New Public Art Mural EVO Garden Debuts on Southbank Riverwalk
JACKSONVILLE, Florida (July 7, 2026) – EVO Riverfront, a luxury apartment community on the St. Johns River, is debuting a new piece of public art as part of a property-wide renovation. The mural, dubbed “EVO Garden,” was commissioned by FrontRange Capital Partners, owners of EVO Riverfront.
“EVO Garden” is located within a 1,568-square-foot panel on the EVO Riverfront building, facing the St. Johns River and the Southbank Riverwalk. The piece was created by the Bridge Muralists, a collective of artists who collaborate to produce public art. Led by Keith Doles, the team features artists Adrian R. Rhodes, Ramses Allen, Kristin Chronic, Demetri Kamps-Stewart, and Jake Bridge. Doles took inspiration from the local environment, highlighting some of Jacksonville’s most iconic symbols. The mural is a surreal botanical garden featuring native and tropical plants. Two great white egrets float through the sky while a jaguar peeks out of the foliage.
“Our team, Bridge Muralists, believes that public art provides accessibility to anyone who may or may not have set foot in a museum or art gallery,” says artist Keith Doles. “The aesthetic can generate a range of emotions from the viewer and complement the architecture and natural scenery around it. The collaboration highlights our city's abundance of local talent to make something functional that gives neighborhoods a unique character and boosts mental health and community pride. It also aids economic growth by increasing foot traffic and interest among potential new businesses and residents looking to invest in Jacksonville.”
“We use exterior latex paint because my intention is to have the mural look like a very large-scale landscape painting, showing the artist's brushwork as opposed to a more polished effect with spray paint,” says Doles. “Both latex and spray paint work well for outdoor conditions. However, it has been my team's experience that latex paint offers better weather resistance and adhesion to surfaces. We will also apply a clear UV-resistant sealer over the finished artwork for additional protection and to enhance the mural's colors.”
Inspiration for the mural’s landscape came from Eartha’s Farm and Market, a 10.5-acre organic farm on Jacksonville’s Northside. The property was homesteaded by African American philanthropist Eartha M. M. White in 1901 and later served as the Boys Improvement Club, then the first Black nursing home in Florida, and the first Black museum in the state. The site featured a natural spring that was closed in the 1960s and later used as a site for a city incinerator. The land was restored in the early 2010s by the Environmental Protection Agency and became part of the Clara White Mission’s effort to provide fresh produce in an urban food desert.
