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Three artists with unique backgrounds will open the Best of JAM (Juried Artist Member) exhibition at First Coast Cultural Center on 10/9, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. The event, which is free and open to the public, will feature Mike Wodrich, a glass artist and sculptor with a background in anthropology and law; Jami Childers, a former hair salon owner who is now receiving numerous awards for her nature paintings; and Cynthia Spitzer, who was a retail specialty store buyer and teacher in New York City before discovering a whole new world as an outdoor photographer in Florida.
“The diversity and skill represented by the JAM honorees is phenomenal,” according to Silvia Romero, FCCC’s Senior Director of Operations. She says this exhibition runs through January 2, and these works will be on display, along with items from many other artisans, during the popular Holiday Shoppes event on November 22 and 23.
Wodrich uses glass, steel, stone, wood, ceramics, and unique objects like Calculagraphs from the 1800s to tell colorful, 3-dimensional stories with a degree of ambiguity. “My hope is that what I’ve created will be sufficiently novel and unexpected to stimulate the viewer to become an active participant in the visual dialogue of the interpretation.”
Meanwhile, Jami Childers’ acrylic and oil paintings convey the joy she finds in life and being outside. “I’m a self-professed seeker, and I seek beauty in all things.” Childers was a portrait painter for years before embracing her passion for the outdoors. “I realized it’s not the ones that are the most talented that are out there making it – it’s the ones that keep showing up.”
Photographer Cynthia Spitzer also finds inspiration outdoors. “Walking helps me see the world differently. You never know what you’ll find.” Spitzer discovered that looking through a camera lens helped her focus on a world full of contrasts and delicacies. “I’m able to see different things within photos that I didn’t notice when taking them.”
Submitted by: Anna Allen
