The Beaches Museum is pleased to announce the upcoming exhibit “Water.Life. Art.” by artist Annelies Dykgraaf.

Dykgraaf’s acrylic paintings and relief prints are inspired by the connections of the people, symbols, textile patterns, and mythological motifs of her birth land of Nigeria, West Africa and her homeland of Jacksonville, Florida.

Although on different continents, both Nigeria and Florida share coastlines of the Atlantic Ocean. In Nigeria, the Niger River allows fertile life to thrive just as the St. Johns River nurtures life in Florida. Along both bodies of water, people derive their culture.

Annelies Dykgraaf holds a Bachelors in Fine Arts from Calvin College and studied in France through the Cleveland Institute of Art. She is a leader of the visual arts and philanthropy community as a founding member of Jacksonville Consortium of African American Artists (now recognized as the Jacksonville Cultural Development Corporation) and The Art Center Cooperative, Inc.  She has served on the Board of Directors of the Beaches Fine Arts Series for twelve years. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Jacksonville Artists Guild.

This exhibit is free to Museum members with a suggested $5 donation from non-members. The exhibit will be on display July 26 to November 11, 2019. For more information, please call 904-241-5657 or visit www.beachesmuseum.org.

Music has long been an integral part of life in the Beaches community. Everything from dances at the old Jacksonville Beach Pier to concerts at Einstein a Go-Go has helped to shape the entertainment scene at the Beaches. Sand, Soul, & Rock n’ Roll: Music at the Beaches provides a look at the most popular local trends and venues throughout the 20th century. Memories, events, photographs, and memorabilia that depict a fascinating time of changes in lifestyle and entertainment over only a few generations will be shared with all.

The exhibit has been extended to Sunday, July 21, 2019.

The Beaches Museum & History Park is pleased to announce the upcoming exhibit “Vibrancy & Illumination” by artist Jeffrey Luque.

Luque’s highly detailed large-scale floral paintings are inspired by his time in the desert where the sparse landscape emphasized the singular beauty of the plants. Upon returning to his hometown of Jacksonville Beach, Florida, Luque began his “Girl with Flowers” series which pushed his technical and creative skills to a new level. Using pointillism to highlight and add depth to the larger than life subjects of his paintings, Luque transforms oil paint and canvas into snapshots of natural beauty.

Jeffrey Luque grew up in Neptune Beach and Jacksonville Beach. Although always inspired by nature, his painting career didn’t begin until the age of 23 when he experimented with oil paints on large canvases. He is entirely self-taught. This event is free to Museum members with a suggested $5 donation from non-members. The exhibit will be on display October 11 – February 17. For more information please call 904-241-5657.

From the 1910s to the 1970s, Jacksonville Beach’s boardwalk served as a hub of entertainment for visitors and locals alike. Amusements, dance halls, snack bars and parades made for a vibrant coastal destination. Jacksonville Beach or Bust!: A Look Back at the Boardwalk provides not only an opportunity to reminisce but also to explore the boardwalk’s role in shaping a community. The exhibit will highlight the range of experiences as told through photographs, artifacts, and the personal accounts of those who remember this rich piece of Beaches history. See it online! –> Jacksonville Beach or Bust!: A Look Back at the Boardwalk

A Storyteller Event held on August 11 will also feature long time residents as they describe and retell their first hand accounts of life, and the experience of growing up, at the Boardwalk. 

Please join us Friday, June 8 for an Opening Night Reception for this exhibit from 6-8 p.m. in the main building of the Beaches Museum.  This event is free to Museum members with a suggested $5 donation for non-members.  For further information please call (904) 241-5657.

The Beaches Museum & History Park is pleased to announce the exhibit “Nature Reconstructed” by artist Lana Shuttleworth.

Her highly original art uses common plastic castoff materials, particularly traffic safety cones, to create lavish landscapes and sculptural figures that challenge the viewer’s comprehension. The Los Angeles Times said that in her work “you find yourself looking at these everyday plastic objects in a whole new way.”

Lana has exhibited throughout the West coast and the East coast, with reviews in the Los Angeles Times, Huffington Post, ArtScene, Florida Times-Union and nationwide Associated Press articles. Her artwork was also featured on the quiz show, Jeopardy. She was recently the cover artist for the prestigious art and literary journal, Cincinnati Review, which featured an eight-page spread of her work. The Beaches Museum is proud to showcase the thought-provoking work of this astonishing and talented artist.

The exhibit will be on display February 9 – June 3. For more information please call 904-241-5657.

Ponte Vedra Beach is recognized as a thriving resort community, internationally famous for its contributions to the world of golf. However, only 100 years ago it was still a largely uninhabited, swamp-filled area with a very different community just beginning to pave its way into existence!

Join the Beaches Museum & History Park in recognizing Ponte Vedra Beach’s predecessor: Mineral City. Due largely to the discovery of valuable minerals in its sands in the mid-1910s, the area became home to a mineral mining operation led by George A. Pritchard and Henry H. Buckman.

The exhibit is filled with personal photographs depicting life in the wild Florida terrain and scenes of a vibrant mining town that stand in stark contrast to the Ponte Vedra Beach of today. The Museum will explore the life of this relatively short-lived community and its transition from mining minerals to boasting world-class golf resorts.

Please join us Friday, October 20 for an Opening Night Reception for this exhibit from 6-8 p.m. in the main building of the Beaches Museum.  This event is free to Museum members with a suggested $5 donation for non-members.  For further information please call (904) 241-5657.

Thank you to our event sponsors:

The Beaches Museum & History Park is currently hosting “Tide Runs Quiet: The Photographic Works of Thomas Hager” which showcases the work of an incredibly talented local artist.

Thomas Hager is a nationally recognized fine art photographer whose work can be found in notable galleries, museums, publications, and private and corporate collections worldwide. The recent works of Hager are a series of large photographically based compositions on paper depicting re-created scenarios of coastal landscapes.

Hager juxtaposes horizon, water, and skyline in careful, simplified works to create a harmony that dances the line of abstraction. The serene, subtle colors are specifically chosen to enhance the sublime atmosphere and heighten the visual experience.

For further details please 904-241-5657.

In a continued celebration of local artists, the Beaches Museum & History Park is proud to present the works of Gary Mack, Linda Olsen, and William Meyer in its upcoming exhibit “Island Reflections”.

Join all three artists Friday, December 2 from 6-8 p.m., for the first look at “Island Reflections”. All artwork will be available for purchase, just in time for the holidays!

Mack draws inspiration from the colors of nature, and places around the world he has visited. He prefers to paint using oil, acrylic, and watercolor and has created beautiful works of locations and scenes immediately familiar to locals.

A professional photographer by trade, Olsen specializes in weddings and portraits. She is also an accomplished painter; most of her paintings are related to ocean and beach landscapes as a result of her love of the sea.

As a member of The International Decorative Artisans League, Meyer focuses on aesthetic collaboration with interior designers, builders, architects and clients. Born in the Canal Zone, Panama, Meyer lives and works in Jacksonville Beach where he creates works of abstract expression.

All events are free to Museum members with a $5 suggested donation for non-members.

For additional information on this very special exhibit, please call 904-241-5657

Exhibit Extended!!

Due to the extreme popularity of this exhibit, “Mayport Village: On the River of Change” will be extended through Sunday, November 27.

Presented by The Beaches Museum & History Park and opening on August 11, “Mayport Village: On the River of Change” is part of a series of events that will continue through October, and include items of interest to railroad enthusiasts, film buffs and students of archaeology.

Focus of the Mayport Village exhibit will be the history of the area, beginning with the Timucuan Indians who inhabited the southeastern United States for more than 5,000 years, followed by the French who first settled in 1562. The timeline continues into the early 1800’s when the area really began to grow, and ends with Mayport in the 21st century.

For additional information on this very special series of activities please contact The Beaches Museum & History Park at 904-241-5657.

Aug. 11 Exhibit Opening Reception from 6-8 p.m.
Stop by for a first look at the exhibit, some steamed shrimp and meet the people who made this exhibit possible.

Aug. 27 Mayport Village Storytellers at 1 p.m.
Come hear tales (some taller than others) of life and adventure in the Village.

Sept. 10 Riding the Rails: Pablo Beach Train Day from 10 a.m.- 4 p.m.
Visit the History Park for an incredible day of all things trains!

Oct. 13 Special Feature! at 5:30 p.m.
Screening of The Flying Ace in partnership with Norman Studios, at the Museum Chapel.

Oct. 27 Boardwalk Talk at 5:30 p.m.
Johnny Woodhouse shares the story of the sinking of the Donald Ray.

Oct. 30 Mayport Cemetery Tour at 1 p.m.
Take a historic walk through the Mayport-Pablo Cemetery (Reservations required).

All events are free to Museum members with a suggested $5 donation for non-members.

The exhibit is supported by The Friends of the St. Johns River Ferry, Safe Harbor Seafood, the Jacksonville Transportation Authority and Chao Framing.

For additional information on this very special series of activities, please call 904-241-5657.