Public art at Duval Courthouse expected to proceed after more than a decade of planning

Two city cultural committees are soon expected to give their final OKs for a massive public art piece at the Duval County Courthouse — capping off a decade-plus planning process. It’s been four years since the city selected the artist, with wrangling over the design continuing into this year, email records obtained by Jacksonville Today show.

The large, stainless steel art piece titled These Truths, Voice of Jacksonville was envisioned to be installed in the 3-acre courtyard in front of the Duval County Courthouse in time for the building’s 10th anniversary on June 8, 2022. That anniversary passed, and the courthouse lawn remains empty.

The setbacks were due to several factors, including deliberation over the specific words to be inscribed on two giant scrolls, says Kat Wright, the city’s director of public art at the Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville.

“As the city determined the text would be a form of government speech, it took time for the Artwork Selection Panel to ensure the local poets and historians’ interpretive text was appropriate with the foundational text on the sculpture,” Wright says.

Once the text was approved, sculptor Cliff Garten went under contract to develop the design in November of 2023, she says.

More than a decade in the making

It’s been more than three years since the artist was selected, and even longer since a public art piece was first dreamed up for the lawn of the courthouse, which was built in 2012. Three mayoral administrations and four cultural council directors have come and gone since the art piece was first planned.

The city of Jacksonville selected Cliff Garten Studio in 2021 to create a six-figure art piece, to include “two flowing ribbons of stainless steel.” Upon the ribbons would be “foundational texts of our democracy” as well as the words “equality,” “equity,” “justice,” and “freedom,” alongside the works of local authors and poets.

COVID-19 contributed to delays in construction, and the rising cost of steel also pushed back the timeline.

The current budget for the art piece is $687,663. Of that, Cliff Garten Studios has been paid $315,000 for design and engineering. Garten will be paid another $100,000 when fabrication and construction begin, according to a document provided by the cultural council.

An art selection panel rejected Garten’s first and second drafts of the text on the scrolls in 2022 and 2023, according to documents provided under a public records request by Jacksonville Today.

In June of 2023, the panel approved a third draft of the text with modifications: most notably, replacing the word  “equity” to “truth.”

The approved plans say the keywords “equality” and “justice” will be facing the street, and “freedom” and “truth” will face the courthouse.

Artist questioned delay

Email records show the artist was questioning the city’s delay on the project into the late spring of this year. 

In a May 7, 2025, email, Wright told Garten a meeting with the art selection panel was being delayed. “The final design was approved by the technical advisory committee; however, the city is conducting some meetings with the courthouse judges to discuss next steps,” she wrote.

Garten then questioned why the judges were still involved.

“We had representation from the judges on the selection committee. I assume the judges do not weigh in on construction schedules, so maybe this is about content,” he replied on May 28. “If so, why would we be discussing these issues again after a two-year or more approval process?”

Wright replied, “Unfortunately, I am unable to be more explicit about the nature of these meetings as it involves the city and the Courthouse Judges specifically.”

Jacksonville Today sent Wright and city of Jacksonville spokesperson Phil Perry a list of questions about the meetings with the judges, as well as about the language changes and project timeline. In response, Wright provided a statement that read, in part: “The Cultural Council has been communicating with our partners since the first discussions of this significant public art installation in Downtown Jacksonville. Public art projects are subject to a review process, according to city ordinance.”

Garten declined to comment for this story.

Next steps

As of August 2025, Wright is optimistic the piece is close to coming to fruition.

The final design is expected to be approved by two bodies under the Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville umbrella: the art selection panel and the Arts in Public Places Committee.

Wright says the art selection panel is expected to take up the final plans during their Aug. 27 meeting at 12:30 p.m in the Jessie Ball duPont Center, and the Art in Public Places Committee is set to approve them on Sept. 10.

Documents show the city plans for the art to be installed by late 2026.