Cummer Resources

The Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens is committed to engage and inspire through the arts, gardens and education. A permanent collection of nearly 5,000 works of art on a riverfront campus offers more than 95,000 annual visitors a truly unique experience on the First Coast. Nationally recognized education programs serve adults and children of all abilities.

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Ric Goodman and John Hurtubise

Sep

26

For more than 30 years, Ric Goodman and John Hurtubise have supported the Museum as attendees of events, such as exhibition openings, the Cummer Ball, and Garden Concerts. However, it was not until about six years ago, when Ric’s granddaughter attended Camp Cummer, that they decided to become more deeply engaged. Seeing the excitement about the programming at the Museum from a child’s perspective was encouragement enough, and soon Ric was a docent-in-training. Since then, the couple has been continuously impressed with the Museum’s commitment to being a welcoming venue for all people interested in arts and culture.

In 2015, Ric and John became first-time supporters of the Ponce de León Society and have agreed to become the new Chairs of the Ponce de León Society.

“The Cummer is a major highlight of our city and through the Ponce de León Society we can offer experiences that can make a difference in a child’s life.” – John Hurtubise

The Museum expresses its heartfelt gratitude to outgoing PDL Chairs Bill Struck and Mary Bebout.

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The Cummer Shop and VIELÄ Jewelry – The Boxwood Collection

Sep

20

To honor and preserve the historic plants, VIELÄ Jewelry, in collaboration with the Cummer Shop, created a custom jewelry collection. The image on the jewelry and the ornament is created with a real impression of boxwood cut from the Cummer Gardens. The parentage of this specimen dates to 1931, planted in Ninah Cummer’s time, and cannot be readily purchased. Boxwoods are used throughout the Italian, English, and Olmsted Gardens, all listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Boxwood Collection is available exclusively at the Cummer Shop. For further information, contact the Shop at 904.899.6035.

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See the Inspiration Behind Modern Comics, Anime, and Manga

Sep

04

(detail) Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, ‘100 Aspects of the Moon: Moon of the pleasure quarters (Kuruwa no tuski)’, woodblock print on paper, 14 x 9 1/2 in., The Dennis C. Hayes Collection, AG.1998.4.67.


The Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens houses an extensive collection of ukiyo-e prints. Fields of Color: The Art of Japanese Printmaking, currently on view at the Museum, features 19 of these prints, ranging from the 19th to early 20th centuries. Ukiyo-e, which translates to “picture(s) of the floating world”, traditionally depicted images that were easy to relate to or held common interest, such as scenes of entertainment, fantasy, history, or everyday life. Because of their mass production, these images were easily accessible to all levels of Japanese society. These images were so common that some even used the prints as wrapping paper!

 

Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, ‘Hodemi-no-Mikoto Riding a sea bream, from the series Beauty and Valor in the Novel Suikoden (Biyū Suikoden)’, 1867, woodblock print on paper, 9 3/4 x 7 1/8 in., The Dennis C. Hayes Collection, AG.1998.4.52.


The genre of ukiyo-e paved the way for many modern artistic styles, including Manga, comic books, and anime. Ukiyo-e prints were created for a mass audience, and functioned as the “pop culture of choice” for their day. While some scenes depicted in ukiyo-e mirror the peaceful and dignified themes of fine art, many are full of violence and fantasy and would look at home in modern comics, Manga, and anime. One of the “fathers” of Manga, Katsushika Hokusai, is best known for his ukiyo-e print The Great Wave off Kanagawa, but also published the book “Hokusai Manga” which helped to establish the craft of Manga-style art. Hokusai’s Pictures of 100 Poems by 100 Poets, as Explained by the Wet Nurse: Poem by the Lady of Ise is currently on view at the Cummer Museum.

 

The stories represented in these pieces are best told through their images, not their words. Fields of Color: The Art of Japanese Printmaking is on view through January 13, 2019. Do not miss the rare opportunity to see these incredible works in person!

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The Green Wall in the Cummer Café

Aug

14

WRITTEN BY MARKETING INTERN EMILY WATERS

The new green wall at the Cummer Museum

Featured in many iconic cities, Green Walls are taking urban art to the next level—and one of them has arrived at the Cummer Museum!

The idea of the Green Wall was conceived in 1938 by Stanley Hart White, a professor of landscape and architecture at the University of Illinois. White was first to patent the Green Wall (or “Vegetation-Bearing Architectonic Structure and System,” as he liked to call it), though Patrick Blanc is the man responsible for making the walls popular in modern times. Blanc’s works range in size and are sprinkled throughout the world, but one of his most famous works is the Green Wall at the Quai Branly Museum in Paris, France.

Green wall at Quay Branly Museum, Paris

Also known as vertical gardens, Green Walls offer benefits to the spaces they occupy, aside from being nice to look at. The plants used in the walls are adapted to live in hydroponic conditions, giving the wall the ability to help the environment; the walls are known to reduce smog and clean other general air pollutants—like Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) from the air, while simultaneously replacing the VOCs with rich oxygen. Through their irrigation systems, these walls serve as natural water filters and have the ability to clean grey water (water from appliances, like washing machines and sinks, that is relatively clean). The installation also lowers the inner temperature of the structure the wall is anchored to by soaking up the extra heat that humans emit. As an added bonus to helping the environment, these vertical gardens have also been shown to increase happiness and emotional well being. As it turns out, humans like plants, and the color green is pretty calming.

Green wall at One Central Park, Sydney

Thankfully for us, we have our own Patrick Blanc right here in Florida. In early May, the Cummer Museum welcomed Green Wall artist Ricardo Gil Mendoza, who has spent 20 years developing his craft with a landscaping vision and passion that he has had since his childhood. The company, founded by Mendoza and Ram Matheus, loves weaving green walls into urban areas to bring people back to nature. The company strives to “raise awareness that [everyone is] part of a whole, that natural beauty feeds the soul, enhances our spirit, and protects us.” Organic Green Walls has many installations throughout North America, and we are excited to welcome our very own Green Wall to the Museum.

Ricardo Gil Mendoza and Organic Green Walls have generously donated the Museum’s very own vertical garden, which can be viewed on the Café Patio. Featuring the Museum’s “C” logo in the foliage, the wall ties art and nature together to make one eye-catching piece. Come by the Museum and see it today!

Plan for Cummer Museum’s green wall by artist Ricardo Gil Mendoza

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Fairies in the Garden

Jul

24

WRITTEN BY: EMILY WATERS, MARKETING INTERN

Something magical has appeared in the gardens over the weekend—a pair of fairy rings!

A fairy ring, perceived by many cultures to contain the mischievous magical beings they are arranged for, is simply a circle of well placed mushrooms. Though the placement of the mushrooms is lucky, stepping into one of these circles is rumored to cause immense misfortune. According to English and Celtic tales, if a human enters the ring, they will be taken to an underground world, forced to dance with the creatures until they either perish from exhaustion or go mad. Dutch tales tell a different story—they claim that the rings are made by the devil to keep his milk churn, and that any livestock unluckily enough to wander into the circle will have their milk soured. Other lore believe the circles are just where fairies come to celebrate, using the stoles of the mushrooms as a resting place between the festivities of the celebration.

Richard Doyle via Wikiepida, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairy_ring

Fairy rings have snuck their way into the arts for centuries. Artists, from at least the 18th century, have displayed fairy rings in their works, depicting both the good and evil the rings are said to bring about. Even Shakespeare mentions fairy ring lore in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” during Act II, Scene 1, when Puck comes across a fairy in the woods. William Blake (1757–1827) depicts this encounter as well in “Oberon, Titania and Puck with Fairies Dancing” (c. 1786).

William Blake via Tate Modern, https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/blake-oberon-titania-and-puck-with-fairies-dancing-n02686

Though the rings seem inviting and we are curious as to what the truth of the tales are, we can only assume the worst, so enter the rings at your own risk (but if you do happen to stumble into one and nothing happens to you, let us know).

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“Urban Spaces, Open Skies: 20th-Century American Landscape” Opens Early

Jul

23

WRITTEN BY: SAMANTHA AHNEN, MARKETING INTERN

The Cummer Museum’s latest exhibition Urban Spaces, Open Skies: 20th-Century American Landscape opened nearly two weeks ahead of schedule on July 16. The exhibition, which was originally set to open on July 27, draws mainly from the Cummer Museum’s extensive collection of works on paper, featuring more than 30 prints celebrating modern cities and the timeless charms of the country.

Frederick Mershimer, American (b. 1958), Passage, c. 1993, aquatint, Purchased with funds from the Cornelia Morse Carithers Endowment Fund, AP.1994.1.13

Artists have long captured the changing realities of new metropolises, with their busy streets, skyscrapers, harbors, industries, and workers. Iconic symbols of the American urban boom, such as the Brooklyn Bridge and the skylines of New York City and Chicago, exemplify the rapid change in American landscape during the early 20th-century and inspired artists to document it.

Philip Kappel, American (1901 – 1981), Boat Builders, Essex, 20th-century, etching, Purchased with funds from the Cornelia Morse Carithers Endowment Fund, AP.1992.20.34

In contrast, the nostalgia for an idealized, “simple” way of life during this time is portrayed through through representations of wide open spaces, lakes, forests, and fields. The stillness and serenity of the countryside, often untamed or unmarked by humans, offers a break from chaotic urban life. A new appreciation for the natural American landscape was born from the industrial revolution, which artists expressed beautifully.

Charles Jac Young, American (1880 – 1940), More Snow Coming, c. 1934, etching and drypoint, Purchased with funds from the Cornelia Morse Carithers Endowment Fund, AP.1992.20.49

Urban Spaces, Open Skies: 20th-Century American Landscape will be housed in the Jacobsen Gallery until February 3, 2019. Several events are planned in connection to the exhibition, including a Talks & Tea event, an Art Adventures class for children, and a Classical Concert. Reservations for each event can be made on the Museum website.

Joseph Margulies, American (1896 – 1984), Bridges, 1976, aquatint, Purchased with funds from the Cornelia Morse Carithers Memorial Print Collection, AP.1994.2.3

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