Kailea Myrick, Museum Curator, Ritz Theater and Museum
Kailea Myrick, museum curator for Ritz Theater and Museum, talked to Invest: about the growing arts and culture scene in Jacksonville, and what the institution is doing to encourage participation. “There is certainly a lot of focus on bringing arts and entertainment in different ways to Jacksonville, and the Ritz happens to be a building that houses all forms of artistic entertainment,” she said.
What have been some of the main highlights and key milestones for the Ritz Theater and Museum in the last 12 months?
One of our exhibitions is Through Our Eyes. This year marks the 31st year of the museum continuing that exhibition. This past year, we have also had some incredible concerts and performances, including sold-out shows from Will Downing and Jon B. At the same time, we have continued to showcase many local artists with solo exhibitions. We have done more of those in the past year than since the pandemic.
Amid the growing demand for arts, culture, and entertainment in Jacksonville, what is the role for the Ritz Theater and Museum?
There is a lot of focus on bringing arts and entertainment in different ways to Jacksonville, and the Ritz is a building that houses all forms of artistic entertainment. We have a stage, and we have a museum. From visual arts to performing arts, we really capture possibilities for artists. Our role is to provide community-focused events that bring in activities that the community would like to see while also being an incubator for artists who are not quite ready for a larger stage, such as a vast gallery or a 1,000-seat theater. To that end, we have our 400-seat theater. An artist could bring something here that they are still workshopping, for example, before bringing it to a considerable expo level.
How do you attract talent for the museum or theater?
As a museum curator, I focus on the museum and community engagement while our theatre director brings in the stage shows. She works with our creative director, who has worked in this industry and in Jacksonville for a long time. She also goes to conferences, talks to various agents, and brings in different mainstream artists. Between the two of them, that’s how we got Will Downing, Jon B., and the other shows that have had sold-out audiences.
On the museum side, as far as finding artists to showcase, solo shows to host, or community events to host, a lot of that is done with boots on the ground. I go to community spaces, different art gatherings, and different studios. Whenever other people in the community are hosting art shows or pop-up exhibits, I always try to attend, talk to the artists, and see what we can offer them at the Ritz.
To what extent is AI helping foster the museum’s activities?
Up until recently, we’ve only done pop-up events that included AI. For example, we had one exhibit where an artist had a QR code that you could scan to see an augmented reality gallery around you. He used AI to bring to life kids performing different dance moves on their phones. We have also had pop-up exhibits where we have brought in various virtual reality capabilities and different VR galleries.
But in the long term, we want to be more interactive. We are currently redesigning the museum, and next year, we will be shut down for a couple of months to refresh it. As a part of that, we will have many more interactive components with each of our exhibitions. Currently, the permanent gallery displays about 15 different educational vignettes. With the new space, each vignette may have some interactive element on a screen.
To what extent do partnerships with big venues help in bringing the museum and the theater’s objectives and goals forward?
We are a city-owned building and a part of ASM Global. ASM Global has six venues in Jacksonville, including the VyStar Arena and the Performing Arts Center. We share the same marketing team, which can be a significant asset for us in terms of cross-marketing. For instance, the billboards around town posted for the Ritz are made possible through ASM Global, and every third Sunday, we have a free event here at the museum that is hosted from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. to get people to see the museum. The same marketing team showcasing the newest concert coming to town will also promote these community events to that same crowd. Being city-owned is also a huge asset in itself.
What are the primary challenges in building up a thriving arts and culture scene in Jacksonville?
A lot of the time, timing could be better on our side. When we think of an event that certain people are involved in, we could all get together, host it around the same time, and make it into a bigger festival here. However, what one organization can handle at one time may differ from what another organization can handle. I would like to see us hold more of a South by Southwest event or something more significant like that. It would be nice to offer multiple events to tourists.
