Thursday on “First Coast Connect, we spoke with the new director of Jacksonville’s Museum of Contemporary Art, Caitlin Doherty. We heard about an upcoming seminar regarding cochlear implants from Dr. Elizabeth Selle of The Hearing Center at Jacksonville Hearing & Balance Institute. New York artist Michael Alan told us about his upcoming his live show Friday at Space 42 and Tree Hill Nature Center executive director Mark Mummaw told us about Saturday’s Joseph A. Strasser Butterfly Festival.
Caitlin Doherty
She’s a new face on the local arts and culture scene. Doherty is a native of Scotland and she has big plans for MOCA. She was formerly the chief curator for the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum at Michigan State University. She also served as curator at Virginia Commonwealth University’s branch in Qatar.
Cochlear Implants
It’s estimated that some 35 million Americans suffer from hearing loss and that number is steadily increasing with our aging population. But, most of those having trouble hearing do not use a hearing aid. April marks Better Speech and Hearing Month. There’s a free seminar Monday from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Sheraton Jacksonville on Deerwood Park Boulevard sponsored by The Hearing Center. Unlike hearing aids, hearing implants are often covered by insurance, including Medicare and Medicaid.
Michael Alan
New York based artist Michael Alan is renowned not only for his studio work, but also his live art pieces. Alan’s recent Draw-a-Thon Theater in Brooklyn attracted live, nude models who struck poses from the silly to sublime. He calls it “Michael Alan’s Living Installation” where he turns people he meets in his everyday life into living art objects. He normally hosts these live events in and around New York City. His show 6 p.m. Friday at Space 42 will be his first outside of the Big Apple.
Butterfly Festival
The Butterfly Festival runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at the Tree Hill Nature Center in Arlington. The highlight is the butterfly release at 3:30 p.m. It’s also an opportunity to tour the center which includes chickens, opossums, goats and many other animal and plant species.
Producer Kevin Meerschaert can be reached at kmeerschaert@wjct.org, 904-358-6334 or on Twitter at @KMeerschaertJax.
