Elysa Adams: Voices of Moncrief Opens May 10 at MOCA Jacksonville
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Museum of Contemporary Art Jacksonville, a Cultural Institute of the University of North Florida (UNF), is pleased to announce a new exhibition presenting the work of its 2024 UNF Student Artist-in-Residence. Elysa Adams: Voices of Moncrief is on view May 10 through September 8, 2024. The artist will be onsite to speak about her work during an Opening Celebration on Wednesday, June 5, 2024 from 5 to 7:30 p.m. in conjunction with downtown Jacksonville’s First Wednesday Art Walk and Museum Nights @ MOCA.
Elysa Adams, MOCA Jacksonville’s 2024 UNF Student Artist-in-Residence, is a multidisciplinary artist born and raised in Jacksonville. She is majoring in Printmaking, Painting, and Drawing, with a minor in Psychology. Adams seeks to create art that is not only visually striking but also passionately engages in vital conversations. With Voices of Moncrief, Adams presents a body of work that highlights her community in the historic neighborhood of Moncrief, in northwest Jacksonville.
“My creative journey is inspired by the untold stories and vibrant spirits that permeate my community,” states Adams. “I am motivated by a profound drive to challenge stereotypes and celebrate the beauty of Moncrief, a neighborhood today often overshadowed by violence and poverty, yet with such a rich history. Notable past residents, such as Eugene Moncrief, whom the neighborhood is named after, Eartha White, A.L. Lewis, and Isidore and Mary L. Singleton, left a positive impact that still resonates, resulting in today’s community activists, farmers, fishermen, and entrepreneurs. Using a variety of mediums such as woodcut, screen print, video, and vinyl, I blend elements of the past with the present, capturing moments of current residents, showcasing their way of living in this vibrant community today.”
This exhibition was made possible, in part, by the City of Jacksonville, the Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville, the Donald and Maria Cox Fund, the Florida Division of Cultural Affairs, the Haskell Endowment, the Jessie Ball duPont Fund, MOCA Jacksonville’s Centennial Sponsors, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the University of North Florida. Additional support provided by the Jax Fine Arts Forum.
MOCA Jacksonville’s UNF Student Artist-in-Residence program is a highly competitive opportunity that awards access to a MOCA Jacksonville studio and exhibition space to complete a new body of work and hone skills over the course of a final semester. The program was established in 2015 and has showcased the work of students from the College of Arts and Sciences in photography, sculpture, painting, printmaking, and ceramics.
MOCA JACKSONVILLE
The Museum of Contemporary Art Jacksonville celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2024, as the oldest art museum in the region and one of the first art museums to be established in the state of Florida. This celebration year is an opportunity for MOCA to give back to the community that has been its home for a century by presenting groundbreaking exhibitions and programs that will engage the community and elevate Jacksonville as a regional destination for arts and culture.
One hundred years ago, a group of visionary, pioneering women came together to imagine the kind of city they wanted Jacksonville to be — the kind of community they wanted to live in and be a part of. At the core of their vision for a rich, vital, dynamic city were art, culture, and education. Thus, what we now call MOCA Jacksonville was born — first as a series of exhibitions by artists of the day, used as a fundraising tool to support public school education; then as a guild; and later as an art museum and educational leader.
A century later, MOCA’s mission remains focused on the art, artists, and ideas of our time, with a vision that unites education, creativity, and community building in the heart of downtown Jacksonville. Throughout 2024, MOCA will celebrate its centennial year — looking to the past to recognize the legacy of the visionary leaders and important milestones that have brought us to this point; marking this moment with extraordinary exhibitions and programs that will not only elevate MOCA, but provide a stimulus and create an energized destination for our Downtown to build upon; and imagine the future that we want for our great city, nourishing our community through art and culture for the next 100 years.
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