City employee art exhibition opens Oct. 12 at Main Library

A new exhibition opening October 12 at the Jacksonville Public Library's Main Library Gallery will showcase the creative work of dozens of city employees and their families, offering the public a rare glimpse into the artistic lives of the municipal workforce.

The "City of Artists" exhibition features 164 visual arts pieces created by 91 employees from across Jacksonville's consolidated government and their children. The show runs through Wednesday, November 4, during regular library hours — 9:00 a. m. to 6:00 p. m. Monday through Saturday — in the gallery on the main floor of the downtown library at 303 North Laura Street.

What's happening

Works in the exhibition include photographs, paintings, sculptures, crafts, works on paper, and mixed media. Contributors come from nearly every corner of city government, spanning constitutional offices, operational departments, and public-safety agencies.

Represented offices and departments include the City Council, Tax Collector, Property Appraiser, Supervisor of Elections, and Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, along with the Mayor's Office, Employee Services, Finance, Jacksonville Public Library, Jacksonville Fire & Rescue Department, Medical Examiner, Neighborhoods, Economic Development (EBO/JSEB), Administrative Services, Parks, Recreation and Community Services, Planning, Public Works, and Sports & Entertainment.

The exhibition is being curated by Jacksonville-based visual artist Cheryl McCain, with assistance from city staff members Cliff Buckley, Teresa Eichner, and Heather Schatz. Each piece of art will be evaluated by three Jacksonville-based visual artists: Jenny Hager, Erin Kendrick, and Tony Smailagic.

The show will culminate with an awards ceremony and closing reception from 5:00 to 7:00 p. m. during November's ArtWalk. The public is encouraged to attend both the exhibition and the closing event.

A window into the people behind city services

The exhibition offers residents an unusual opportunity to see the people who deliver municipal services — from firefighters to planners to library staff — in a different light. In a city government that employs thousands across a consolidated metro area, creative pursuits often remain invisible behind job titles and departmental silos.

For downtown library visitors and regular patrons, the show transforms a civic space into a community gallery. The Main Library serves as a cultural anchor on the Northbank, hosting rotating exhibitions alongside its collection and programming. By dedicating the gallery to employee work, the library underscores its role not just as a repository of others' creativity but as a venue that reflects the community it serves — including the workforce that keeps Jacksonville running.

The breadth of participation — 91 contributors from constitutional offices, public safety, infrastructure, economic development, and recreation departments — suggests the exhibition may surface unexpected connections between residents and the people they encounter in permitting offices, at recreation centers, or during emergency calls. A firefighter's sculpture or a planner's watercolor can humanize roles that the public typically experiences through transactional interactions.

Supporting local artists and the creative economy

The selection of three Jacksonville-based visual artists as jurors — Jenny Hager, Erin Kendrick, and Tony Smailagic — and the curation by local artist Cheryl McCain anchors the project in the city's existing arts community. These professionals bring expertise from Northeast Florida's gallery, education, and studio scenes, and their involvement signals that employee work will be evaluated by the same standards applied to any public exhibition.

The closing reception during November's ArtWalk ties the exhibition into one of downtown Jacksonville's longest-running monthly cultural events. ArtWalk, held the first Wednesday of each month, draws residents and visitors to galleries, studios, and pop-up venues across the urban core. Positioning the awards ceremony within that calendar gives the employee show visibility among a broader audience already engaged with the local arts scene.

For city employees who are practicing artists, the exhibition and the accompanying evaluation process offer professional recognition and a public platform. The National Arts Program Foundation, which partners with the city on the show, provides funding, guidance, cash prizes, and an online gallery. According to the foundation, it works with more than 80 venues across more than 30 states each year to stage workplace exhibitions, making it the only national nonprofit dedicated specifically to celebrating employee and family creativity.

Cash prizes awarded during the closing ceremony can provide modest financial support to artists who may not have regular access to grant funding or commercial gallery representation. For employees balancing creative practice with full-time municipal work, such recognition and resources can be meaningful, even if the amounts are typically small.

Workplace culture and employee engagement

Beyond the public-facing cultural impact, the exhibition reflects an investment in workplace culture within Jacksonville's government. Employees who see their colleagues' creative work displayed in a prominent public venue may experience a stronger sense of community and institutional belonging. In large organizations, particularly in consolidated city-county governments where staff are dispersed across scores of facilities and functions, opportunities for cross-departmental connection are limited.

By inviting family members — specifically employees' children — to contribute, the program acknowledges the lives city workers lead outside office hours and the creative environments some foster at home. This family dimension can strengthen employees' emotional connection to their employer, which research on employee engagement generally links to retention and job satisfaction, though the city has not released specific metrics or goals tied to the exhibition.

The inclusion of constitutional offices — the Tax Collector, Property Appraiser, Supervisor of Elections, and Jacksonville Sheriff's Office — is notable. These offices operate with considerable independence under Florida's constitutional framework, and their participation indicates coordination across the branches of Duval County's governance structure. The Sheriff's Office, in particular, employs thousands of sworn and civilian personnel; creative outlets for law-enforcement and corrections staff are less commonly publicized than those in fields like parks or libraries.

What happens next

The exhibition remains on view at the Main Library Gallery, 303 North Laura Street, during regular library hours through Wednesday, November 4. Admission is free, and the public is encouraged to visit.

The three jurors — Jenny Hager, Erin Kendrick, and Tony Smailagic — will evaluate the 164 works ahead of the closing event. The awards ceremony and reception will take place from 5:00 to 7:00 p. m. during November's ArtWalk. The city has not specified the number or value of awards to be presented, but the National Arts Program Foundation typically provides cash prizes as part of its support for workplace exhibitions.

Residents interested in attending the closing reception can plan to visit during the November ArtWalk, which is held the first Wednesday of each month. Specific details about the awards and reception are expected to be announced closer to the event.

The exhibition is part of a broader effort by the National Arts Program Foundation, which stages similar shows in more than 80 venues nationally. The foundation's model pairs local curation and judging with national organizational support, creating a repeatable framework for workplace arts programming. Jacksonville's participation places the city alongside other employers — public and private — that use creative showcases as a tool for employee engagement and community connection, reinforcing the role of cultural programming in the civic life of Northeast Florida's largest municipality.