Jenny Hager

Jenny K. Hager, Professor of Sculpture at the University of North Florida, received her MFA in Sculpture and Digital Media from San Jose State University in San Jose, CA. Interested in a variety of processes and materials, she finds inspiration in dreams, objects from her childhood, gadgets, sea life and other curiosities. She is also very interested in collaboration; the spirit of community important in both her teaching practice and in her own work.

Hager’s work has been exhibited across the country and recently in the Cymru Ironstone Castle Exhibition in Wales, the Pedvale Open-Air Art Museum in Latvia and Il Giardino di Daniel Spoerri in Seggiano, Italy. Flight Lab, a video installation by Hager, has traveled to the Ogden Museum of Southern Art in New Orleans and York, Pennsylvania. Hager’s most recent series “Second Line” celebrates diversity of culture, individual storytelling and the spirit of the Second Line tradition of New Orleans parade culture. In this series, Hager creates large-scale parade animals inspired by the Chinese zodiac and infused with a personal narrative.

Hager’s teaching practice fosters a creative and collaborative environment where learning can thrive. She believes that learning that takes place outside the classroom, in our own community, has the potential to be more impactful, for both the student and the community at large, because Community Based Learning offers a chance to engage with local culture, a chance to build relationships with community partners, and most importantly, a chance to provide real life experiences for the students.

Hager has a vision to bring Jacksonville to life with sculpture, beginning with UNF’s campus and extending to the community of Jacksonville and beyond. Since moving to Jacksonville in 2006, Hager and partner, Lance Vickery, have installed over 80 pieces of large-scale sculptures in the area (some permanent and some temporary). Most recently, Hager created a 20’ tall steel mosaic giraffe sculpture for the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens and two sculptural benches for downtown Jacksonville, FL.

In partnership with MountainStar Capital, the Lazzara Family Foundation, and Assistant Professor Lance Vickery, she also created UNF Seaside Sculpture Park, a sculpture park in Jacksonville Beach in 2016, which showcases large-scale outdoor sculptures by UNF Sculpture students. Hager and Vickery also created a UNF Sculpture Garden for student work in Jacksonville’s downtown Hemming Park. Additionally, Hager and Vickery created a Sculpture on Campus Program at UNF.

In 2014, Hager created Sculpture Walk, an outdoor sculpture park for downtown Jacksonville. Sculpture Walk, Inc., a registered 501(c)3, has hosted over 36 outdoor sculptures, bike racks and sculptural benches by international, national and local artists in Jacksonville at Main Street Park and Klutho Park. Hager has permanent works at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens, Atlantic Beach and downtown Jacksonville.