J Institute: Experience It!

The JCA offers year-round art classes and workshops that utilize an assortment of media and techniques. If you’re a new artist, experienced creative looking for community or just want to explore your creative side, cultural arts at the JCA offers a variety of classes throughout the year. All classes offered are for beginners and up.

Pottery: The JCA has a pottery studio and kiln onsite where you can learn clay forming basics or fine tune your handbuilding or wheel throwing skills. High-fire glazing techniques are also taught. Craftsmanship, creativity and an appreciation for the elements of well-made, functional pottery are emphasized. Clay is provided.

Oil Painting: Local artist instructors help you explore basic painting techniques while developing visual awareness and artistic self-expression. Principles in 2-D art, use of materials, painting techniques and color mixing are studied through a variety of subject matter.

Drawing: Learn to draw through inspiring exercises and a variety of drawing media and techniques with professional, experienced staff.

Pastel Painting: Local artist instructors teach the basics of painting with pastels as well as methods and techniques for working with the medium.

Chinese Ink Painting: This class introduces you to basic through advanced techniques of Chinese brush painting. Explore simple brush strokes and take inspiration from flowers, small animals and landscapes to create an evocative painting.

Art in the Afternoon: These monthly art workshops explore various forms of arts and crafts such as art journaling, Shibori tie dye, candle making, wreath making and button art.

The Berman Family JCA Concert Series for 2023

Berman Family Endows JCA Concert Series

Edith and Milton Berman were known for their love of classical music. As JCA charter members, the Bermans sponsored the JCA’s original concert series, which brings exceptional, but unknown, young artists from around the world to Jacksonville. The series was continued after Edith and Milton’s passing by their son, Charles, and his wife, Eleanor. Now, more than thirty years later, Edith and Milton’s granddaughter, JCA Board Chair Rochelle Stoddard, and her husband David, have endowed the series to ensure it will remain at the JCA in perpetuity. Now known as The Berman Family JCA Concert Series, the program has and will remain free and open to the entire community thanks to the generosity of the Berman Family.

Maxim Lando, Piano
Sun, Jan 15 | 3 pm 

Praised for his “infectious exuberance” and “impressive delicacy” by The New York Times, American pianist Maxim Lando has performed with orchestras around the world including the symphonies of Pittsburgh, Toronto, Vancouver, Hawaii and St. Petersburg, Russia’s Mariinsky Theater Orchestra, the Russian National Orchestra, Bolshoi Symphony, Moscow Philharmonic, Kazakh State Philharmonic, Israel Philharmonic and China’s NCPA Orchestra. Recently awarded the 2021/22 Vendome Grand Prize and the prestigious 2020 Gilmore Young Artist Award, Maxim was also named New Artist of the Month by Musical America. Dedicated to making classical music accessible to his own generation, Maxim has been featured on CNN, NPR and BBC Radio. 

Risa Hokamura, Violin
Sun, Feb 5 | 3 pm 

Risa Hokamura started playing the violin at three years old and by ten she captured top prizes in competitions in Japan. Risa first came to international attention in 2018 when she won the Silver Medal at International Violin Competition of Indianapolis, performing the Tchaikovsky Concerto with the Indianapolis Symphony. This season, Risa will perform in recital at the Morgan Library & Museum in New York, as part of the “Encores” series, presented in collaboration by Young Concert Artists and The Morgan Library & Museum. She has previously performed as a soloist with the Greensboro Symphony Orchestra, the Muncie Symphony Orchestra, the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, the East Coast Chamber Orchestra and the Kanagawa Philharmonic Orchestra.

Ying Li, Piano
Sun, Mar 19 | 3 pm 

After starting piano lessons at age five in China, Ying Li was a student at the Elementary School division of the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing; then she moved to Philadelphia in 2012 to study at the Curtis Institute of Music with Jonathan Biss and Seymour Lipkin. Ying was the First Prize winner of the 2021 Young Concert Artists Susan Wadsworth International Auditions,  at The Bridgehampton Chamber Music Festival Prize, and the Tri-I Noon Recitals Prize. After receiving the Bachelor of Music degree at Curtis Institute in 2019, Ying received her Master of Music degree at The Juilliard School in New York with Robert McDonald in 2021. Ying has performed with many orchestras including her most recent debut at Teatro Alla
Scala in Milan. 

For more information, contact Heather at heather.terrill@jcajax.org.

The JCA Sunday Film Series offers a fantastic collection of movies each season that are selected to reflect the range of human experience and for their cultural and entertainment value. All showings are free and open to the community.

In addition to the Sunday Film Series, other movie nights and film screenings are planned throughout the season. We hope you will join us to enjoy our latest showings!

Each November, the JCA celebrates its annual Jewish Cultural Arts Festival with literary, film and arts events. This includes films, theatrical performances, a book club, family events and it’s signature event, the Annual Jewish Book Festival, now in its 26^th year.

All festival events are free and open to the entire community. For additional information about the festival, contact Rachel Sandler at (904) 730-2100 ext. 271 or rachel.sandler@jcajax.org or Heather Terrill at (904) 730-2100 ext. 265 or heather.terrill@jcajax.org.

To donate to cultural arts programming at the JCA, contact Kendall Sisisky Valliere at (904) 730-2100 ext. 231.

To view a list of JCA virtual programming, live videos and resources, please visit here.