MOCA and UNF Partner to Promote Importance of Art and Education

The Art of Teaching: Art and Design Faculty Exhibition Opens September 18

Jacksonville, Fla.—(September 18, 2009)— The Museum of Contemporary Art Jacksonville and the University of North Florida are joining forces to raise awareness on the importance of art and education in the Jacksonville community. As part of the affiliation, MOCA will host an exhibition season with three art exhibitions. The exhibitions, featuring the works of current and past teachers and students from UNF, will open September 18, 2009 and run through January 3, 2010.

“The Department of Art and Design at UNF is thrilled about the union with MOCA Jacksonville. Adding the museum as a cultural resource for the university allows for scheduling of studio and art history classes at the downtown building,” says Debra Murphy, Chair of the Department of Art and Design for UNF. “The new relationship also brings more visibility to an outstanding and vital department of painters, printmakers, photographers, sculptors, designers and ceramic artists while encouraging UNF students to become part of Jacksonville’s urban scene,” says Murphy. “The fall season will be filled with lectures, workshops and exhibitions by UNF faculty members and their students resulting in enriched art opportunities and experiences for the university, museum and greater Jacksonville communities.”

The Art of Teaching: Art and Design Faculty Exhibition is one exhibition that will be featured during the season. The exhibition will display paintings, drawings, printmaking, photography, sculptures and specific site instillations by 25 full-time, adjunct and visiting UNF Art and Design faculty members. Simultaneously, MOCA will present Emergence, a celebration of the progress and potential of several UNF students and graduates from the Sculpture and Ceramics program.

Coinciding with these exhibitions is MOCA’s presentation of Robert Motherwell: Lost in Form, Found in Line. Motherwell was one of the youngest leaders among American abstract expressionist painters and printers who inspired legends like Jackson Pollack. Motherwell’s abstract expressionist paintings are made of shapes, lines and forms that practice going beyond the recognizable image of art in search for a deeper reality. Motherwell’s work can be seen in numerous exhibitions in the U.S. and abroad. Forty of Motherwell’s works will be displayed in the exhibition including Seaside Studio, Paris Suite III and Game of Chance.

As a part of the partnership, UNF faculty members will lead a series of lectures to support the Motherwell and The Art of Teaching exhibitions. “Working with a Legend: Sharing My Experiences Making Prints with Robert Motherwell” will take place September 24, 2009 at 6:30 p.m. The lecture will be given by John Hutcheson, Master Printer, who worked with Motherwell at the height of his career.

MOCA’s exhibition season is generously supported by Mrs. Donald M. Cox, CSX, Haskell, River Branch Foundation, Teresa de B. and Arthur Milam, The Boeing Company and WJCT Public Broadcasting.

For more information on the exhibition season visit www.mocajacksonville.org