activate magical narratives — collecting, cataloging and documenting in hopes that my works transcend the appropriated objects and transfer the viewer into a world that they have created.

These pieces are not about glorifying death but rather honoring and celebrating life, paying homage to the repeating patterns and cycles therein. Most of the items used are personally collected during nature outings, meticulously selected from private collections or gifted by other like-minded adventurers and lovers of the natural world in hopes that they will find new life and appreciation. The items in these cases carry personal significance to me, weaving new narratives and finding new perspectives between the static specimens contained within and the active memories that surround them. 

For more visit: www.crystalfloyd.com.

Flights of Fancy

Gourd Art by Mindy Hawkins

My sculptural bird creations show my love for our area’s beautiful avian inhabitants. Although some of my pieces are not specifically identifiable as native birds, all my pieces are inspired by the graceful shapes, forms and textures of our local feathered friends.

I have always been fascinated by natural colors and organic forms. The gourd is a 3-D canvas that allows me to introduce a variety of textures, patterns and colors to the foundation of my sculptures. I find that every gourd has its own personality. I use a variety of tools and dyes in my work and enjoy experimenting with various techniques such as dying, staining, painting, carving and burning. The gourd is the base on which I add elements such as legs, beak, wings, tail, eyes or soft figures. The soft figure allows me to express the emotions of the character through facial expressions, body language, and the style, color and patterning of the clothing. The added accessories further enhance the narrative.

Jacksonville resident Mindy Hawkins is a self-taught artist who has been creating sculptures for the past 22 years. Her work has been featured on the Discovery Channel show, Lynette Jennings Design, and she has appeared numerous times in group and solo shows such as the Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show, CraftBoston, and Craft + Design in Richmond, Virginia. Ms. Hawkins has received numerous awards and recognitions. She has taught classes and has conducted workshops, demonstrations and lectures on her personal body of work. See more of her work at www.mindyhawkinsgourds.com.

Works of Art by Area High School Students

As part of its Arts Infusion Program, MOSH encourages youth to explore the connections between art and science. MOSH, in partnership with area high schools, has developed the Informed Art Project, in which students produce works of art that tell unique stories, guided by curriculum requirements but open to artist interpretation. In producing their works, students are encouraged to incorporate scientific principles accurately and precisely. Their art pieces are displayed at the Jacksonville Science Festival and selected works are showcased at MOSH.

Rights and Reflections

Works from the Jacksonville Cultural Development Corporation

The featured artists are leaders of the Jacksonville Cultural Development Corporation (JCDC). Founded in 2004 as the Jacksonville Consortium of African American Artists, JCDC is a group of artists, art administrators, teachers, and business people who seek to increase representation of African American artists and art resources in underserved communities in Jacksonville.

JCDC builds bridges that connect and empower communities through creative placemaking efforts that develop and strengthen a neighborhood’s character and identity. Such projects leverage the power of the arts, culture, and creativity to serve a community’s interest while driving a broader agenda for equality, growth, and transformation.
http://www.jcdcjax.org

 

Suzanne Pickett has a BFA in Graphic Design from the University of North Florida. Her body of work embodies mixed media techniques that represent the spirit of the natural form and the complexity of the human spirit. She uses dramatic texture and color fusion in her two- and three-dimensional works with the use of paint, clay, wood, and other textures.

Annelies Dykgraaf was born and raised in Nigeria. She has a BFA from Calvin College and studied in France through the Cleveland Institute of Art. She is active in many Jacksonville cultural organizations and has exhibited at many regional museums and galleries. Her art is mainly in relief work – wood or linoleum carvings depicting people, symbols, textile patterns and motifs of West African folk tales.
http://anneliesdykgraaf.com

Marsha Hatcher was born in South Georgia and has a BA from Albany State University. Having been a military wife for many years, she has traveled around the world and much of her work, mostly acrylic and oil painting, passionately captures these experiences and the people she has met. Her preferred subjects are people of color, and her works are featured in many private collections.
https://hatcherart.blogspot.com

A Road Less Traveled

Paintings by Dima Kroma

My art celebrates the spirit of cultural diversity; it tells stories about who we are and where we came from. I use the power of visual language to build bridges, hoping to surpass national and cultural boundaries.

My paintings take the viewers overseas to Syria, so they hear the music, smell the scents, see the architecture, and meet the hospitable people there.

I divide my time between painting, software programming and taking care of my family. Combining both art and science in my daily routine fuels my creativity and helps me find ways to innovate in both domains.

As an immigrant, I try to represent some of the Syrian culture in my art, to show that what unites us as human beings is far more than what divides us, and at the end of the day we are part of one big nation; that is humanity.

Dima Kroma is a Syrian-German informatics engineer with a specialty in Software Engineering, a wife, a mother of two, and a self-taught artist.  She grew up in a scientific family as her parents were in the medical field. She loved art since early childhood, started to paint at 15 years old and focused mainly on still life.

Dima moved to the United States in 2010.  She paints with acrylics and oil paints, and she is known to love vibrant colors. Dima believes that both artists and scientists tend to see the world in new but similar ways.  They both solve problems with the same open-mindedness, and they both have no fear of the unknown.

Mukashi Banashi 昔話 (Old Tales)

Illustrations by Elena Øhlander

My work focuses on the subtleties of the human condition and explores identity, individuality, and gender through creative visual narrative. I utilize a contrived scenario, a self-styled characterization, and the psychology of color and semiotics to build my vernacular.

I seek to preserve the heritages and cultures of my daughter and myself. I am inspired by Japanese fine art, poetry, mythology, folklore, cuisine, language, Kabuki/Noh theatre, traditional attire, textiles, flowers, animals, toys, pottery techniques, and more. I modernize all these elements through illustrative, mixed-media storytelling in two-dimensional form.

I portray my own likeness as a Eurasian-Asian female, which resonates with my daughter. I seek to foster her interests and preserve her curiosity about the world and her culture while empowering her with a female character who redefines gender roles and is unafraid to confront her fears and insecurities. This character is whimsical and ethereal, sometimes dark and foreboding. She is all the emotions that come with life experiences and she continues to persevere. She is all I could hope to inspire my daughter to be.

My goal is to encourage the viewer to break down stereotypes and look beyond the boundaries of their own culture and identity for introspection. I hope to bring understanding, mindfulness, and a connection to what unifies us to society at large.

Elena Øhlander is an illustrator, painter, and mother. She earned a BFA in photography in 2014 and is currently working in Jacksonville, exhibiting her work at regional galleries and museums. She is both Chinese and Norwegian, born in America to immigrant parents who focused on assimilating into American culture rather than preserving their cultures and traditions. Her daughter is part Japanese and she shares and protects her heritage through the creation of a large body of work titled, I Think I’m Going Japanese.

Dans l’au-delà

Prints by Walter Pierre

The experience of growing up as a black, Haitian-American male in the United States has brought a complex array of emotions and thoughts to my artistic work. The power of identity — how it shapes and outlines individuals or groups — has led me to explore and investigate this subject. Through painting, printmaking and sculpture I create windows into the subconscious that reveal vulnerabilities within society and their relation to identities in general. In utilizing conventional and stylized imagery based on African, Haitian, colonial, and post-colonial cultural references, I examine the idea of imposed, reformed, and reinvented identity. I use the Haitian tradition of colorful storytelling to attract the viewer and allow a glimpse into the various imagery that makes up identity.

Dans l’au-delà — “in the thereafter” — explores the spiritual essence, the connection to the space (and the world in between) that dwells in our Haitian culture. Playing a pivotal role in this connection is Vodou — “lespri”, the spirit — a pillar of Haitian identity that is woven into the fabric of Haiti and its people. The spirituality of Vodou, whether practiced or not, is invoked in the language we speak, the food we eat, and the spaces where we Haitians gather. This series of artwork provides a glimpse into this invisible, ephemeral, and essential part of who we are.

Born in South Florida to Haitian immigrants, Walter Pierre has been based in Jacksonville since 2005. He earned an Associate of Arts degree at Florida State College at Jacksonville and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at the University of North Florida with concentrations in painting, drawing, and printmaking. Pierre is founder of Studio Kòlòbri, an atelier focused on contemporary Haitian arts and culture, and has exhibited his work in many galleries in northeast Florida.

STER·E·O·TYPE

Mixed Media Artwork by Ricder Ricardo

In today’s society, we are all stereotyped regardless of our geographic origin, race, religion, background or social class. As a Cuban American, I am subjected to untrue stigmas related to my ethnicity and my culture everyday.

In this series, I have worked with individuals who are completely different from what society portrays them to be. They are labeled according to preconceived notions that our culture has imbedded in our brains of how they should act and look. In my work, these subjects, who are often superficially seen and stereotyped, carry their stigma like a heavy pile of trash everywhere they go. These associations become part of their environment, linking and uniting them to their stereotypical beliefs.

Through painting and printmaking, I narrate stories of survival, acceptance and overcoming obstacles. As a gay man, I have a responsibility to younger generations. I grew up thinking it was immoral being who I was so I had to overcome not only society’s perception of me, but also my own. Today, my artistic process goes simultaneously with my personal development; I use it as a form of catharsis to delve into my deepest fears and expose my insecurities to the world.

I also understand that I have an opportunity to be a voice to those who are silent. Speak out against injustices that are happening in our country and in the world today.

Ricder Ricardo graduated from the University of North Florida in 2019 with a BFA in Painting, Drawing, Printmaking and a Minor in Photography.

Inventors Left To Their Own Devices:

Mixed Media Sculptures by Jim Smith

On display are sculptures that appear to be devices of a bygone age. These “prototype devices” reflect the style known as Steampunk, but they do not have the lightheartedness usually associated with the Steampunk movement. They are presented as one-of-a-kind devices made with passion and anguish by well-known historical figures who were driven by some compulsion.

Each prototype contains elements that are significant to the individual who is credited with its creation, and each appears to have a significant reason for existence, with strong references to science fiction. The works are meant to look aged, touched by time. To reinforce believability, the sculptures are labeled as authentic museum objects are.

Jim Smith, a Jacksonville resident since 1977, began his art career in SoHo in the 1970s, near the end of the pop art movement. He currently teaches advanced three-dimensional art classes at the Bolles School. He is a founding member of the Northeast Florida Sculptors Group, has shown his art internationally in both Mexico and Europe, and currently exhibits at Jacksonville’s Southlight Art Gallery. Mr. Smith is a major contributor to the annual Empty Bowls project benefiting the Second Harvest Food Bank. In addition, he donates art to various charities including JASMYN and the Patrons of the Heart program.

Details of his work, including these pieces, can be found on his website at www.smithjart.com.

Natural Designs:

Paintings by Mary St. Germain

I have an affinity and respect for nature; it is my sanctuary and escape. As a child I spent much of my time outdoors – snow in the winter, beach in the summer, and nautical adventures with my dad. However, I think that learning the crafts of crocheting, knitting and bobbin lace making first opened my eyes to the world of patterns.

That childhood love draws me to certain subjects — the way palm fronds interface with one another and the stature of grasses, some standing tall and others bent by sweet, southern breezes. Patterns of nature are the defining element in this series of paintings.

My process is a direct response to what is occurring on the canvas. Since I do not do a complete compositional layout for a given painting, problem-solving and openness to changes as I work become the norm. Nothing is sacred; there is always a push/pull dialogue between background, mid-ground, and foreground. For me, the challenge is to start free and end with a working composition. I have always worked with graphite and charcoal to sketch and this has a strong influence on my painting.

It is my belief that art is the catalyst to the healing process of the human spirit. Art lifts our thoughts and emotions to levels that transform our physical and spiritual wellbeing.

Mary St. Germain is a Jacksonville painter. She studied Fine Arts at Louisiana State University and is a member of Oil Painters of America, Landscape Artists International and the National League of American Pen Women. Her work is in private and public collections near and far.

 

Twilight Tales Under The Treaty Oak:

Silk Paintings by Nena Tahil

The binding theme of my art story is transformation. I am passionate about embracing new perspectives and experiences. Through my art I translate feelings and memories of people, places and points in time while expressing the juxtapositions of life.

Art is Nature, Nature is Art.  Art is not just what we see, it is how we see it. Art is about opening up to new possibilities. Art is an adventure. When we blend Nature and Art, we accept the beauty of what was, what is and what it could be. As we contemplate the blessings of Nature, we accept alternative possibilities and potentials and we experience the power of new perspectives. We experience metamorphosis.

Twilight Tales under the Treaty Oak is my interpretation of Nature’s offerings of life lessons – resilience, growth, grace and quiet elegance.  Each leaf is just one page in the book of knowledge waiting patiently to be read. This book unfolds a tale of self-reflection where the final chapter is a personal envisioning.

Nena Tahil is a recent Florida resident. After a earning a Master in Public Health degree from Columbia University and a successful career in the health industry, Nena has dedicated the next phase of her life to advocating for mental wellness and closing the gap between the disparity of physical and mental health. She is recent graduate of UNF’s Clinical Mental Health Counseling program. Nena believes that creativity is an essential element to self-discovery and individuation. A portion of the proceeds from sales of her work support mental health awareness in the Jacksonville community. Visit www.silk-paintings-by-nena.com.

Red and Blue:

3D Imagery by Jason Tetlak

I despise the ordinary. I spend my days grumbling to myself about the lack of color and design in the world around me, particularly with regard to the blank, khaki-grey walls that make up many of the buildings and spaces where we live and work.

I strive to take over these places with art to create an oasis where the other grumblers of the world can have something to enjoy. Recently that has involved painting murals and pushing myself to create pieces that are bigger and more visible. Alas, there are still more walls to conquer.

Originally from northeast Ohio, Jason Tetlak is a long-time resident of Jacksonville and a graduate of Flagler College with a degree in graphic design and fine art. His work tends to be interactive, exploring the relationship between the viewer and the artwork, and often incorporates technology through the use of QR codes, 3D anaglyphs*, red reveal and augmented reality.

Jason has shown work in group and individual shows, including Art Prize in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and Art Basel in Miami. He has created several murals (including a Guinness World record for the largest 3D mural right here in Jacksonville), and is the Director of the Murray Hill Mural Project, an initiative he created to elevate one of Jacksonville’s neighborhoods through community creativity and art.

Jason’s art can be seen online at art.tetlak.com.

Tabono’s Tempo: Peace in Mother’s Voice:

Paintings by Roosevelt Watson III

My work examines contemporary black experiences. As a visual historian, I use art to create dialogue around societal issues and create space for empathy and observance. My series, “Tabono’s Tempo,” looks at the past to move the present forward. In the past, quilts and songs were used to lead black people on their paths to freedom. I weave my work to tell present-day stories by exploring the common traits of strength, confidence and persistence, represented the Adinkra symbol, Tabono. These three traits are embodied in the black families that are forced to continue on after the trauma of gun violence, a theme I contemplate in Peace in Mother’s Voice.

As an artist, I am interested in displaying the range of human emotion through the use of abstract expressionism. I use color, shapes and symbols around loose physical forms to allow the viewer to reflect on how they process emotion. My passion of metaphysics is incorporated in the selection of palette and the use of color to heal and be representative.

How can we work together to alleviate the social issues that exist in communities plagued by years of neglect? I hope I can be a conduit for that reflection.

Jacksonville native Roosevelt Watson III is a painter working in surreal, abstract, and expressionistic modes. A dedicated studio artist, he earned his BFA from the Atlanta College of Art (now the Savannah College of Art and Design) and is a recipient of the Community Arts Foundation’s Art Venture Grant. His work has been displayed in major institutions throughout Florida and beyond. For purchase inquiries of the artwork on display, email artworkby3@gmail.com.

Each year, MOSH supports an Artist in Residence (AIR), a local artist who helps MOSH integrate the arts into the museum’s science and humanities exhibits and programs. The AIR for 2017 is Kathy Stark, a Jacksonville native and resident who specializes in watercolor and oil painting. She earned a BA in Studio Arts from Furman University and attended the University of North Florida for post-baccalaureate studies. Following a career in set design, art direction, production illustration, painting and sculpting for the motion picture and entertainment attraction industries, Kathy pursued a career as a professional fine artist, venturing into the medium of watercolor.

Kathy’s favorite subject matter is her natural Florida surroundings which she explores by hiking, kayaking, canoeing, mountain biking and dog walking. In 2013, she was inspired by a crowd-funded festival to venture out into all of the area’s parks and preserves and create large-scale paintings from her experiences. For three years she researched each place — online and by foot, bike, canoe and kayak — and became a parks advocate and ambassador in the process. She recently completed a series of large, even monumental, watercolors of her area’s amazing wild park system for her book titled The Wilderness of North Florida’s Parks. A unique blend of art and education, the family friendly book serves as a tribute and guide to the great unspoiled stretches of the North Florida region. Kathy’s work has been collected both privately and corporately and has been shown in museums and galleries in Northeast Florida. For more information, visit kathystark.com.

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So, what has Kathy done for MOSH?

Kathy created a signature exhibition, The Wilderness of North Florida Parks, to accompany her book. The show, displayed in MOSH’s first-floor gallery from February to September, 2017, features a series of framed watercolors and illustrated interpretive panels highlighting the wonders of North Florida’s many and varied parks. Kathy’s introduction to the exhibition reads as follows:

“The Jacksonville area is home to the nation’s largest system of urban parks. These parks are within a one-hour drive from downtown and include over 83,000 acres of city, state and national parks, preserves, conservation areas and forests — natural ecosystems teeming with life. Over 6,000 years of human history exist in our parks, too, ranging from prehistoric to present day and representing Timucuan Indians, Spanish and French explorers, an American Revolutionary War skirmish site, an antebellum plantation, a Civil War encampment and a World War I training camp.

“Exploring by foot, bicycle, canoe, kayak, boat, paddleboard or horse, you can experience a ‘sense of wilderness’ in these special places just miles from the bustle of city life. This juxtaposition of urban and natural settings creates a unique cultural and geographic identity for Jacksonville. This is our wild backyard. The REAL Florida. It is our area’s greatest asset — one to preserve, protect, promote…and enjoy. I hope to see you out there! Make our parks your path to inspiration, reflection and renewal.

“Discover. Explore.”

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Artist Statement

For as long as I can remember, I have been keenly aware of and in awe of the world around me, the details of creation, the reflections of light, contrasts of texture, variance of color, the shape and form of my surroundings.

I find that with my art, I am drawn to this, and prefer to paint that which is beautiful in nature. In general, I choose subject matter from which I can create a window to the natural world through which the viewer has a heightened awareness of its beauty.

I especially enjoy painting large even monumental watercolors of my beloved North Florida wilderness surroundings. My painting style is an expression of my personality: realistic, straight forward, positive, and authentic. Influenced by my father’s civil engineering mind set, I take a draftsman like approach to painting a large watercolor. It’s like painting a puzzle, section by section, as I unroll the large painting and work in various areas as I go.

My work is classically driven with a contemporary sense of composition and color. I work from nature, compositional sketches, studies and my own color photographs. Although realistic in approach, as I paint transformations take place and the subject takes on a life of its own. The background veers toward abstraction while the focus becomes more dramatic and colors get amplified.

I gravitate towards larger than life, even monumental paintings which I get into literally and figuratively. I enjoy the transparency, immediacy and risk of watercolors. The singing color and the luminous use of the white paper transforms a momentary ordinary scene into an event.

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Each year, MOSH supports an Artist in Residence (AIR), a local artist who helps MOSH integrate the arts into the museum’s science and humanities exhibits and programs.

The AIR for 2018 is Jason Woods, an actor, director, composer, scenic designer and writer. Originally from Western Kentucky, he and his family have lived in Jacksonville for ten years. Dubbed a ‘creative conjurer’, Mr. Woods has created original theatrical shows, operating as writer, director, composer, scenic designer and puppet builder, often all at once. His past works include St. George & the Dragon, Peter Pan, Mr. Toad’s Wild Expedition, and A Christmas Carol, a solo stage show he adapted and composed music for in which he portrays twenty-five characters. He is also a voice-over artist, lending his voice to numerous commercial and creative products around the world. For more information, visit www.jasonwoodsactor.com.

So, what has Jason done for MOSH? He contributed his talents to the design and fabrication of the centerpiece of the Museum’s upcoming signature exhibit, Mission: Jax Genius – a whimsical, steampunk-inspired time machine in which visitors select the Jacksonville makers of the past they’d like to retrieve and bring to the present.  Here’s Jason’s fantastical object label for his creation:

Tempus Fugit

(tem-poos fuy-jit) – Latin: Time Flees
American-made by Jason Woods, 1936
(Restored in 2018 by Dr. R. Bailey & Dr. A. Campbell)

Tempus Fugit was built from 1929-1936 by Jason Woods, who had become disillusioned with wealth. He sank his fortune into his concept, alienating himself from family and friends, as well as a drapes boutique (It’s Curtains for You) that relied on his frequent purchases because of his wife’s insatiable design appetite.

The initial builds of Tempus Fugit were failures and caused the loss of a few pigs, a nice chair, and a hat rack. The machine, designed to take users back to the time of their choice, was wrought with complications. These arose from experimental materials including plasma-electro grit, fake copper wire, and a host of other fastenings, hardware, and lubricants (including a well-seasoned potato salad by Woods’ aunt Laverne). They caused numerous undesired effects other than time travel: temporary receding hairlines, weight gain, extreme toenail growth (and strength), and reverse aging, which was later proven to be false, of course.

Success was finally reached in 1936 when Tempus Fugit first traveled through time. Lester Quarrel, a 52-year old millworker from Delaware (and a fine dancer) was paid $7.00 (roughly $130 today) for his willingness to use Tempus Fugit. Said Mr. Quarrel, “I guess they picked me ’cause I’m just about at the age where I don’t care about time-travel. Non-temporal bias, they called it. Plus, you know, seven bucks.”

Transported back to December 15, 1791, Quarrel claimed to have witnessed the adoption of the First Amendment to the Constitution. Mr. Quarrel also claimed he was later jailed that day for telling people he was from the future and knew all about the Bill of Rights until a guard had compassion on him and agreed to release him after he demonstrated his dancing skills. Quarrel stayed around Washington for a week but came back via Tempus Fugit just in time for the holidays, such as they were. No one in his family believed him. He has been quoted as saying, “Tempus Fugit changed my life. I’d do it again, but not for $7.00. I feel like my opportunity was really wasted because I didn’t change anything. I just stood around and watched. Being in jail was something I’ll never forget, but I wouldn’t recommend it.” Woods documented Quarrel’s journey as an “unverifiable success”. The drapes boutique, It’s Curtains for You, closed a year later. 

Tempus Fugit was released to modest acclaim in 1936 and a collective shrug from the scientific community. After going back in time to “fix” some life choices, Woods stored the machine in a basement where it fell into disrepair. Woods is rumored to have provided his formula for time travel in a videotaped interview from 1981, but it has yet to surface. Woods died of unknown causes in 1984. It is rumored his last words were “too much paprika” though there are conflicting accounts that he said “too much time-travel”. His grandson, Jason Woods (Jacksonville, FL), informed M.O.S.H. about the machine in his grandfather’s old house and paid them to “get that thing out of here”.

Restored in 2018 by Dr. Russell Bailey and Dr. Amanda Campbell, Tempus Fugit exists now to serve educational needs and has been harnessed with a restrictive technology that will not allow ‘meddling’ with the past. Thanks to these modifications and a generous grant from M.O.S.H. under the direction of curator Paul Bourcier, Tempus Fugit now offers time-travel to the world and visitors of M.O.S.H. with one consequence: knowledge.

 

MOSH is pleased to announce the selection of Mico Fuentes as its 2019 Artist in Residence. Mico was one of several artists to submit proposals for an interactive work of art to serve as a showpiece for MOSH’s maker space, Creation Station. Mico describes his work, Variable Vantage, as a “kinetic print sculpture” that features “a number of interactive and engaging elements that both stimulate the senses and promote the sciences, arts, and humanities.” MOSH is happy to add Mico’s art as a new guest experience.

“As a creative communicator it is my task to deliver information about concepts and aesthetics, neither of which supersedes the other, but coexists in concert. When creating an object, I activate a maker’s approach by idealizing the important elements of the object and determining how they can effectively deliver abstract ideas with consideration to my artistic principles.

My works reflect my background in printmaking and feature layers of mixed media. I source two types of materials to convey information: raw materials such as plastic, metal, and organic matter; and defeated materials such as decaying doors, windows, sheets of glass, and other discarded objects that no longer serve their original purpose. These materials come with an inherent history, one that is not forgotten but revalued. I then apply symbols, text, and other imagery through the use of mark making, light and shadow. The accretion of media creates a three-dimensional effect for the viewer. The viewer is knowingly or unknowingly part of the work; their assessment and judgment define a new value to the execution and content of the work. The relevance and new history of the materials are allowed to be reinvented for another duration of existence.”

Mico A. Fuentes, a visual artist living and working in Jacksonville, holds an MFA in Visual Arts from Jacksonville University. He employs a DIY mindset and is always in search of new ways to push concept. His work employs semiotics, the principles of printmaking, and defeated materials to communicate the concepts of value, consumerism, and the witness of the natural world.

He has produced many public works including commissions and collaborations with bands, restaurants, dance companies, public art organizations, publications, and spirits and fashion brands. His 2D and 3D work exist predominantly in the Southeast and have been featured in exhibitions throughout the U.S. and Mexico. Mico is an active participant in the local arts and culture community and serves on the Cultural Council’s Art in Public Places Committee.

MOSH’s 2019 Artist in Residence is sponsored by the PNC Foundation, the charitable arm of the PNC Financial Services Group.

Variable Vantage
Mixed media
2020

In the work, Variable Vantage, Mico Fuentes explores the micro and macro dimensions of the viewers’ perspective and the influence of energy from physical interactivity. The viewer is both a participant and a witness. By exerting kinetic energy to rotate the three discs, the participant activates several elements of sight and sound.

Visually, representations of our place in the universe rotate as they reflect, refract, and absorb light. Audibly, sound is projected in two ways: pieces of metal located on the disc trigger the tones of a metal detector as they pass before its coil; and sound is created by interacting with the electromagnetic field of the antenna of an electronic musical instrument called a theremin. Both elements of sound also control light-emitting diodes (LEDs).

Other elements of the work were used for Mico’s artistic purposes and are a result of discoveries, explorations and inventions throughout history, including:

Screen printing – the process of pushing ink through a stencil created with UV-sensitive photo emulsion

Welding – the fusing of metal through an arc of energy created by gas and electricity

Patina – the controlled oxidation of metal for the purpose of sealing and tinting metal

Lapidary – the process of reducing organic or synthetic material by cutting and polishing

Its clever melding of art and science and use of different maker techniques make Variable Vantage a perfect feature of MOSH’s Creation Station.

Concept art for Variable Vantage