For 14 seasons, I've watched something extraordinary happen in Jacksonville Beach.
What began as a simple vision to celebrate one of our community's most recognizable symbols, the lifeguard chair, has become one of the Beaches' most cherished traditions. Through the arts, that chair became a canvas for our community's story.
During the holiday season, Jacksonville Beach Deck The Chairs (JBDTC) welcomes more than 100,000 visitors, promotes an estimated 2,500 student artists, and brings together hundreds of volunteers while showcasing more than 70 community and student decorated lifeguard chairs. JBDTC supports local businesses during the holiday season and creates priceless memories year after year.
Its greatest success isn't measured in attendance. It's measured in community.
The arts have helped preserve our identity, inspire young people, strengthen our local economy, and remind us what is possible when a community chooses to create something meaningful together. None of that happens by accident.
Volunteers invest their time. Businesses invest their resources. Educators invest in their students. And through the Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville, our city has invested in the belief that arts and culture are essential to a thriving community.
That investment reaches far beyond Deck The Chairs. It supports museums, theaters, festivals, public art, arts education and community programs throughout Duval County. It creates opportunities for young people, strengthens local economies, enriches public spaces and preserves the unique character of the places we call home.
Deck The Chairs is proud to be one example of what that vision has made possible. Cultural Council support has helped us expand free student arts programming so that thousands of young artists can discover confidence, creativity and purpose while our entire community benefits from an experience that remains free and accessible to everyone.
On Aug. 13, the Jacksonville City Council will review Cultural Council funding that helps make these investments possible.
My hope is simple.
That we continue to believe the arts are not an expense: they are an investment.
An investment in our children.
An investment in our neighborhoods.
An investment in our local economy.
An investment in the creative thinkers, problem-solvers, entrepreneurs, educators, health care professionals, engineers, business leaders and civic leaders who will shape Jacksonville's future.
Culture is the memory of a community.
Let's continue investing in the stories, and the people, that make Jacksonville such a remarkable place to call home.
If you believe the arts strengthen our community, I hope you'll follow this conversation, share why they matter to you, and encourage our elected leaders to continue investing in the creative future of Jacksonville.
The Jacksonville City Council will consider arts funding on Aug. 13. If you'd like to learn more about how public arts funding benefits communities across Duval County, please take a few minutes to explore the work of the Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville and consider respectfully sharing your support with your City Council representative.
Kurtis Loftus
Executive Director
Jacksonville Beach Deck the Chairs
