Carlos Rolon’s artwork on view at the Cummer Museum

The front landscape of The Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens welcomes Lost in Paradise, an exhibition by artist Carlos Rolon.  The exhibition features sculptures that weave together nature and humankind found in both Florida and Puerto Rico and will be on display from November 3, 2018 to October 20, 2019.  Park across the street and view the collection before you enter the building.

In September 2017 two catastrophic hurricanes (Irma and Maria) made landfall in Florida and Puerto Rico, leaving a trail of devastation in their wakes, and linked Jacksonville and Puerto Rico together again in their relief efforts beyond the Jones Act. In Jacksonville, the Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens sits on the St. Johns River.  The Museum was not spared from hurricane Irma’s storm surge, and the Cummer Gardens were left heavily damaged.  Within the same week, Puerto Rico was hit head-on by hurricane Maria, leaving the entire island without power, supplies, or infrastructure.

Rolón’s new works draw inspirations from the architecture and natural landscapes that both Florida and Puerto Rico share.  In Lost in Paradise, Rolón seeks to bring attention to nature’s unbridled ability to change its own landscape, but also humankind’s ability to overcome catastrophe and rebuild stronger than ever. Rolon’s “losa isleño” (island tile) pieces break from the traditional repetitive decorative design, departing from the typical rug or carpet style layouts to create new sculptural paintings that reference homes in Puerto Rico. Looking to his mirrored mosaic floral works, the artist has created indestructible plant life in an effort to memorialize and create monuments to the native plants of Florida and Puerto Rico.

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