It was a groundbreaking exhibition and a key cultural moment in Jacksonville and the American South. We talk to the author of The Armory South: The 1924 Jacksonville Woman's Club Exhibition Rediscovered, a new book about the pivotal modern art showcase that planted the flag for art and culture on the First Coast. The show featured 200 works by more than 80 cutting edge artists, including Peggy Bacon, Pablo Picasso, Diego Rivera, Joseph Stella and Isabel Whitney, and nearly a third of the featured artists were women. A retrospective exhibition bringing together many of the original works runs through the end of November at MOCA Jacksonville.
Guest:
- P. Scott Brown, art historian and author of The Armory South: The 1924 Jacksonville Woman's Club Exhibition Rediscovered.
Then, recognizing the innovators who animate the arts community on the First Coast. The Cultural Council’s 48th Annual Arts Awards celebrates local artists, boosters and businesses that support and sustain the region’s creative economy. We talk to the group's leader and one of its 2025 honorees about the Sept. 5 gala.
Guests:
- Diana Donovan, executive director, Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville.
- Milt Russos, executive director of The Artist Series, Florida State College at Jacksonville and 2025 Helen Lane Founders Award winner.
And, a local nonprofit strives to connect neighbors to their neighborhoods through agriculture and conversation. “FunGardens” promises an agriculturally immersive playground in the city’s Urban Core. We sit down with members of First Coast Urban Ag to discuss the importance of reconnecting with the environment and how the group’s “Flock Party” seeks to focus attention on disadvantaged neighborhoods.
Guests:
- Valerie Herrmann, executive director First Coast Urban Ag.
- Kelley Layton, volunteer, FunGardens.