Hope McMath grew up in Jacksonville, so being named executive director of The Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens was a dream come true. Her departure, in 2016, was a gut-wrenching inflection point. Opening her own gallery took even more courage. Anyone who has never been inside Yellow House, at 577 King Street, in the CoRK Arts District, need look no further than the backyard. The psychedelic school bus with Rosa Parks at the wheel tells passersby everything that McMath's Yellow House is about. The space, which doubles as her personal studio, was created to showcase provocative work on topics including racial and gender equity, human rights and environmental sustainability—controversial subjects that were often hard for her to sell to a board of directors. The Yellow House has become a haven for local artists and artistic collaborators of all ages and media, who cite the venue's reputation as a safe and welcoming space. If that's not your jam, however,  then be advised: Hope is a weapon.

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