The Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens houses some of Jacksonville’s finest artistic collections. From sculptures and paintings to garden designs, the First Coast institution features works of art spanning multiple time periods from around the globe.
Opened in 1961, the museum houses flower gardens, an assortment of collections and over 5,000 pieces of art in its signature “Permanent Collection.” According to the museum's website, Cummer seeks to "serve as the region’s centerpiece of education and involvement in all of the arts." Cummer's “Permanent Collection” features art from 2100 B.C. through the 21st century, by artists like Thomas Moran, Norman Rockwell, Peter Paul Rubens and Winslow Homer. Additionally, the museum houses the “Constance I. and Ralph H. Wark Collection of Early Meissen Porcelain,” one of the three finest of its type in the world, and the most significant of its kind in the United States, according to the museum.
Cummer's website also states that the museum strongly believes in the connection between art and the natural environment, which explains why “Permanent Collection” sculptures coalesce into the natural landscape of the museum's campus. Sculptures such as Janet Scudder's “Running Boy,” “Mercury” and “Diana of the Hunt” encapsulate Cummer's blend of art and nature.
Current exhibitions at the museum include “Todd McGrain: The Lost Bird Project,” running through Oct. 21, 2018, and “A Collector's Eye: Celebrating Joseph Jeffers Dodge” running through Feb. 18, 2018. The museum plans to run an exhibition on the art of Japanese printmaking from Feb. 23 to Nov. 25 and French art from the Horvitz Collection May 25 to July 29.
Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens is located at 829 Riverside Ave. in Jacksonville. For more information, call (904) 356-6857.
