{"id":258017,"date":"2026-05-04T18:10:08","date_gmt":"2026-05-04T18:10:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/258017\/"},"modified":"2026-05-04T18:10:08","modified_gmt":"2026-05-04T18:10:08","slug":"seeing-stars-in-the-laura-street-corridor-resident-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/258017\/","title":{"rendered":"Seeing Stars in the Laura Street Corridor \u2013 Resident News"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Museum of Contemporary Art Jacksonville (MOCA), now in its 102nd year, celebrated the installation of \u201cJacksonville Stacked Stars\u201d on the Laura Street sidewalk last month.<\/p>\n

This monumental installation, created for MOCA\u2019s Atrium Gallery to celebrate the museum\u2019s centennial two years ago, features a brand-new work by Frank Stella (1936-2024), one of the most influential contemporary artists of his time.<\/p>\n

The sculpture is the culminating piece in Stella\u2019s iconic \u201cStar\u201d series, and MOCA views it as part of its efforts to transform Downtown Jacksonville\u2019s cultural corridor with a defining work of American art.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a historic moment for our city and for contemporary art,\u201d said Caitl\u00edn Doherty, associate vice president, Arts UNF, and MOCA Jacksonville executive director. \u201cWe are thrilled to share this iconic work of art \u2013 the final major public work created by the artist \u2013 with our city. Its placement in the heart of our Downtown brings free, daily access to a masterpiece of contemporary art, inviting everyone to experience the power of art in their everyday lives.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"TheThe sculpture will be lit at night to draw attention and brighten Downtown Jacksonville.<\/p>\n

The acquisition was made possible through a public-private partnership with 90% of the funding provided by more than 50 private donors, including major gifts from Shanna Khan, president of the Khan Family Foundation, Inc., Lauren G. and Edward L. Baker II, and Joan and Preston Haskell, as well as support from the Duval County Tourist Development Council.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a family, we believe that investing in culture creation can only embolden the strength of Jacksonville and our collective future,\u201d said Khan. \u201cAs Downtown Jacksonville continues to grow, Frank Stella\u2019s iconic installation, \u2018Jacksonville Stacked Stars,\u2019 strengthens a sense of place and supports the long-term growth that we are committed to fostering in the heart of our city.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stella\u2019s first solo gallery exhibition took place at New York\u2019s Leo Castelli Gallery in 1960, during which he presented his renowned \u201cBlack Paintings.\u201d In the course of his life, Stella\u2019s work ranged from painting to printmaking to free-standing sculptures. He grew to become a pivotal figure in American modernism. His works helped lead the way to major developments, including minimalism, post-painterly abstraction and color field painting.<\/p>\n

\"FrankFrank Stella is the renowned artist behind \u201cJacksonville Stacked Stars,\u201d an iconic three-story sculpture coming to Downtown Jacksonville. <\/p>\n

He created \u201cJacksonville Stacked Stars\u201d specifically in honor of MOCA\u2019s 100th anniversary, and according to UNF, it is one of just three public sculptures by Stella featuring stacked stars. The other two can be found at Hudson Yards and MoMA in Manhattan.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018Jacksonville Stacked Stars\u2019 has the power to captivate and inspire, serving as a symbol of creativity and innovation for all who encounter it,\u201d said Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan. \u201cIts presence outside of MOCA will undoubtedly draw positive attention to Downtown and establish our city as a hub for artistic expression.\u201d<\/p>\n

Repositioned at the entrance to MOCA in the heart of Downtown, the work will anchor the Laura Street corridor with a vivid, sculptural landmark, supporting street-level activity, reinforcing Jacksonville\u2019s creative identity and welcoming residents and visitors to explore Downtown\u2019s art and culture.<\/p>\n

\u201cPlacing this work on public view honors Stella\u2019s decades of exploration while expanding access to art for students, families and visitors,\u201d said Dr. Angela Garcia Falconetti, interim president of the University of North Florida. \u201cIt underscores MOCA\u2019s role connecting gown to town, its educational mission as a valued part of the University of North Florida and our commitment to the cultural life of our city.\u201d<\/p>\n

With Frank Stella\u2019s works and installations successfully leading to record-breaking attendance at institutions in cities like New York, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C., MOCA hopes \u201cJacksonville Stacked Stars\u201d will spark positive recognition for Jacksonville on regional, national, and international levels while benefiting local businesses and driving cultural tourism in the Bold City.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Museum of Contemporary Art Jacksonville (MOCA), now in its 102nd year, celebrated the installation of \u201cJacksonville Stacked…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":258018,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[116,118,117],"class_list":["post-258017","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-jacksonville","tag-jacksonville","tag-jacksonville-headlines","tag-jacksonville-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/258017","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=258017"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/258017\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/258018"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=258017"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=258017"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=258017"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}