Urban Jacksonville

Invitation by Jeff Harrington, Kelly Young, David Brent Lee and MOCA Jacksonville. Photo by Ingrid Damiani

I received my Off the Grid Launch Party invite in the mail Thursday. It looks tight. Jacksonville, downtown specifically, is getting a little swagger. Off the Grid is:

a partnership between artists, property owners, Downtown Vision, Inc. and the Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville. Off the Grid facilitates introductions between Jacksonville artists and Downtown property owners in an effort to activate vacant spaces in the urban core with artistic energy and provide artists with much needed work and exhibition space.

This movement started here and was formerly called Creative Communities. I like the new name, a big improvement. Listen to Terry Lorince, DVI Pres talk about the program, and other things.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Subscribe with iTunes to Urban Jacksonville Weekly

I Hope This Makes You Happy

I Hope This Makes You Happy is a new project from Nick at Art Behind the Fridge. It has the potential to keep me walking up and down the streets of 5 Points on Fridays.

The idea involves me creating a 5×5 drawing that I will take and put up somewhere in Jacksonville for whoever to find it. The idea behind it is this, I believe that art makes people “happy”, or at least thats the case for me. I know that when I look at an illustration, a painting, a sculpture, street art, or even a film that I think is “cool”, it makes me “happy”.

At least I’m hoping he leaves one or two in 5 Points for us to find. Keep an eye out for free art today!

Mesh Magazine Looking for ArtWalk Photos and Events

If anyone has ArtWalk photos, send your links to Mesh Magazine so they can post them up on the site with credit for you. You can also send them events you have coming up in the next month.

I Saved the Best for Last

Each year the Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville presents their Annual Arts Awards at a luncheon. The event is held on stage at the Times-Union Performing Arts Center. This year’s awards ceremony will be held on April 20th.

A new part of this celebration of the arts in Jacksonville will be using technology to feature the regions artists on a huge screen running across the back of the stage.

The Cultural Council is looking for artists to submit images for this event. If you want to be included please send or deliver up to 10 of your digital images to the address below. Digital Images must be:

• Professionally photographed.
• Full images, as well as, detail shots are welcomed.
• We would like both 2D and 3D work to showcase.
• Images must be at least 300 dpi and SGA 1024 x 768.
• We will need the images no later than March 17th.
• Indicate how you would like your name credited.

Send or drop off your disk of digital images
Martha McManus
(904) 358.3600
Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville
300 W Water St., Jacksonville, FL 32202

Or if you have a Flickr account, place the images in a group called “Cultural Council 2010” and send a link to martha@culturalcouncil.org

The goal is to highlight as many artists as possible. The Cultural Council cannot guarantee that your work will be included and by submitting your images you are agreeing to allow Cultural Council to use your images in the future to help promote the arts in Jacksonville.

Terry Lorince from Downtown Vision emailed me yesterday letting me know artists spaces downtown are now open. We talked about this extensively on Urban Jacksonville Weekly last week. Listen to our conversation here.

This is a great opportunity for artists to get studio and display space downtown. Thanks to Downtown Vision, The Cultural Council and Jim Draper for helping to put this together.

There is a process for getting a space, so get started filling out your application. Downtown Vision hopes to receive applications by August 31st. Send your completed application to terry at downtownjacksonville dot org.

Attached please find information on four spaces that have become available by property owners. This information will tell you the overall condition of the space, whether it has electricity or is simply raw space, and the monthly amount needed to cover utilities. Please remember that most of these spaces are on a month by month lease. You should also expect that in each case you will need to provide liability insurance (estimated at about $600 a year), and sign a lease with the owner.

Download all documents in Word Format

The Application

Creative Community Space #1
Near Main and Adams Street. Approximate size of storefront (sq. ft) 1,700 sq. ft. Approximate space dimensions 10”x13”

Creative Communities Artist Space #2
Near Hemming Plaza – Third Floor Space. Approximate size of storefront (sq. ft) 10,000 sq. ft . Hard wood floors, brick walls, few windows. Approximate space dimensions Very large – more conducive to an artists cooperative.

Creative Communities Artist Space #3
Laura and Independent. Approximate size of storefront (sq. ft) 2,000 sq. ft .. Approximate space dimensions Very large – secure space.

Creative Communities Artist Space #4
Off Laura Street. Approximate size of storefront (sq. ft) 2,000 sq. ft .. Approximate space dimensions Very large – secure first floor retail space in office building . Great street level visibility.

Listen and Subscribe

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Subscribe with iTunes

You can now listen right now, click the play button above.

Special Guest – Terry Lorince of Downtown Vision

Joey – Android is for SUCKAS!

What is Downtown Vision?
non for profit
formed 2000
make downtown premiere place to work, live, visit
get businesses to work together
art walk, hemming plaza market
creating a better downtown experience
Joey – living downtown?
14 downtown ambassadors – report on condition of downtown
contract with Catholic Charities for clean-up
originally, ambassadors picked up trash (insurance/worker’s comp issues)
Joey – hotline?

Questions:

Abel Harding asks With the proposed cuts in funding for public service grants, Jacksonville’s homeless population is likely to be impacted with fewer services available to them. How do you think that will impact downtown businesses?

Terry – see more transients, strain existing shelters
Joey – Is DVI working with groups on the homeless issue?
Terry – Transients are the issue more so than the homeless. Development/climate make Jacksonville popular place for vagrants, makes them more visible.
Tony – Troublemakers aren’t necessarily homeless but they all get lumped together in people’s eyes.

Matt Abercrombie asks how can we expedite getting artists into vacant and underutilized spaces downtown? who are the sympathetic landlords and what can artists do to make contact?

Terry – Vacant stores downtown is an issue. How do we ratchet up the Art Walk? Jim Draper a major voice to bring artists downtown. DVI has relationship with property owners. What to do between now and when the economy picks up. Leasers have conditions for people using space. Lots of interest from both sides. Interested – terry@downtownjacksonville.org

Our role is as matchmaker. Fortunate to have Art Center Cooperative.
Tony – Give it a name. Jim Draper as liaison/face.
Joey – Artists find a way to be recognizable and follow-up.

Matt Uhrig asks Many property owners dropped their venue once the DVI demanded to be placed on liability insurance. What liability does the city have once a person steps off a sidewalk and into a private building?

Terry – city owns the sidewalk but DVI assumes liability during art walk, venue assumes liability once patron enters establishment
Tony – BG’s insurance didn’t go up
Back to artists
Tony – use City Hall Annex

Yvonne asks if DVI would ever consider sponsoring (funding/paying) artists to paint murals on the many vacant buildings in downtown? it would be another appeal of art walk, it’ll also help give more life to downtown.

Terry – Thinking the same thing.
Jack – How does DVI feel about street art?
Terry – If you give an inch, they’ll take a mile.
Jason (ContentDG) – Familiar with the urban face-lift project?
Terry – $100,000 to contribute to Laura St facade improvement. Decorating on a dime. Rethinking spaces is one of the biggest challenges.
Jonathan – Budget?
Terry – Going to be a tough year. About 1.2 million. Looking at 50% budget cut.
Joey/Tony – Have you looked into social networking?
Terry – Facebook page, 2 MySpace pages, mobile website, DVI website

Recommendations

Joey: Content Design Group site and UJ/TT Mixtape Release Party
Tony: Eat Up Downtown and International Dog Day at the Riverside Arts Market.
Jonathan: Last Thirsty Thursday Suns Game
Terry: terry@downtownjacksonville.org and The Sinclair
Jack: Infintesmal BBQ

Music
Wednesday August 19
Club TSI
National Dairy

Thursday August 20
Jack Rabbits
Poison the Well

Friday August 21
Club TSI
Nomadic Sun
Juicy Pony
Honey Chamber

Shantytown Pub
Wudun
Lazerstar
Sleeping In the Aviary

Saturday August 22
Steamworks
EMA
Future Computers
D.M. Waltz

Sunday
Sinclair
Infintesmal BBQ #4

Photo credit: Tiffany Manning

If you have questions for Terry about Downtown Vision or downtown itself, leave a comment. Here is Terry’s bio from the DVI site:

Terry Lorince became the first executive director of Downtown Vision Inc. (DVI) in 2001. She has more than 20 years of experience in the field of economic development, with ten years of specialization in the field of downtown revitalization.

Prior to coming to Jacksonville, Terry was the deputy executive director of the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership. In the past five years, Downtown Vision has been involved in making Downtown Jacksonville cleaner, safer and more attractive, addressing Downtown’s parking issues, marketing Downtown Jacksonville and becoming an advocate for the interests of Downtown. More recently, Downtown Vision has developed a Downtown Platform to guide the development of Downtown in the coming years.

Terry has an undergraduate degree in Economics from the University of Pittsburgh and a Masters of Science in Management and Policy Analysis from Carnegie Mellon University . She is a Board member of the International Downtown Association, the Florida Theatre and the Jacksonville Film Festival.