CAP is thrilled to announce Kristine Cherek and Kirk Larsen as the distinguished 2026 Guardians of the Arts award recipients for their efforts to safeguard and advance the arts along the First Coast.
Kristine and Kirk will be recognized at the 21st annual Spring for the Arts on Friday, April 17, 2026 at Epping Forest Yacht & Country Club. Guiding this event are Frances and Anthony Jabbour, serving as the Honorary Chairs, alongside Marisa and Frank Martire as the Event Chairs.
“Arts education is not a luxury”: Seeing the Need
The couple were first introduced to CAP shortly after moving to the Jacksonville area in 2009. The Martires hosted an event at their home to introduce CAP to their friends and colleagues, during which Kristine and Kirk “had the privilege of learning about CAP’s incredible work,” including the personal story of a student about how CAP transformed his life. From that moment on, they say, they believed in and supported CAP’s mission to inspire, educate and transform lives.
“Arts education gives children more than creative skills. It gives them the confidence to express themselves, the curiosity to explore new ideas and the resilience to solve problems in imaginative ways. It’s not just about art; it is about shaping whole, capable and compassionate people who appreciate the world around them and contribute to its beauty,” said Kristine. “When children have access to the arts they not only discover new forms of creativity and expression, they also improve academic performance, achieve higher test scores and engage more deeply in their education. Arts education is not a luxury; it is a proven driver of academic and personal success.”
Cherek & Larsen’s Dedicated History
While they now reside in the Chicago area, for many years the couple were and continue to be involved with CAP and other Jacksonville-area causes dear to them. Kristine served on CAP’s Board of Directors from 2017–2024, leading the way as its chair during the COVID-19 pandemic from 2020–2023. She and Kirk also served as event chairs for Spring for the Arts 2023. Additionally, Kristine was on the Board of Directors of the Jacksonville Humane Society from 2015–2022. Recently, she joined the President’s Advisory Council of Marquette University, her alma mater, and is involved in advocating for access to higher education through scholarships and other programs.
Kirk served on the board of the United Way of Northeast Florida for many years. For the last six years, he has been on the Board of Directors of the Folded Flag Foundation, which provides scholarships for surviving spouses and children of military who lose their lives while serving.
“When I was young, I had the privilege of studying the cello, and that experience instilled in me not only a love for classical music, but also a lifelong appreciation for the arts as a whole,” Kirk said. “Arts education is far more than an extracurricular activity. It is a foundation for creativity, discipline, and critical thinking. I believe every child should be given the chance to discover that same spark of creativity and the transformative power of the arts.”
Kristine is an author and keynote speaker who began her career practicing commercial real estate law at the international law firm of Foley & Lardner. At the age of 33, she was named vice president and general counsel of the nation’s largest developer of healthcare facilities. She later was a partner at Godfrey & Kahn in Milwaukee before joining the faculty of a law school in Florida. Kirk is Chief Financial Officer of Relativity, a Chicago-based legal technology company that develops e-discovery and data intelligence software. Previously, he was President and Chief Financial Officer of Black Knight Inc., a software, data and analytics company that serves the housing finance continuum, which was until recently based in Jacksonville.
What is Spring for the Arts?
While this year’s Spring for the Arts honors Kristine and Kirk, the event also marks an important milestone in CAP’s REIMAGINE Campaign, a fundraising initiative which Kristine helped develop and support. Spring for the Arts is CAP’s signature fundraiser, celebrating community engagement in support of funding arts education initiatives throughout the region. Since its inception, the event has generated more than $9 million to expand arts education for children in Northeast Florida.
Tickets and sponsorships for Spring for the Arts are available at capkids.org/sfta.
