Tampa Museum of Art to Renovate Exhibition and Education Spaces
The Tampa Museum of Art Foundation announced today that it is embarking on an ambitious renovation of the museum this spring, increasing exhibition space and education facilities to accommodate growing community partnerships and allow more hands-on, up-close experiences for students and adults. The design team is led by the internationally renowned architecture firm WEISS/MANFREDI Architecture/Landscape/Urbanism, with construction and infrastructure oversight by Skanska USA's Tampa office.
TAMPA, Fla., Jan. 14, 2021 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The Tampa Museum of Art Foundation announced today that it is embarking on an ambitious renovation of the museum this spring, increasing exhibition space and education facilities to accommodate growing community partnerships and allow more hands-on, up-close experiences for students and adults. The design team is led by the internationally renowned architecture firm WEISS/MANFREDI Architecture/Landscape/Urbanism, with construction and infrastructure oversight by Skanska USA's Tampa office.
The renovations will be 100 percent funded privately by the museum's board members, foundation, and other donors and investors, and the museum is still seeking funds from the public sector. For information about supporting the museum's renovations, please visit centennial.tampamuseum.org.
"It is fitting that we follow the museum's centennial celebrations with efforts to ensure the museum can meet the needs of our community in the next 100 years," said Jerry Divers, Tampa Museum of Art Foundation president, campaign committee chair, and chairman emeritus of the Bank of Tampa.
"With these improvements to our facility, the Tampa Museum of Art is poised to make a stronger impact than ever in the community and among fine arts institutions across the country. We are blessed with tremendous board and community support and we must seize the moment to execute this bold project," said Dianne Jacob, board chair of the Tampa Museum of Art, and Senior Vice President and Director of Client and Community Relations with PNC Bank.
"This right-sizing of our museum is part of a long-term strategic plan to meet the needs of our prolific community partnerships and education programs," said Michael Tomor, Ph.D., the Penny and Jeff Vinik Executive Director of the Tampa Museum of Art. "We are thrilled that our board and community are still investing in the museum and making our continued growth possible."
All renovations will occur within the museum's existing building without growing the museum's overall footprint by reallocating existing space back of the house. Construction will begin in early May and is expected to last until June 2022. During the renovation, the museum will make every effort to remain as accessible as possible. There are no anticipated short- or long-term closures that would affect the museum's operations. Renovations will include the following transformations:
● The small existing education department will be expanded to a 10,000-sq-ft Education Center, with its own entrances and exits so programs can take place even outside regular exhibition gallery hours. The Education Center will also feature new, expanded student exhibition spaces.
● Areas now occupied by administrative and curatorial storage functions will be renovated to include lecture rooms, classrooms, and artist workspaces.
● A new Docent Lounge will allow volunteers and staff to meet in a designated area to plan programs and get instruction from staff about exhibitions and the permanent collection.
● Renovations will also free up space for enhanced exhibition gallery spaces, state-of-the-art storage and maintenance methods, and an expanded gallery for multimedia projections and more kinetic exhibitions.
Download illustrations of the renovations.
About the Tampa Museum of Art
Founded in 1920, the Tampa Museum of Art inspires the residents of the Tampa Bay region and others around the world by providing engaging exhibitions and innovative educational programs that emphasize ancient, modern, and contemporary art. The Museum houses one of the largest Greek and Roman antiquities collections in the southeastern United States. As one of the region's largest museums devoted to the art of our time, the museum's permanent collection also embraces sculpture, photography, painting, new media, and more.
New online programs add to the year-round studio art classes, lectures, and tours that provide children, teens, and adults with opportunities to discover new perspectives and learn different art-making techniques. Likewise, through unique community partnerships, the museum offers outreach programs that provide art therapy interventions and meaningful modes of self-expression to vulnerable segments of the population.
Located in the heart of downtown Tampa, next to the Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park and Tampa's Riverwalk, the Tampa Museum of Art leads as both a cultural institution and a community museum dedicated to celebrating the diversity of its home city.
About WEISS/MANFREDI
WEISS/MANFREDI Architecture/Landscape/Urbanism is a multidisciplinary design practice based in New York City. Founded by Marion Weiss and Michael Manfredi, the firm is known for the dynamic integration of architecture, art, infrastructure, and landscape design. Their work is noted for the strategic engagement of architecture and site and recognizes the critical dialogue between enclosed and open spaces, between new and existing structures, and between building and city. Notable past projects including the Seattle Art Museum: Olympic Sculpture Park, the Women's Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden Visitor Center, and Hunter's Point South Waterfront Park. The firm's current and recent work includes the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi, India, the Artis—Naples Baker Museum and Cultural Campus, and the Tsai Center for Innovative Thinking at Yale. Most recently, the firm was selected through an international competition to reimagine the La Brea Tar Pits and Page Museum in Los Angeles.
Media Contact
Nina Contreras Womeldurf, Tampa Museum of Art, (813) 421-6613, [email protected]
SOURCE Tampa Museum of Art
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