The City of Atlantic Beach is looking for an artist or artist team to create a permanent patriotic public art installation for the Marsh Oaks Community Center, the city's newest facility, at 100 W. First St. next to Beaches Veterans Memorial Park.
The city is seeking a visual landmark that builds civic pride, honors local military service members and celebrates coastal Florida's natural beauty. Because of the city's coastal climate, materials must hold up to salt air, humidity and intense sunlight.
Cost will be a critical factor in the selection, according to the city. Officials encourage artists at every experience level and budget scale, from emerging talent to established public artists, to apply.
Professional, amateur and student artists 18 and older who live, work or study in Duval, St. Johns or Nassau counties are eligible. A connection to Atlantic Beach is considered a plus. A committee of residents and city staff will review submissions, and the city manager will make the final selection.
Proposals are due by 5 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 6. The city aims to complete the installation in November.
About Marsh Oaks Community Center
The city bought the 4,500-square-foot former assisted living facility in 2024. It is turning the building into a hurricane-hardened community hub that can serve residents during everyday "blue-sky" days and become a safe haven during extreme weather.
Plans call for the center to provide essential community services for seniors, veterans and others, and to house offices for the city's Parks and Recreation Department. The building will also be available for events at Beaches Veterans Memorial Park and for private gatherings.
The grounds will also include a community garden donated by Nature Connect Florida in partnership with the Arts, Recreation and Culture community group. On March 23, the City Commission accepted the donation. The garden will have 32 plots, including six wheelchair-accessible beds and six community-managed beds, plus corrugated-steel raised planters, a small pond and native plants for pollinators. The city's recreation department will manage plot sign-ups.
"The most important thing that community gardens grow is connection and community," said Judith LaRue of Nature Connect Florida.
The city held a soft opening at the center July 11 as part of Atlantic Beach's centennial celebration. City staff had expected the interior renovation to wrap up in July, with parking-lot improvements and the garden to follow. At a Sept. 8 Arts, Recreation and Culture Committee meeting, staff proposed holding a formal ribbon cutting on Veterans Day, Nov. 11, after the city's morning Veterans Day ceremony.
How to apply
Artists must submit a single PDF with an artist statement, a resume and a five-image portfolio to info@coab.us, with the subject line "Call for Artists: Marsh Oaks Community Center." Full guidelines are at coab.us.
