JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A new program is aiming to help shape the economy and community in Jacksonville.
The City of Jacksonville and Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville are launching a pilot program to invest in local artists who are helping create a quality of life in the city.
“I learned how to weave from my grandmother,” said Aduibaje Davis, a Jacksonville artist at the Atlantic Beach Farmers Market Sunday.
Bringing a colorful tradition from Ghana, Davis shares her art in Duval County.
“That opens our eyes to a lot of different things,” Davis said about art. “What comes out of any and every creative artist is very important for the city."
The new program is opening applications for 60 grants of $10,000 for artists of any discipline.
“We are not creating the ecosystem that helps our creatives stay in Jacksonville,” said Allison Galloway-Gonzalez, a nonprofit consultant with the Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville.
Galloway-Gonzalez said artists who add to quality of life are needed as Jacksonville grows.
“We do not want an explosively growing city without our creatives and without the culture and the artistic piece that sort of pulls us all together creatively but also ensures that we have a quality of life,” she said.
For Davis, a city full of art is a place she wants to call home.
“When you see art and you look at art, you see the world you haven’t visited," Davis said. "It comes all together into your small city and embrace it.”
The new program comes as arts funding is cut at the state level. In June, Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed over $30 million for arts, culture and museum grants.
Applications for the grants open on July 29. Go to the website to apply here.