The Museum will be open today, August 6 from 4 to 9 p.m. Please check @cummermuseum on Facebook and Instagram or cummermuseum.org for the latest updates.
The Museum is open today from 11:00am - 4:00pm.
Cummer in the Community is a transformative initiative that brings together the many different populations in our community through customized in-person and virtual engaging experiences that introduce them to the arts and the many benefits it can offer.
Cummer in the Community provides a wide variety of experiences strategically designed to be truly and broadly inclusive, complement traditional learning and promote our community’s health, happiness and well-being. To learn more, email schooltours@cummermuseum.org.
The Museum’s annual Arts for All Festival (formerly VSA Festival), which takes place in the spring of each year, invites Jacksonville-area students with differing abilities to visit the Cummer Museum for a chance to experience art through all of their senses.
The Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens is home to the Jacksonville partner Arts4All Florida, a statewide organization that provides opportunities in the arts for individuals with disabilities. A community collaboration in the truest sense since 1995, this award-winning, transformative program offers regional students with differing abilities, their teachers, and families the opportunity to engage in unique art, gardens, and music experiences at the Museum. Each year, the Festival positively impacts the lives of thousands of individuals in northeast Florida. For children whose daily lives are often limited to the classroom and home, the Festival provides a safe place for them to explore a new environment and practice the social skills taught in the classroom alongside friendly, diverse volunteers from all walks of life.
The annual Arts for All Festival has evolved into a hybrid program with both in-person and virtual opportunities, combining elements of both experiences in a way that respects individualized comfort levels while offering the most rewarding, authentic experience designed specifically for this important and often underserved audience. Last year, the 2023 Arts for All Festival welcomed 2,598 students with differing abilities. Students engage in art viewing, interactive live music storytelling, and hands-on artmaking activities throughout the entire Museum campus, including the galleries, gardens, and studios.
The Arts for All Festival provides students with differing abilities the distinct opportunity to express themselves by providing access to high-quality art and gardens in ways that spark their imagination, curiosity, and creativity and fosters positive opportunities for growth, learning, and empowerment in children, teachers, volunteers, and caregivers.
The Arts for All Festival is the only museum-based festival in the nation that engages students in arts activities within its galleries and alongside high-quality works of art. Children with intellectual and physical differences are given a rare opportunity to learn through human interaction and creative expression in a welcoming and encouraging environment.
In addition to offering a respite from the typical day, the Arts for All Festival experience elicits powerful responses and sometimes milestone moments from students. For example, a completely nonverbal elementary-aged student prompted tears from his teacher and caregiver when he verbalized for the first time ever while participating in musical storytelling with artist Ajamu Mutima. Art transcends abilities and differences. The Arts for All Festival unites our community, providing participants with experiences that leave lasting smiles and memories.
