Museum of Contemporary Art

I loved this Museum! It really could have got 5 stars but when I went there they said the 1^st and 2^nd floor had all the art removed for a party the night before. The 4^th floor is administration offices and the 5^th floor was kids art. So only 1 floor was available. BUT, the art that was available was amazing! They had some really cool stuff that I had never seen before. It made me wish even more so that they had more art. Hopefully I will get another chance to visit while I’m in town.

This place was a total mind blip, I loved spending the afternoon exploring and experiencing the art, they had some amazing pieces. Also the gallery itself was designed and created very open and interesting. The top floor is a must see with the children center there was a place to coloring try and hold me back.

One random Saturday, I spontaneously decided to go check this place out… good decision to do so. Located Downtown Jacksonville… a block or two from Sweet Pete’s (review coming soon).
Smaller museum than I initially thought it would be. Really liked the photography galleries within the Southern Exposure Exhibition… especially the pieces on the Underground Railroad where the photographer tried to capture the images with natural light via the Moon.
The Exhibitions are seasonal, so I’ll definitely make another trip or two here to view the new/​newer ones. The next trip probably will not be as spontaneous… well more like a date if she’s lucky…

It’s a very small museum, but it has a nice variety of pieces and is well-​organized. There are all different kinds of art there, from paintings to photographs to collages, and some pieces even come with interpretation and analysis from local elementary school students. It has a children’s area which I particularly liked even as an adult, with colorful, educational, interactive exhibits. There is a parking garage and a park nearby, and a little restaurant and a gift shop on the premises.

I didn’t fall in love until membership had its delightful privileges. With annual membership we have first dibs at art exhibits and on top of that free appetizers and open bar. Why isn’t everyone in Jax and beyond a member of the MOCA? They are more than just a finger food, though, they take a stand against any destructive forces opposed to free expression. Party with purpose!

We went here during One Spark. We had a wonderful time viewing all three floors of contemporary Art. We had to get a reserved pass for the third and the best floor of all. We did not have to wait to view the third floor, maybe about twenty minutes. «White» was the theme throughout the museum. They also have a wonderful restaurant to dine in on the ground floor. They also have a gift shop. A yearly membership for the family is the way to go. They are a compliment to downtown Jax. Please do not forget that you cannot touch the art work. On the third floor look for the wall of straws, and don’t get too close-​or they could fall. My favorite piece was the clear stirring stick figurine. It was so beautiful and a real site to see. A Guard is standing my the wall of straws and the stirring stick art work, because the temptation to touch is great. Enjoy your visit! Chow.

Still 5 stars! Especially because they were gracious to be part of Gastrofest by opening up their auditorium for lectures, Ted talks and a movie. 5 stars for Richard Campbell the Art Guard/​Docent who was so enthusiastic about The White Exhibit that he cheerfully volunteered info and made us feel welcome. 1 boo hiss to the bartender who made a super weak drink I could’ve put it in a baby’s bottle without any guilt but 5 stars to both receptionists who flashed genuine smiles wearing pretty red lipstick and waved at the children.

I went on a Wednesday and I couldn’t believe how few patrons were visiting the galleries, yet the café was packed. In regard to the recent controversy regarding the reclining pregnant nude: #istandwithmoca. ‘Nuff said. Viva la resistance!

I have been to MOCA twice recently and I am kinda upset I hadn’t been earlier. I first attended during the Downtown Artwalk (where admission is free) this month & also during their free admission Thursday, where at 7pm they give a guided tour of the museum.
The museum has three floors. The first, being the lobby, gift shop and Café Nola. The other two floors are filled with exhibits. The 2^nd floor is filled with paintings and sculptures, while the 3^rd floor is filled with photography and audio/​visual. Me being big into photography the 3^rd floor is my favorite. They have some powerful pictures of ⁹⁄₁₁ and American soldiers in battle. The main exhibit they are showing now is The New York Times Magazine Photographs. Really nice photos of celebs, and they show more of the their popular New York Times Covers.
This is a great place to go at it alone or grab some friends and lose track of time and enjoy the beautiful art that surrounds you. All the pieces are unique in their own way. The Museum of Contemporary Art is a gem, that needs to be seen.

This is my 3^rd time coming back here on Free Admission Thursdays. The place is so peaceful. I love the idea of the Project Atrium exhibit which can be seen when you walk in the front doors. This big open space is used for up in coming artists to showcase the work for a few months then it’s taken down, painted over or whatever for the next artist. This art museum is built up, not out and makes good use of its space next to the main library. The café features some of the best cuisine I’ve had downtown and the gift shop has some pretty interesting items in it. This place should be a definite stop for anyone exploring downtown.

This museum spans about a few floors & isn’t the largest museum out there, but it’s a palatable size that doesn’t make you wish there was free water at the turn of each corner (I’m looking at you, Louvre).
Yesterday, we were told that the current main installment was temporary & would change out every so often. I personally didn’t hear the explanation for it, but I don’t understand what the heck it is. I appreciate it because it is a huge installment that is beautiful & looks a bit like the roots of kelp that is swimming in literal words & trash, but it’s also raining leaves??? So confused, but maybe I’m just a plebe.
So the first floor had a few cool pieces like the monolith with glowing lights. Didn’t get to hear the elementary school kids’ interpretation, but it’s neat regardless. The next levels beyond the first were simply stunning. I’m a huge photography enthusiast so I was incredibly excited.
Seeing the contact sheets, the memos from the NYT on 9/​11, the magazine spreads, & the photos printed in different ways was absolutely magnificent. I loved every single one of those galleries, despite how tragic some of them were. Such feats of photojournalism & history deserve to be in a museum & they were. The typography was decent too, but they could try borrowing from the Getty for better description displays. Draw us in, don’t scare us away with huge paragraphs of text. Other than that, the photographs were beautiful.
The least exciting was probably the second to top level with the whole left side on a UNF grad’s work. I honestly couldn’t believe a curve on a graph paper was framed. It inspired me to quit my career aspirations & pursue a career in a contemporary art because apparently a cinder block is now art. Christ, can you at least try harder? Pretty sure my napkin with hot Cheetos is more artistic than the artist’s «sketches» on graph paper.
You’ll just have to visit the museum yourself to see what I’m talking about! Very beautiful building, wonderfully organized, & incredibly cheap!

I am an art fanatic, always been I come from a family of Artist. My first time here was a great experience the pieces display this time was based on a New York theme which hitted home as I am from New York and little home sick. A great pleasure to be introduced by my Unilocalers friends. Definitely I recommend this place.

Visited on BOA Weekend and got in with free entry. Exhibits were nice. we enjoyed it and finished in about 30 minutes.

They have some awesome exhibits here. Recently went and saw the New York Times exhibit and it’s great. They also feature local artists too. If you’ve never been try and get out there some time. They change the exhibits up pretty often. I think it’s something like every 3 months maybe? They have what’s called Project Atrium that’s a big space with 40ft. walls right as you enter. It’s an open space for emerging artists to get a chance to plaster with their artwork all over and showcase in a big open area. I believe it’s 3 floors of exhibits, and on the first floor they have a little eatery and bar. The eatery is pretty expensive; the name escapes me right now though. I’ll come in here every few months to get some inspiration and see what other artists are producing. Great date night activity as well.

We have been to the museum a few times now. Mostly to see a special exhibit and this time isn’t any different. One Spark and the Atrium Project by Shaun Thurston. It is pretty amazing that this guy can do such a great piece with some spray paints and a few magic markers. The you can walk around and find more good pieces throughout the building. You can also stop into café nola for a delicious bite to eat. Everyone should make a trip downtown to see this place.

Came here for my first time during Art Walk this month and it was AWESOME! It’s a pretty big museum with a couple floors and you work your way up.
It was so much fun and it was also *FREE*! Never a bad thing right? The art was so cool and it’s not just paintings, there’s so many different mediums and styles that it’s just THAT much more interesting.
Definitely take a visit, even if you go during Art Walk!

Sunday afternoon is perfect time to visit, since the hoards of Tebow worshipers are other wise indisposed. My wife and I had the entire museum to ourselves, literally, during a one hour stretch of our visit. Although that doesn’t reflect well on Actionville’s culture, it did make for a rather unique and intense artistic experience.
As for the art itself, the museum is broken up into several floors, each displaying a significant amount of pieces ranging from traveling exhibits to a small, but distinctive permanent collection. We especially appreciated the fact that artists of both local and international renown were displayed.
The ground floor has a café and gift shop, although the café was closed when we attended. Pricing was $ 8 per person, however abundant discounts were available.
Go check it out and try and help to bring some different culture to this «Bold New City of the South» (HAHAHHAHA!)

On the day we visited, we only had about 3 hours and, at first, thought the place would be too big. Not so, since two of 5 floors are not exhibit space.
The museum has an excellent shop on the first floor as well as a top rate restaurant (see another review of the café’). We enjoyed the museum and will definitely return the next time we are in town.
they offer a senior discount even though I would gladly pay thew regular price. This is something I never expected to find in Jacksonville.

I’ve been to several contemporary art museums such as the Smithsonian’s Hishborn Museum in D.C., the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, and the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Arts in Kansas City, MO. None of them have impressed me as much as the MOCA!
The exhibitions featured at the time were East/​West: Visually Speaking and Hyperbolic Nature. I haven’t had much exposure to contemporary Chinese art and found the juxtaposition of Western influences upon Chinese culture very interesting. There was a lot of focus on the proliferation of fast food and Andy Warhol inspired paintings. The Hyperbolic Nature artworks contained scenes from various landscapes.
My fiancée and I came here on a Sunday hoping to gain free admission into the museum through the Bank of America promotion. However, it is only free to adults that are accompanying children under the age of 18.

Wow. I agree with both Callie K. and Hunter B. MOCA was definitely worth every penny and it does deserve 4.5 stars. Heads up if you are a student and have your ID, $ 8 admission is discounted. Also, FREE admission on ArtWalk first Wednesdays of the Month from 5pm to 9pm, and on Sundays for kids below 18 and an adult.
I stopped in today to check out the Ultra-​Realistic Sculpture by Marc Sijan Exhibit (which I had been wanting to see since it opened in November) and it was simply breathtaking. The wrinkles and textures in the skin, and even how the veins are visible beneath the skin. The eyes seem to stare right through you. You could have sworn these were real figures of real people. I stopped to look at a few of the figures and could have sworn they were breathing. One could only wonder how in the world the artist took the time to create such uncanny resemblances to human flesh and posture.
The other featured exhibit had works that were just as impressive and featured local artists. One of my favorites was an installation piece with watercolor paintsets arranged in rainbow patterns and covering the wall.
The artwork here is modern (duh!) and somewhat edgy, but not as trendy as Flux.
Still, this place is definitely not to be missed for the art enthusiast.
Their hours are very limited, though, so make sure you stop in before 4pm everyday except for Mondays (closed). Thursdays are extended hours until 8pm. And ArtWalk Wednesdays they are open until 9pm.