Art is ageless: Karpeles hosts “Generations” exhibit by local artists
Karpeles Manuscript Library Museum in Jacksonville’s Historic Springfield neighborhood is opening a new art exhibit featuring a group of local artists beginning March 1.
The “Generations” exhibit will showcase more than 20 art pieces by seven artists – Leila Griffith, Suzanne Magee, Mary McAllister, Jim Pearce, Mimi Sherman Pearce, Megan Reid and Jackie Schrank – in various mediums, from watercolors to pottery to glasswork.
The exhibit’s title piece, “Generations,” is a watercolor piece by San Marco artist Jim Pearce, depicting an Atlantic Red Cedar tree from Fort Clinch State Park in Fernandina Beach. “Sculpted by wind and wave, this northernmost Atlantic Red Cedar has clung to Oceanside dunes for generations,” Pearce said.
Featuring art created by artists of different generations, Karpeles Manuscript Library Museum Curator and Educational Outreach Coordinator Cheryl McCain explained this exhibit is an opportunity to highlight the fact that creativity and inspiration don’t have age requirements.
“This exhibit represents that creativity comes at all ages and different generations,” McCain said. “It’s very important — I actually appreciate Mimi [Sherman Pearce] for putting this exhibit together because that’s what this really truly represents: creativity from individuals of all ages.”
In the art world, McCain added, “ageism is real” and exhibits like “Generations” are reassuring reminders that age does not define, hinder or limit an artist’s passion to create and share their work with the world.
Exhibit organizer and artist Mimi Sherman Pearce’s mantra for art is “… Art has the power to calm, to transport and even to heal the spirit…” and, she added, “These artists do that.”
San Marco artist Mary McAllister enjoys capturing and reflecting nature in her work and loves being able to connect with people through it.
“When someone looks at a painting and can connect with it on a level that says, ‘Yes, I know that’ or ‘I know how that feels,’ that’s very rewarding,” she said.
The exhibit opens on March 1 and will run until April 28. Karpeles Manuscript Library Museum will host an Artists Reception on Saturday, April 9 from 2 to 4 p.m.
Karpeles has been a Jacksonville institution for more than 30 years. It showcases collections from the renowned Karpeles Manuscript Library, consisting of more than one million historic manuscripts and documents. In addition to these rotating collections, it also supports the local arts community by hosting exhibits like “Generations” throughout the year. It is located at the corne of West 1st and North Laura streets.
By Michele Leivas
Resident Community News
(No Ratings Yet)
Loading... 
