Friday, September 24, 2021

‛The Lamentation of Christ’ is finally restored at the Cummer

Bank of America and the Cummer Museum of Arts & Gardens has announced the restoration of The Lamentation of Christ by Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640) is complete, following the museum’s selection as a Bank of America Art Conservation Project grant recipient in 2019. The entire restoration process was documented and photographed for educational purposes, including sharing restoration techniques and the importance of the art restoration process.


This delicate work is the centerpiece of the Museum’s Baroque collection and the only painting by Rubens on display. The Lamentation of Christ is believed to have been painted during Rubens’ first trip to Italy and is an original work of art on copper. Radiographs and infra-red technology were used to reveal Rubens’ original intent for the painting and restorers went millimeter by millimeter to ensure no part of the original painting was damaged. The extra paint and varnish from past restoration attempts were removed and retouched, and the frame underwent restoration to repair the gold leaf and wooden structure.

“Support from Bank of America was vital for the completion of this project. Its generosity and commitment to conserving important works of art such as this one will ensure their survival for generations to come,” said Holly Keris, the Museum’s J. Wayne and Delores Barr Weaver Chief Curator. “Restoration of this 400-year-old painting was extensive as there were structural problems with the frame as well as aesthetic problems from previous restoration attempts that led to surface discoloration. As this painting was part of the original bequest from Mrs. Cummer that created the Cummer Museum 60 years ago, its restoration in preparation for this important anniversary is all the more timely.”

The restoration process, led by ArtCare Conservation in Miami, began in January 2020. Now that restoration is complete, the work has returned to the Cummer Museum Art & Gardens’ permanent collection galleries, and the restoration video is a main feature in Art Connections, the Museum’s education center. The art work’s return to the Museum will be popular as The Lamentation of Christ was voted one of the Museum’s “50 Favorites” by museum goers in 2011, as part of its 50th anniversary celebration.

"Institutions like the Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens have the power to help their local economies by providing pathways to greater cultural understanding, as well as education," said Mark Bennett, President of Bank of America Jacksonville. "Providing the Museum with art conservation funding allowed the right experts and partners to breathe new life into The Lamentation of Christ, making it accessible for generations to come."

The restoration of The Lamentation of Christ by Peter Paul Rubens is one of 22 Art Conservation Recipients in 10 countries and 11 U.S. cities, which are receiving grant funding through the 2019 Bank of America Art Conservation Project.

The Lamentation of Christ by Peter Paul Rubens is in select company as a 2019 recipient. The  selection of works being recognized as 2019 ACP recipients includes: The Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh and The Bather by Paul Cezanne – The Museum of Modern Art, New York; Spring by Georgia O’Keeffe – Georgia O'Keeffe Museum, Santa Fe; and 10 large-scale assemblage paintings by Thornton Dial, Sr. – High Museum of Art, Atlanta.

The Bank of America Art Conservation Project provides grant funding to nonprofit cultural institutions throughout the world to conserve historically or culturally significant works of art that are in danger of deterioration. Since the Art Conservation Project began in 2010, Bank of America has provided grants for more than 170 projects in 33 countries on six continents to conserve paintings, sculptures, and archaeological and architectural pieces that are critically important to cultural heritage and the history of art.

The Art Conservation Project is a key element of Bank of America’s program of arts support worldwide, and part of the company’s environmental, social and governance program. Bank of America believes in the power of the arts to help economies thrive, educate and enrich societies, and create greater cultural understanding. The program includes loans of its private art collection to museums at no cost, sponsorships, and grants to arts organizations for arts education, as well as the preservation of cultural treasures. For more information, please visit the Art Conservation Project website.


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

Thursday, September 23, 2021

'HAMILTON’ runs in JAX 9/29 thru 10/17

This “theatrical landmark has transformed theater and the way we think about history” (The New York Times)

Producer Jeffrey Seller and FSCJ Artist Series Broadway In Jacksonville are proud to present HAMILTONSeptember 29 through October 17, 2021. Tickets for HAMILTON are available for purchase at Fscjartistseries.Org. Best availability is in the October 12-17 performances. This is the first BIG production at the Times Union Center in a long while and Jacksonville, Florida is READY!!!

#HAM4HAM is a digital lottery for HAMILTON tickets will provide a limited number of tickets available for every performance for $10 each. The lottery opened at 10 a.m. Friday, Sept. 17 and will close at 12 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 23 for tickets to performances Sept. 29 – Oct. 6 (HAMILTON performances begin on a Wednesday). Subsequent digital lotteries will begin on each Friday and close the following Thursday for the upcoming week’s performances.

To enter, use the official app for HAMILTON, now available for all iOS and Android devices in the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store (http://hamiltonmusical.com/app ). You can also visit http://hamiltonmusical.com/lottery to register.

“HAMILTON”
Performance Schedule:
Wednesday, September 29 at 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, September 30 at 1:30 p.m.
Thursday, September 30 at 7:30 p.m.
Friday, October 1 at 8 p.m.
Saturday, October 2 at 2 p.m.
Saturday, October 2 at 8 p.m.
Sunday, October 3 at 1:30 p.m.
Sunday, October 3 at 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday, October 5 at 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, October 6 at 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, October 7 at 7:30 p.m.
Friday, October 8 at 8 p.m.
Saturday, October 9 at 2 p.m.
Saturday, October 9 at 8 p.m.
Sunday, October 10 at 1:30 p.m.
Sunday, October 10 at 7:30 p.m.

           Newly Added 3rd Week:
Tuesday, October 12 at 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, October 13 at 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, October 14 at 7:30 p.m.
Friday, October 15 at 8 p.m.
Saturday, October 16 at 2 p.m.
Saturday, October 16 at 8 p.m.
Sunday, October 17 at 1:30 p.m.
Sunday, October 17 at 7:30 p.m.

HAMILTON is the story of America then, told by America now. Featuring a score that blends hip-hop, jazz, R&B and Broadway, HAMILTON has taken the story of American founding father Alexander Hamilton and created a revolutionary moment in theatre—a musical that has had a profound impact on culture, politics, and education.

For more information on HAMILTON, visit: HamiltonMusical.com; Facebook.com/HamiltonMusical; Instagram.com/HamiltonMusical & Twitter.com/HamiltonMusical.

LOCATION:Times Union Center Performing Arts
      Moran Theater
      300 West Water St.
      
Jacksonville, FL 32202
      (904) 632-5000

Comedian ‘Nate Bargatze’ Raincheck Tour in JAX

Coming off the success of his 2020 One Night Only Drive-In Tour, Comedian “Nate Bargatze” has announced his new The Raincheck Tour which kicked off July 16 in Reno, NV. Tickets are still on sale for his stop at the Florida Theatre on Saturday, October 9, 2021. This tour will include both rescheduled 2020 dates plus newly added shows.

Fresh off the release of his highly anticipated 2nd Netflix special, The Greatest Average Americannow streaming worldwide on Netflix, The Raincheck Tour will feature all new material.

Hailing from Old Hickory, Tennessee, stand-up comedian Nate Bargatze sells out shows across the world. Bargatze’s comedy is both clean and relatable, which is evident in his ten appearances on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon following four appearances on Late Night with Conan O’Brien. In March 2019, Nate’s first solo one-hour Netflix special, The Tennessee Kid premiered globally with rave reviews.

In July 2020, the comedian teamed up with All Things Comedy to release his new podcast, Nateland. The world is a crazy place and there's plenty of podcasts out there tackling the tough issues. However, Nateland tackles the meaningless issues that we face day to day to give listeners a much-needed mental break from fighting the good fight. New episodes release Wednesdays, with video available on Nate’s YouTube channel and audio available everywhere you get podcasts.

Visit NateBargatze.com to see the full list of tour dates.

The historic, nonprofit Florida Theatre is sponsored by Community First Credit Union. For a complete list of upcoming events or to buy tickets visit the Theatre’s official website, floridatheatre.com.

“Nate Bargatze:
The Raincheck Tour”

DATE: Sat., Oct. 9, 2021
TIME: 7 p.m.
TICKETS: $39.75 – $149.75

LOCATION: The Florida Theatre
       128 East Forsyth Street.
       Jacksonville, FL 32202
       (904) 355 - ARTS (2787)

Summerland Tour 2021 soon to the Forrest Theatre

The Florida Theatre is pleased to announce the Summerland Tour 2021 featuring Everclear, Hoobastank, Living Colour and Wheatus at the Florida Theatre on Wednesday, October 6, 2021.

Everclear returns to Jacksonville for the Summerland Tour 2021 with special guests: Hoobastank, Living Colour and Wheatus! Everclear has written and recorded some truly iconic ’90s alt-rock hits including "Everything To Everyone", "I Will Buy You A New Life", "One Hit Wonder", "When It All Goes Wrong Again" and more and continues to tour actively. No Everclear gig is complete without a rendition of “Santa Monica” and “Father of Mine,” and lately the band has found that exploring the full range of past material—especially the “deep cuts”—not only gives fans a rare treat, it also injects new life into the band’s live dynamic.

Multi-platinum selling band Hoobastank is one of the most popular alt-rock bands to come out of the early 2000's. They are best known for their singles "Crawling in the Dark", "Running Away", and "The Reason".

Living Colour is best known for hits such as "Cult of Personality" and "Glamour Boys". The band's music is a creative fusion influenced by free jazz, funk, hard rock and heavy metal and their lyrics range from the personal to the political, in some of the latter cases attacking Eurocentrism and racism in America.

Wheatus is a seven-piece rock band based in New York. Since their hit single "Teenage Dirtbag" in 2000, the band have worked independently, releasing multiple singles, recording six studio albums, and touring every year.

The historic, nonprofit Florida Theatre is sponsored by Community First Credit Union. For a complete list of upcoming events or to buy tickets visit the Theatre’s official website, floridatheatre.com.

Summerland Tour 2021
DATE: Wed., Oct, 6, 2021
TIME: 8 p.m.
TICKETS:
$45 $55

LOCATION:The Florida Theatre
       128 East Forsyth Street.
       Jacksonville, FL 32202
       (904) 355 - ARTS (2787)

Leonid and Friends brings the Music of Chicago to JAX


The Florida Theatre is pleased to announce the return of “Leonid and Friends performing the music of Chicago” on Sunday, October 3, 202. With multiple sold-out U.S. tours under its belt and hundreds of thousands of fans around the world, Leonid & Friends continues to astound its global audience with its unique ability in capturing the spirit, musicality, and fire of American supergroup Chicago.

And what is even more stunning is that Leonid & Friends, comprised of 11 of the finest musicians in Russia, Ukraine, Moldova, and Belarus, haven't seen Chicago perform live, yet replicates the band’s complex arrangements amazingly note for note.

Chicago has never been in Russia, and none of us have attended their concerts," said Leonid Vorobyev, a multi-instrumentalist who is the band’s leader. "We have only recordings and videos (to help us learn Chicago songs)."

Ironically, Vorobyev wasn’t always a fan of horn bands, and as a teenager gravitated to the hard-driving guitar-based sounds of the Beatles, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Deep Purple, and Grand Funk Railroad.

"In the early 1970s in the USSR, electric guitars, amplifiers, and drums were rare to find so at school we were playing self-made instruments," Vorobyev explained. "We were allowed to rehearse in the same room with a horns band. Those musicians almost always were drunk and quite often tried to play with us our rock songs. It was a nightmare, and I hated them all!"

But that all changed when Vorobyev heard Chicago. He became an instant fan. "I loved so much the brilliant mixture of rock guitars, drums, and jazz horns with bright vocal harmonies," he said.

In 2014, Vorobyev decided to indulge his love for the band by gathering a few fellow musicians in a studio to record a video of them playing his favorite Chicago tune, Brand New Love Affair.

No charts or scores of the song existed so Vorobyev transcribed the tune by ear. The result was a YouTube video that quickly went viral. Since then, Leonid & Friends has recorded videos of other Chicago hits including: Make Me Smile25 or 6 to 4, and Saturday In The Park.

All total the videos have received more than 50 million views. Also, Leonid & Friends has recorded two albums showcasing its tribute to Chicago.

The process of getting each tune just right is a painstaking labor of love. In addition to scoring and arranging, Vorobyev oversees mixing and mastering of each song. However, he credits his highly skilled bandmates for making each tune sing. "All of my musician friends are highly professional," he said.

However, Leonid & Friends hasn’t been satisfied with merely connecting with fans through videos and recordings. In early 2019, the band embarked on its first tour outside of Russia that had fans dancing in the aisles at sold-out shows in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Florida. Two other scorching coast-to-coast U.S. tours followed that same year.

“The fans were so eager to see us that some traveled from as far as Hawaii and the Philippines not mentioning flying across the U.S.and driving for hours to attend our shows,” Vorobyev said. “I was expecting a warm greeting but I didn't expect such a warm reception and with so much love and gratitude for us.”

In Los Angeles, the band met its musical heroes, founding members of Chicago, keyboardist Robert Lamm, and drummer Danny Seraphine as well as Michelle Kath Sinclair, daughter of late, great Chicago guitarist Terry Kath.

“We were so thrilled that Robert, Danny, and Michelle took the time to visit with us,” Vorobyev said. “It was an experience that we will cherish and remember forever.”

When Leonid & Friends isn’t touring, band members are in the studio in Moscow immersing themselves in Chicago’s storied catalog of hits and deep tracks while preparing for the next tour.

In September of 2018, the band recorded its first song from legendary supergroup Earth, Wind, & Fire and also paid tribute to the band Blood, Sweat & Tears as well.

Borrowing a line from one of Chicago's biggest hits, "it's only the beginning" of great things from Leonid & Friends.

The historic, nonprofit Florida Theatre is sponsored by Community First Credit Union. For a complete list of upcoming events or to buy tickets visit the Theatre’s official website, floridatheatre.com.

   “Leonid & Friends
Performing the Music of Chicago”

DATE: Sun., Oct., 3, 2021
TIME: 7 p.m.
TICKETS: $29.50 – $49.50

LOCATION: The Florida Theatre
       128 East Forsyth Street.
       Jacksonville, FL 32202
       (904) 355 - ARTS (2787)

‘MercyMe Tour’ coming soon to JAX and your area

GRAMMY® nominated, multiple American Music Award, Billboard Music Award and Dove Award-winning band “MercyMe” has announced their fall 2021 inhale (exhale) tour. Hitting 30 cities across the U.S., the band is excited to hit the road with fellow Fair Trade Services artist Micah Tyler. For ticket information on all MercyMe tour dates, please visit www.mercyme.org.

MercyMe released their tenth studio project, inhale (exhale) on Friday, April 30, and the current single, "Say I Won't" has risen quickly across national radio charts, currently #4 on Billboard National Christian Audience, Mediabase Christian Audience and Billboard AC Indicator, as well as #5 on Billboard AC Monitored and Mediabase Christian AC.

“MercyMe inhale (exhale) tour w/ Micah Tyler” (*all dates subject to change):

THURS 9-30-21 Lubbock, TX; FRI 10-1-21 Tulsa, OK; SAT 10-2-21 Cedar Park, TX; SUN 10-3-21 Fort Worth, TX; FRI 10-8-21 Louisville, KY; SAT 10-9-21 Evansville, IN; SUN 10-10-21 Duluth, GA; THURS 10-14-21 Charlotte, NC; FRI 10-15-21 Columbia, SC; SAT 10-16-21 Greensboro, NC; SUN 10-17-21 Augusta, GA; THURS 10-21-21 Tampa, FL; FRI 10-22-21 Jacksonville, FL; SAT 10-23-21 Biloxi, MS; SUN 10-24-21 Pensacola, FL; THURS 10-28-21 Oklahoma City, OK; FRI 10-29-21 Wichita, KS; SAT 10-30-21 Kansas City, MO; THURS 11-4-21 Toledo, OH; FRI 11-5-21 Grand Rapids, MI; SAT 11-6-21 Champaign, IL; SUN 11-7-21Columbus, OH; THURS 11-11-21 Moline, IL; FRI 11-12-21 Ft. Wayne, IN; SAT 11-13-21 Cincinnati, OH; SUN 11-14-21 Nashville, TN; THURS 11-18-21 Greenville, SC; FRI 11-19-21 Norfolk, VA; SAT 11-20-21 Pittsburgh, PA; SUN 11-21-21Indianapolis, IN.*

About “MercyMe”: It continues to be a landmark time for the multi-platinum selling, GRAMMY® nominated, multiple American Music Award, Billboard Music Award and Dove Award winners MercyMe. They were recently named Billboard's Top Christian Artist of the 2010 decade, and in 2020 received their eighth American Music Award nomination. A major motion picture based on the life of frontman Bart Millard who wrote the mega-hit song "I Can Only Imagine” after the loss of his father, opened at a remarkable No. 3 at the box office on Mar. 16, 2018 (Lionsgate, Roadside Attractions). In conjunction with the movie release, Millard penned a memoir and the band released a collection of hits titled I Can Only Imagine – The Very Best Of MercyMe. In 2018 MercyMe was named Top Christian Artist at the Billboard Music Awards, was the top winner at the fan-fueled K-LOVE Fan Awards including a win for Artist of the Year, and was the GMA Dove Award Winner for Artist Of The Year. Since their debut in 2001, the band has sold more than 9 million units in CD, single and DVD sales, garnered more than 48 No. 1 multi-format radio singles, and had four consecutive mainstream radio hits.

MercyMe made history in 2014 as “I Can Only Imagine” surpassed 2 million digital downloads, making it the first song in Christian music to go platinum and double-platinum in the digital domain. The song has now gone has gone 4x platinum. In 2009, Billboard named MercyMe's " Word Of God Speak" the No. 1 Song of The Decade and the group the No. 1 Artist of the Decade in both the Christian Songs and Christian AC Songs categories, recognizing them as one of the industry's most notable talents.

They have sold out venues throughout the US and Canada, including Radio City Music Hall, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, and have appeared on the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Good Morning America, GMA3, The Today Show, CBS This Morning, FOX New Channel's FOX & Friends, CNN, ABC News and in the pages of Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, USA Today and more. Their tenth album, inhale(exhale), is available now.