A Few Minutes with the Mayor – August 2025

IN A PAST LIFE, I was very active in the Arts Council of a small Northern California city. When asked why I was so involved, it was easy to answer. Art is an expression of life! Art is all around us, sometimes we don’t even notice it, but we take it for granted. Sometimes we don’t perceive the idea of art until we are in a space with none. Without art in some form, we lead a pretty boring existence. Imagine the interior of your home with stark white walls, bare light bulbs, without window coverings, and having nondescript floors. No art or photos on those empty walls, no color to soothe or excite us, no stimulating fabrics on our sofa or furniture throw pillows. No beautiful lighting to set a mood or to highlight tasks. No books to lose ourselves in. No music in the background to satisfy our souls. A pretty bleak existence, with no form of creativity or individualism.

As soon as we set out to create a home, with money and time allowing, we start filling our spaces with art. We paint, wallpaper, choose colors, fixtures, and lighting. We display things that speak to us and make us happy. We landscape, and we plan how to enjoy our spaces. We are happier and content when our surroundings meet our need for self-expression. We also tend to look for art outside our home.

In our small city, the arts are alive and well. The visual arts, music, literature, and art classes abound. Jacksonville offers opportunities to experience art daily.

For bibliophiles, we are fortunate to have several places to find books. Rebel Heart Books has a terrific selection of books to choose from, along with a book club that meets regularly. There is a Christian bookstore that offers specialized books. Art Presence Art Center is a great place to find books by local authors. We have seven “Little Libraries” book kiosks around town. The Jacksonville Library is a popular place to find your favorite books and educational materials. Look for writing workshops that are sometimes offered at different venues in town. The Jacksonville Review is the best place to find information about the availability of current classes and workshops, along with newsletters from various organizations.

To satisfy your music yearnings, most of our local restaurants, bars, wine shops, wineries, and coffee shops offer live music and sometimes open mic nights. The Jacksonville Community Center frequently hosts wonderful musicians. The Britt Music Festival can’t be beat for their offerings, and listening to music outdoors is magical!

Jacksonville is fortunate to have many talented visual artists. At some of our gift shops, galleries, and the Art Presence Art Center, you will see exhibits of paintings, drawings, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics, photography, video, jewelry, decorative art, and textile art, to name just a few. You will frequently see talented painters setting up an easel to capture the four seasons in Jacksonville. Local artists and visiting artists can be lost in their craft, interpreting their vision of the beauty they find. I love seeing a little secret smile on their face as they work.

The National League of Cities has published articles on how the arts and culture sector has an impact on a city’s quality of life and energy. The arts unite people of different ages and from various ethnic and social backgrounds. We come together in common spaces that promote an increased understanding and acceptance of different cultures. They also say that research shows that a child with even minimal arts education performs better academically and socially than their peers. Art therapy has proven to be effective in many applications of health delivery platforms, for both children and adults. Art in many forms has had a place since the beginning of man and continues today.

We are fortunate to find such a variety of art in Jacksonville and to enjoy the vitality it brings. I am happy to support and encourage our artists and appreciate their calling. If you need a lift, seek out any of the forms of art that Jacksonville offers. I bet it will change your day!