By Kathy L Collins
If you are looking for a day of culture and want to visit a local art museum, look no further than the Tampa Museum of Art located in downtown Tampa.
This wonderful museum has a permanent collection which includes Modern and Contemporary Art as well as a Greek and Roman Antiquities. The Tampa Museum of Art also presents interesting and visually beautiful temporary exhibits throughout the year.
Now through September 15, there are two collections that are must-sees for all art lovers. One of the exhibits features works from both Mexican and Mexican American artists and is called “Miradas: Ancient Roots In Modern And Contemporary Mexican Arts, Works From The Bank of America Collection.” The exhibit examines the works by Mexican and Mexican America artists from the period of the Mexican Revolution (1910 to 1920) to the present day.
The next exhibit is called “Faded Elegance: Photographs of Havana” by Michael Eastman. This exhibit features 29 six by seven and a half-foot-tall photographs taken by Eastman between 1999 and 2010. The photographs and the exhibit explore Havana’s changing landscape. The photographs feature images of the city’s architecture and lavish interiors which have been ravaged by the effects of time.
Also on display until July 27 is the National Sculpture Society’s Annual Awards Exhibit. This is a most popular show for the National Sculpture Society. The sculptures on display range from classic to contemporary. They also range in size, dimension and style. One highlight is a marquette of Washington D.C.’s recently installed statue of Rosa Parks.
The Tampa Museum of Art is open Monday to Thursday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; on Fridays from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.; and on Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $10 for adults; Seniors, Florida Educators and Active Military Personnel are $7.50; Students are $5; and children under six are free.
The Tampa Museum of Art is located at 120 W. Gasparilla Plaza in downtown Tampa next to the Curtis Hixon Park, along the beautiful Hillsborough River. For more information, please call 421-8380 or visit www.tampamuseu-.org.
