Our Mission
Enrich Life in Northeast Florida by Investing in Arts and Culture.
Our Vision
Arts and Culture are Recognized by All as Essential for Our Quality of Life.
Our 
Values
Collaborative
We value collaboration as a means to expand our collective vision.
Engaging
We believe that as community leaders we must represent and serve the interests of the cultural sector and the public at large with energy and integrity.
Placemaking
We believe in the process of creating quality places in which people want to live, work, play, and learn, as well as using arts and cultural strategies to implement community-led change.
Imaginative
We believe it will take vision and innovation to ignite the creative spark that will lead Jacksonville to realize its potential.
Inclusive
We believe that everyone benefits from access to arts and culture and we are committed to championing policies and practices of cultural equity that empower a just, inclusive, equitable city.
Our Values in Action:
- Ensure broad accessibility and public engagement with the arts culturally, socially, educationally, and economically.
- Build relationships and enhance communication with artists, cultural organizations, educational institutions, and the public at large.
- Expand public awareness of issues that affect local, regional, and national funding for the sector.
- Advocate for public and private financial support for the sector.
- Work to build communities that are healthy and vibrant.
- Promote arts and cultural events, projects, and initiatives in Northeast Florida
Photo courtesy of Jessica Brantman.
Our History
Incorporated as The Arts Assembly of Jacksonville. Founders included Helen Lane, Jacqueline Holmes, and Ann Baker.
Honored Jacksonville's cultural leaders with the first annual Arts Awards Luncheon.
Raised funds to create an endowment for individual artists and small arts organizations in partnership with The Community Foundation of Jacksonville.
Designated as the official regranting agency for arts and cultural organizations by the City of Jacksonville.
Founded Cultural Arts Network - Volunteers, Artists, and Students (CANVAS), a model employment program for at-risk youth that utilizes the arts.
Successfully advocated for passage of Jacksonville's first Public Art Ordinance.
Designated as the official administrative agency for the City of Jacksonville's Art in Public Places program.
Launched SPARK initiative to help activate the downtown core as an arts and cultural district; 14 projects were funded over three grant cycles.
Successfully advocated for a change to Jacksonville's Public Art Ordinance to broaden the scope of public art.
Hosted the 40th annual Arts Awards and honored 40 of Jacksonville's cultural leaders. Successfully launched the Cultural Service Internships and Cultural Export programs.
Championed financial relief for the Arts and Culture Sector. Hosted weekly convenings of nonprofit arts and cultural leaders that featured special guests; curated a resources e-newsletter and website; administered $800,000 in COJ Cares grants; and created an artist relief fund in partnership with VOID magazine and other local small businesses. Developed the See and Shop project providing additional sales opportunities for Duval visual artists.
Piloted the City of Jacksonville-funded Cultural Service Capital Grant Program with a funding pool of $250,000. Through bi-partisian support, the program grew to $500,000 for FY2023 and $1 million for FY2024, providing support for projects ranging from replacing HVAC systems to constructing new cultural facilities.
Three years of significant increases in city-funding to the arts culminated in an $8.25 investment in the Cultural Service Grant Program, administered by the Cultural Council. Double the City of Jacksonville’s Public Art financial allocation.
