PARTICIPATING VISUAL ARTISTS 2026
Featured Artists/
Beaches Museum
March Artists in Residence
AMANDA HOLLOWAY is an artist, educator, coach, and life-lover. She began taking photography seriously in 2003 while taking traditional, wet darkroom classes at FSCJ with Mark Sablow. Her love of seeing the world through a viewfinder has taken her to over a dozen different countries early in life and earned her a bachelor’s degree in photography. After several years living in Philadelphia and working at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Holloway moved to Montana where she worked for the Conservation Corps- living in a tent, working in the mountains and photographing every single moment along the journey. She went back to college for a second degree in Art Education at the University of Montana and continued amassing piles and piles of notebooks full of negatives and test strips before returning to Florida to live with her family in the warm sunshine. Holloway currently teaches photography and AP Studio Arts at Global Leadership High School here in Duval County and devotes more than half of her waking hours to her work as an art educator. She loves nothing more than inspiring her students to find their own voice through their artwork and assisting them in getting those important voices heard! Her work in the classroom has won her accolades like “Teacher of the Year” (twice!) at her respective schools in DCPS, “Florida Art Educator of the Year” (middle school division, 2020, FAEA), and most recently, the city of Jacksonville’s “Art Educator of the Year” from the Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville, 2024. Art in all its’ forms is necessary for our hearts and souls, our minds and bodies. Amanda draws inspiration from her students, her family, friends, and the natural world around her. She values the small moments in between breaths of inconsequential conversations, and she savors the ‘fly on the wall’ experiences we so often miss out on. Amanda is so grateful to Emily Cargill for this opportunity and for all the incredible work she does for our creative community here in Jacksonville. Events like WAX are what keep our city culturally alive and expansive! https://amandahollowayarchive.squarespace.com/
ANNE CULLUM is an abstract painter whose compositions explore resilience, transformation, and spiritual pursuit. Appalachian born and raised, her creativity was cultivated through generational storytelling that shaped her imagination and the necessity of resourcefulness as the practice of possibilities through experimentation, invention, and ideas. In 2001, her creative adventures followed her to Jacksonville, where her work became collected in North Florida and across the United States. Despite her professional success, she later paused her career to raise her family and navigate her battle with ovarian cancer. Drawing from the strength of her roots, Anne has returned to the studio with renewed clarity. Her work continues to evolve as she embraces obstacles as opportunities. Through her paintings, she hopes to invite viewers to consider their own paths and discover a visual language of the soul, shaped by the universal dialogue of hope within the higher story of our human experience.
KIM HURT is an artist, curator, and art consultant from Jacksonville, Florida. A third generation photographer born and raised in Texas, she studied sculpture and photography at Abilene Christian University. Through surreal depictions of the human form Kim seeks to prompt the viewer to look inward and examine attitudes toward purity, nature, isolation and the longing for connection. Kim is a former photography instructor at Texas State Technical College in Brownwood, previous gallery director of ARTSee & Shop and currently maintains a professional photography studio in Jacksonville, FL while serving as the Executive Director of FemArt Gallery in Riverside.
BALSAM ABO ZOUR received a BFA in 2008 and an MFA in Printmaking from the Lebanese Academy of Fine Arts (ALBA). In 2012, I was honored with the Alexis Boutros Award for Excellence in Fine Arts. Between 2013 and 2017, I participated in the Ashkal Alwan Home Workspace Program, followed by a two-year invitational residency at the invitation of co-founder Christine Tohme. This formative period allowed me to expand my practice into digital video and large-scale installation. My work has been exhibited in Beirut, Paris, the Netherlands, and the United States, earning a Special Mention from the Sursock Museum jury in 2018. My conceptual inquiry interrogates themes of confinement, displacement, and cultural memory—transitioning from botanical and phantasmic motifs toward a critical investigation of monuments and public space. Since relocating to the United States five years ago, I have integrated ceramics into my practice through self-directed research, supported by the artistic community at Beall Street Studios in Bozeman, Montana. This shift in medium led to a solo exhibition in the Netherlands (2021) and the establishment of a professional partnership with the Mark Bettis Gallery in Asheville, North Carolina, where I presented a solo exhibition in 2022. In 2023, I was honored to receive the Alice & Clark Alger Most Creative Award, followed by an international nomination for experimental animation in Strasbourg, France (2024). Furthermore, my printmaking work was selected by the Beit Waraq Organization for a collaborative Risograph edition distributed by Risotto Studios in New York. My current work is featured in the Mining Florida exhibition in Jacksonville and through ongoing representation at the Mark Bettis Gallery.
The paintings of SUSANNE SCHUENKE ... invite an emotional response to visual aesthetics, ... draw a person into a limitless world of imagination, ... stimulate an intellectual dialogue and ... satisfy the hunger for inner peace Susanne Schuenke: American artist, born in Germany Growing up with both parents being artists, the education in art begins with early childhood College: 1977-1986 : University of Cologne , History of Art,(major) , Archaeology and Anthropology (minors) 1981-1982 Westfield and University College, London 1983 M.A. and 1986 Ph.D. history of art, University of Cologne since 1987 professional fine art painter in the media oil and watercolor with exhibitions in Europe (Germany, England, France) , Asia (Lebanon) and USA. Artwork by Susanne Schuenke are private, corporate and public collections in Germany, Great Britain, USA, France, Singapore, Japan, Sweden, Denmark, Switzerland, Lebanon and South Africa. Teacher in the arts, author/illustrator of a variety of topics in books projects Artwork published in : Women in Art, Vol.I, Vienna, 2013 w Art & Healing at Mayo Clinic, 2014 Art in the Library, from the collection of the Thomas Carpenter Library UNF, Cover art for Spanish edition of Kafka’s Metamorphoses Museums-exhibition, solo show: AGB Museum Lakeland,FL w Museum of Modern Art w Jacksonville , Beaches Museum and History Center, Jacksonville Beach w Annette Howell Turner Center for the Arts, Valdosta GA w Karpeles Mueum Jacksonville w St John’s County Government Administration Museums-exhibition, group show: Royal Academy of Arts w London, Royal College of Arts, London, MOCA Jacksonville
SELECTED WAX WEEKEND ARTISTS
ARIEL HARDER Art has been Ariel’s lifelong passion, but it wasn’t until 2020 that she took her passion and turned it into a business, partnering with Stellers, a local gallery. You can now find Ariel’s artwork at Well + Wonder, an online collective of southern artists, Dutchmans Casual Art Gallery in Saint Simons GA, and at the luxury coastal brand Serena & Lily. Ariel’s days are spent happily married to her high school sweetheart turned Naval Flight Officer, painting, and busily caring for her 4 children and foster placements as they come. About The Art Ariel strives to have a grounding in truth represented in her artwork even if abstraction is the subject. Ariel creates artwork for those who have lost their grounding. She is a foster and adoptive mother, and this responsibility impacts every aspect of her life and deeply informs her artistic process. Ariel’s mission is to find and provide peace through a sense of balance in today’s fractured world. Ariel prioritizes the why behind her art, creating with intention and integrity. She is committed to using the latest materials and techniques to ensure lasting quality. At their foundation, Ariel’s oil paintings are entirely handcrafted. Most of her work is created with oil on archival, sealed hardboard panels, all carefully crafted in studio.
EVELYN FRAGOSO is a young artist and third-year visual art student at Global Leadership Academy High School. A projected AP Art student for the 2026–2027 school year, she already stands out as a leader in the arts community as President of the High School Art Club. Her work has earned major recognition, including a Gold Key Award in the 2024 and 2025 North East Florida Regional Scholastic Art Competition and multiple Honorable mentions over the years 2024 and 2025. She has been a featured artist in multiple public venues, such as a solo exhibition at Vantage Point Coffee Shop and as a Featured Artist in the Gallery Hallway at GLA. Beyond her personal achievements, Fragoso is deeply involved in community art initiatives. She participated in the City of Jacksonville’s Sidewalk Chalk Competition and served as the Face Painting Coordinator for the GLA Art Club at Seabreeze Elementary.
BRETTE ELIZABETH PETWAY is a self-taught artist, writer, entrepreneur and philanthropist who creates spiritually inspired artwork exploring several mediums which brings comfort and healing to her during her life’s most challenging seasons. As she shares each of her pieces, her purpose is to share and bring comfort to her and her audience. After the devastating loss of her younger sister to cancer, she turned to journaling, drawing, and painting as daily practices that helped her navigate grief, stress, and major life transitions, including divorce and building a blended family. Over the years she developed the series “Soul Prayers,” beginning each piece by slowing down, breathing and treating every work of art as a prayerful connection with herself and God. Through her art she encourages others to “meet each day slowly,” integrate creativity into everyday life, and use art as a gentle path to emotional well-being and inner peace. Brette believes everyone is an artist. Now, Brette takes the evolution of her decades long Soul Prayer series and is introducing "The Blessing Girl.” The Blessing Girl is not a new character, but an evolution and continuation, blending digital composition with hand-painted collage. Brette’s art continues to transform as her journey deepens and her art expressions expand over all the mediums. Brette’s ability to combine multiple facets of art expression into each of her era’s and to continue to develop and build on her original pieces makes her art attractive and enjoyed by many.
MERE MASON is a Jacksonville based multidisciplinary artist working from her studio at Margaret Street Studios in Riverside. Her work explores repetition, color, and emotional accumulation through sculpture and installation, using hands on, meditative processes to translate internal states into physical form. Mason is drawn to bold color and playful forms, balancing visual joy with quieter emotional themes. Her work has been shown in galleries, pop up exhibitions, and public facing installations throughout Northeast Florida, New York City, and Seattle, Washington. She is actively involved in the local arts community through teaching, managing Margaret Street Studios, and serving as chair of the Five Points Merchants Association art committee.
DANIELLE HELOW Northeast Florida artist - studio in CoRK Arts District Currently working in watercolor, Danielle Helow is a painter who has a passion for the arts and the simple beauty of the natural world. With a BFA in Visual Communications, she’s moved through the commercial world as a designer, marketing lead and brand strategist for major health organizations. She enjoys the very tangible aspect of painting, the stroke of the brush, the juiciness of the paint, the texture of the paper. Whether it’s capturing blooms from the backyard, plein air painting in a park, a still life in a day’s routine or fresh picks from the market, Danielle takes a slice of life and finds the color within. Available for Commissions Contact: Danielle.Helow@gmail.com Cork North - Studio G CorkArtsDistrict.com IG: @daniellehelow_art Member of: St. Augustine Art Association Jacksonville Watercolor Society First Coast Plein Air Painters
LULU NOWICKI is a surreal figurative artist, working primarily in oil paint on canvas, living out of Boone, NC, and Jacksonville, FL. Her work is a combination of surrealism, expressionism and physiological horror used to depict themes of transformation and intensity of human emotion. She is currently attending Appalachian State University studying Studio Art with a concentration in painting and drawing. Her work has been exhibited at the Leading Legacy; Looking Glass Gallery, Boone, NC, The Cabinet of Curiosity Exhibition Boone, NC, and in the Northeast Scholastic Art Awards exhibitions, Jacksonville, FL.
LAURA DILL is an award-winning visual artist and writer living in Jacksonville, Florida. A self-taught creator, her artistic journey began as an exercise to overcome crippling anxiety and PTSD but has blossomed into artivism that seeks to challenge and transform through brush, pen, and lens. Her macro and street photography requires being present in the moment and often Zen-like moments of stillness to reveal the extraordinary and frequently overlooked beauty surrounding us. Her paintings are bold abstractions and contemplative pieces that reveal the fragility of humanity and the natural world. Laura’s work frequently pairs photography and paintings with poetry and essays focusing on resilience, environmental issues, and social justice. Her artwork and writings have been published in numerous anthologies and exhibited in solo and juried shows in galleries throughout NE Florida’s First Coast and St. Augustine. Her work is frequently featured in their promotional materials and on social media. She has displayed work with Downtown Jacksonville in public art projects and special events. Laura has also shown her work internationally through virtual platforms and streamed performances. Several of her writings and artworks are preserved in the permanent archives of Stanford University and Florida State University.
KATIE BRUGGNER is a fused-glass artist who began working with kiln-formed glass in 2020 under the guidance of her mother, a glass artist with over fifteen years of experience. What started as a shared creative practice quickly became a personal form of expression, blending light, color, and organic elements into contemporary glasswork. Katie’s work reflects an intuitive connection to nature and transformation, honoring both the craft she inherited and the evolving voice she brings to it.
KEILA ELIZABETH is a visual artist based in Jacksonville, Florida. Her work is inspired by her fascination with the concept of the human body as a vessel. Our bodies carry all of our history, from this lifetime and the lifetimes before it. We are not our body, yet we find comfort, home, and identity within it. She investigates the relationship between our spiritual and physical selves in her artwork and journal practice. Keila earned her BFA from the University of North Florida in 2025. She has 3+ years of experience teaching with The Art Garage and currently leads the Art of the Figure workshop at the Jacksonville Museum of Contemporary Art.
ALANA FAY GIDDENS, a Massachusetts native, discovered her passion for art early on, immersing herself in various art classes. She pursued her BFA in graphic design at Endicott College, where she deepened her skills and artistic vision. Though her career initially focused on design, her life shifted with motherhood. After the birth of her son and twin daughters, Alana reignited her passion for painting and has devoted the past five years to her art. Now based in Ponte Vedra, Florida, she draws inspiration from the coastal landscapes around her, specializing in acrylic paintings that capture the beauty of her surroundings. Alongside exhibiting her work in local and online shows, she shares her love for creativity by teaching fine art in Nocatee, balancing her artistic pursuits with the joys of family life.
KRISTA MASONER is a 22 year old artist born and raised in Jacksonville, Florida. She has always had a passion for art and creativity in any form. Krista works primarily in abstract forms and intuitively uses color, movement and layered textures to create her work. She is an intuitive artist that mainly uses ink or acrylic paint. She takes inspiration from her emotions, personal experience and spirituality. Her work reflects her experiences and connection to the world around her by translating them onto canvas and paper.
JENNAN NORENBERG is a visual artist who works with their own human figure to discuss larger ideas of how humans interact and react to the world around them. After spending time in both Tennessee and Texas, they returned to their home state of Florida to receive their BFA: Painting and Drawing from the University of North Florida. They have participated in local art markets such as the First Wednesday Art Walk with MOCA Jacksonville and shown at various group exhibitions such as the UNF juried show and the Five Points Art Show.
Born in Berlin, Germany to military parents, VALERIE LAMB STEECE primarily grew up in Columbus, Ohio, as an only child of parents interested in gardens and bee keeping. She currently lives in Atlantic Beach, Florida and works in Jacksonville Florida. She earned her BFA in Fine Arts from Columbus College of Art and Design, in Columbus, Ohio. She is a painter and collage maker, using a variety of paint on paper, canvas or occasionally found objects. Her work is about the unseen but often felt, invisible currents that exist culturally and within nature. Feelings and ideas without words. Using intuition, she creates images that seek to express the undefined, sense of place. Depicting animals, tools, tropical plants and the figure in a variety of ways to create lushly colored narrative artwork, heavy in symbolism. Her work is informed by natural surroundings, memory and family story. Often combining images drawn from life, with a nod to energy and forces unseen.
KELLI SUZANNE is a multidisciplinary artist. Her mediums range from watercolors to florals. Kelli was born in Lake City Fl, spending her childhood and adolescence between ballet and theater productions. When Kelli became a mother, she started to turn her creative focus to painting, finding painting a wonderful escape from the rigors of motherhood. In 2016 she was recognized by Jerry Saltz, The Pulitzer Prize winning art critic for New York Magazine for her recreation of Van Gogh’s Wheat Field with Cyprus. Since that time, she has done multiple shows, with both Fine art as well as her whimsical stoneware pieces. Kelli performed her one woman play, Nurturing the Surreal, the story of her artistic journey at Babs Lab in Cork Arts District. She took the stage to tell her story, Summer Mother, in the Summer themed Untold Stories at the Florida Theater. Kelli Suzanne is an Interior Designer, and member of ASID & NKBA. She is a Floral Designer with her own boutique floral business, Whiskey in a Teacup. Kelli Suzanne lives in Murray Hill with her two boys. Kelli is a mother of four with 2 grandsons.
SARA LEAR WALKER is a Florida-based artist whose painting practice is shaped by travel, coastal environments and close observation of the natural world. Drawing inspiration from the sea, shoreline, and the subtle textures found within them, her work explores the quiet beauty of everyday moments. She works with a balance of realism and abstraction, allowing form, movement, and detail to guide each composition. Sara earned a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Art and Graphic Design from Flagler College and lives and works in Neptune Beach as a full-time artist. Rooted in a coastal way of life, her work is created slowly and intentionally, encouraging viewers to pause and notice the beauty in small, everyday details.