“Every museum awaits a once-in-a-generation moment like this, and we are thrilled that the moment has finally arrived to share this incredible expansion with our art-loving community. From our donors and members to the construction crews and our expert Museum staff, this was a massive, collaborative effort that propels our mission to be recognized as a site for exceptional accessible learning and a top academic and community museum in the region, state, and nation.”
“This expansion has been a dream for many years, and it will allow us to better serve our community and share our love of art with a wider audience.”
“This project reflects the realization of the dreams of many individuals in our community and at Florida Southern College to establish a world-class museum. We are especially proud of being a Smithsonian Affiliate that provides notable exhibition opportunities, and we are gratified to be one of only a few such museums in the nation that serves as both a community and academic art museum. We anticipate that this model will inspire many other such visual arts projects in the future to benefit countless individuals.”
(Art) History in the Making
Fulfilling a 30-plus year dream, the Expansion opens to the public on Saturday, January 18, 2025.
THE EXPANSION builds upon our nearly 60-year mission to engage audience of all ages, providing:
A 14,000-square-foot addition to the Museum’s 1988 building, adding seven new exhibition galleries, a new creativity lab, renovated and updated classrooms, and interactive art laboratory spaces, with the premises now totaling more than 50,000 square feet
Renovations to the 1988 structure, including parts of the Museum’s first and second levels, including new and updated classrooms and office spaces
New galleries, tripling the Museum's main exhibition spaces, enabling the Museum to display more of its growing permanent collection (3,400 objects as of January 2025) and to make better use of its collections storage
New, innovative, multi-use gallery, education, and archival spaces in which to study, learn from, and appreciate art across time and cultures surrounded by actual objects, as well as new special events spaces, classrooms, and additional storage and restoration areas
Increased opportunities for continued partnership between the Museum and Florida Southern College in their joint mission to be home to one of the nation’s leading academic fine art museums and scholarly centers for the study of the arts and visual culture
A home base and learning laboratory for students seeking careers in art history and museum studies, as well as students across disciplines, providing additional hands-on, museum-world experiences, including internships, volunteer opportunities, and pre-professional development programs
A free-admission space for learners of all ages and a cutting-edge cultural hub for our art-loving community.
