UNF Student Artist-in-Residence exhibit opens at MOCA Jacksonville
The University of North Florida Student Artist-in-Residence exhibition “Ally Brody: Public Domain” will open on Saturday, Jan. 16 at MOCA Jacksonville.
For her residency, Brody developed her ongoing series “Public Domain” documenting street artists in Florida. The semester-long residency at MOCA Jacksonville began in August 2020 and culminates with this weekend’s exhibition opening.
“The Artist-in-Residence program is a unique opportunity for professional development for University of North Florida students, and we are excited to welcome Ally Brody,” said MOCA director Caitlín Doherty. “She is a part of the new generation of artists doing the important work of making art relevant to the ideas of our time.”
Brody is a UNF student currently pursuing a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a concentration in photography, and minors in mass communications and art history. She is a photo-based artist who explores social and political topics, such as environmental issues, societal changes and personal accounts. She mixes analog and digital processes into her photography and incorporates collage, layering and various compositions to communicate her ideas. Brody’s residency was supported by a generous $1,000 scholarship from the Jacksonville Fine Arts Forum. It is an annual award given to regional emerging artists.
In her series “Public Domain,” Brody explores the inclusivity of street art and how it changes over time. Brody creates photographic compositions that feature both commissioned and independent street art works found throughout Northeast and Central Florida (Jacksonville and surrounding areas, St. Augustine, Gainesville, Sanford, Orlando, DeLand, and Daytona).
Once thought of only as vandalism, street art has developed into its own art form, attracting private companies and city officials to commission public art works by street artists as a tool to promote tourism and rebirth of neighborhoods. The media utilized by these artists includes murals, wheat-pastes, sticker art, and graffiti tags. Street art often reflects the community's local culture; religious beliefs; traditions, social standards and aspirations; and architectural styles, making each work unique to that certain location.
“Ally Brody is presenting moments in the present which will be the memories of the future,” said Marty Cawley, president of the Jacksonville Fine Arts Forum. “I was so impressed with her work and her dedication to what she wants to achieve with her life. She is going to make a tremendous contribution to the arts.”
MOCA Jacksonville is open at limited capacity and offers virtual self-guided tours to enjoy from the safety of home. Visit https://mocajacksonville.unf.edu/visit/ for more information.