The Cummer Museum is having March Madness

Even if you’re not a basketball enthusiast, you will have a great time picking some of your favorite activities at the Cummer.  There are events for your family and it’s a great place to break the ice with a new person of interest.  Why not explore the many aspects of the Cummer Museum this month?  Here is a list of activities:

Florida Blue Free Tuesday – Each Tues. Evening from 4 to 9 p.m. | Free.  No registration required.  Every Tuesday, enjoy free admission to the Cummer Museum and its historic Gardens, thanks to the generous support of Florida Blue. Guests can enjoy free admission to the Galleries and Gardens. Each Tuesday evening, the Cummer Café is open for Tapas Tuesday sponsored by VyStar Credit Union.

Tapas Tuesday – Each Tues. Evening from 5 to 7:30 p.m. | The Cummer Café Reservations recommended.  Tap into Tapas Tuesday sponsored by VyStar Credit Union at the Cummer Café.  Every Tuesday from 5 to 7:30 p.m. on the Cummer Café patio, take in the sunset while listening to local musicians as you also enjoy some beer, wine, or artfully inspired tapas for sale at the Café.  Reserve your table by calling (904) 899-6022.

Public Garden Tours – Tues. and Thur. from 11 a.m. | Free with Paid Admission.  No registration required.  Join the Museum every Tuesday and Thursday for a guided tour of the historic Cummer Gardens, beginning in the Museum lobby.

Art Fundamentals: Acrylic Painting – Wed., Mar. 1 through April 5 from 1 to 4:30 p.m. | Members $170, Non-Members $190. Registration required.  Instructor Allison Watson introduces painting to beginning students and strengthens the skills of intermediate painters.  Learn composition for landscape and still life, color theory, and techniques in acrylic.  Participants may sign up for multiple sessions.  Supplies are not included.  Suggested ages 16 and up.  For further information, please email or call (904) 355-0630.

Garden Month Kickoff & Plant Sale – Sat., Mar. 4 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. | Free Admission.  No registration required.  Kick off a month-long celebration of the gardens with a free family day and plant sale!  Celebrate the coming of spring by purchasing new plants from local vendors on the front lawn of the Museum.  Enjoy “plein air” painting, live music, a family art activity, and garden tours throughout the day!

Bank Of America and Merrill Lynch Museums On Us – Sun., Mar. 5 from Noon to 4 p.m. | Free to Cardholders.  No registration required.  The Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens offers free admission on the first Sunday of the first full weekend of the month to all Bank of America or Merrill Lynch cardholders through the Museums on Us program.  Each cardholder receives one free general admission to the Museum.  For more information on the Museum's programming and events, please call (904) 899-6038.

Floral Arranging with Laura Haley – Thurs., Mar. 9 from1 to 2:30 p.m. | Members $40, Non-Members $50.  Registration required.  Join Laura Haley, a passionate flower show exhibitor and judge, as well as a teacher of techniques and styles throughout the country, for a unique floral design class using materials you can find at your local grocery store. For further information or to register, please call (904) 899-6038.

Garden Month Concert: The Chris Thomas Band – Fri., Mar. 10th.  Doors Open at 6 p.m., Concert from 7 to 9 p.m. | Members $25, Non-Members $35, Table $500.  Registration required.  Relax under the stars with The Chris Thomas Band!  Guests are invited to bring chairs, picnics, and beverages to enjoy an evening in the Cummer Gardens.  Don’t feel like packing a picnic?  Let the Cummer Café handle your food and beverages by placing an order for pick-up at the Concert.  To pre-order, call (904) 899-6022 or email.  For further information or to register, please call (904) 899-6038.

Talks & Tea with Constance Spry: The Woman Who Made Flower Arranging an Art – Wed., Mar. 15 from 1:30 p.m. | Members Free, Non-Members $6.  Registration required.  Constance Spry was a social reformer, whose driving zeal for empowering women to find beauty in the world around them took her from humble origins to household name in Britain.  Using kale and weeds as design materials, she made gravy boats, bird cages, and baking sheets into plant containers.  Royal weddings were her specialty, and with her friend Syrie Maugham, she was an arbiter of mid-20th-century interior decoration.  Today, she is the style icon on contemporary London blogs.  Enjoy a talk by Director of Education Lynn Norris over a cup of tea and a sweet treat.  For further information or to register, please call (904) 899-6038.

Plein Air Painting

Art Adventures: Garden Month! – Sat., Mar. 18 from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. | Members $10, Non-Members $15.  Ages 6 through 12.  Registration required.  Join the Cummer on the third Saturday of each month for studio classes.  This class will focus on the natural beauty of the Cummer Museum’s historic gardens. Students will visit the galleries to view works inspired by nature.  Then they will learn about “plein air” painting as they work from direct observation in the gardens.  Projects will be completed within one class period.  For further information, please email or call (904) 355-0630.

History of Western American Art – Tues., Mar. 21 from 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. | Members Free, Non-Members $10.  Registration required.  Explore art history through this monthly series of lectures that includes time in the galleries.  Although Europe still thinks American Art begins with Abstract Expressionism, America has a rich art tradition.  This talk by Director of Education Lynn Norris covers early American Art to John Singer Sargent.  For further information, please email or call (904) 355-0630.

Distinguished Lecture Series: P. Allen Smith Naturally: The Love of Gardening – Wed., Mar. 22 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. | Members $45, Non-Members $55.  Registration required.  P. Allen Smith has a passion for American style. Inspired by the ‘ferme ornée’ concept for Monticello, Smith created his own Moss Mountain Farm as a demonstration ground for principles of good design, conservation, and stewardship.  Take a virtual tour of Moss Mountain and see how Smith is creating a new chapter in the evolution of the classic American farm.  Lunch in the Olmsted Garden will follow the lecture.  For further information or to register, please call (904) 899-6038.

Garden Conservancy’s Open Days Program – Sat., Mar. 25 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. | Members and Non-Members $30.  Registration required.  Join the Museum as part of the Open Days Program.  Make the Cummer Gardens the first stop on your tour of a number of private gardens in the Riverside neighborhood.  Knowledgeable volunteers will be on hand in each garden throughout the day to answer your questions.  The Cummer Gardens will be open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and all private gardens will be open from 12 to 4 p.m. For further information or to register, please call (904) 899-6038.

The Search for Paradise: A History of Western Gardens 19th And Early 20th Century English Gardens – Tues., Mar. 28 from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. | Members Free, Non-Members $10.  Explore garden history through this four-part lecture series.  In the late Victorian and Edwardian garden, flowers came to the forefront as the English landscape garden gave way to the cottage garden.  Join Director of Education Lynn Norris to explore the era of country house gardens, designed by J.C. Loudon, William Robinson, Gertrude Jekyll, and Vita Sackville-West, followed by a walk in the Cummer Gardens.  For further information, please email or call (904) 355-0630.

Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens
   829 Riverside Avenue
   Jacksonville, Florida 32204
   (904) 356-6857
   Hours of Operation & Admission