Ashley Gibson Barnett Museum of Art

Last updated
Ashley Gibson Barnett Museum of Art
Polk Museum of Art front 01.jpg
USA Florida location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location within Florida
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Ashley Gibson Barnett Museum of Art (the United States)
Former name
Polk Museum of Art
Established1966
Location Lakeland, Florida
Coordinates 28°02′13″N81°56′56″W / 28.03686°N 81.94895°W / 28.03686; -81.94895
Type Art museum
DirectorH. Alexander Rich
Website www.polkmuseumofart.org

The Ashley Gibson Barnett Museum of Art at Florida Southern College (The AGB), formerly known as the Polk Museum of Art, [1] [2] is a private, non-profit, [3] and nationally accredited art museum in Lakeland, Florida. [4] It is a member of the Florida Association of Museums, is ranked among the top art museums in the state of Florida, [5] and is a Smithsonian Affiliate. [6] Admission to the museum is free to the general public. [7] On June 1, 2017, the Polk Museum of Art, a private community museum, entered an affiliation agreement with Florida Southern College in order to advance the mission of both entities and better serve the community. [8]

Contents

History

The museum was originally established by the Junior Welfare League in 1966 and is called Imperial Youth Museum. It was renamed Polk Public Museum in 1969 as part of its expanded focus on art, history, and science. The board of trustees for the Polk Public Museum acquired a vacant Publix Super Market in 1970. This property doubled the museum’s exhibition and classroom facilities. The Museum staff then partnered with the School Board of Polk County to create a curriculum-based art education program for Polk County students. [9] The museum's former name, Polk Museum of Art, was adopted as part of its first building campaign in the 1980s. [10] The building was designed by architect Ernie Straughn and was completed in 1988. [11] In 2024, museum was renamed the Ashley Gibson Barnett Museum in 2024 after a donation from the Nicholas and Ashley Barnett Foundation: Nicholas is a grandson of Publix supermarket founder George W. Jenkins, and Ashley is a member of the Florida Council on Arts and Culture. [1]

Collections and exhibitions

The Polk Museum of Art (PMoA) currently displays art from the Pre-Columbian era through the contemporary, featuring hundreds of works each year in a variety of exhibits that often revolve around a central theme. It boasts a permanent collection of over 2,500 works including student work, [12] Pre-Columbian Art, Modern and Contemporary Art, Asian Art, African Art, European and American Decorative Arts, [13] and the sculptures in its outdoor gardens. [14] PMoA also dedicates much of its physical space to temporary exhibitions, including both local artwork and traveling exhibits, which provide diverse displays that include American folk art, modern masters, Japanese prints and textiles, African art, African American Art, a Moon Museum exhibit, [15] and much more. [16]

The Polk Museum of Art also created their first virtual exhibit on their website for viewers to browse virtually. This exhibit is called "Hindsight 2020" and features works from March 2020 through August 2020. [17]

In affiliation with Florida Southern College, the museum houses a portion of the college’s permanent collection. [18]

Murray Gallery on the second floor. Murray Gallery at the Polk Museum of Art 02.jpg
Murray Gallery on the second floor.

Modern and Contemporary Art

The Modern & Contemporary Art collection originally focused on Florida art. The collection now includes works by other Latinos, African-Americans, and Asian-Americans. [18]

European decorative arts

It Rains Manna (Piove la Manna) plate 16th century majolica.) It Rains Manna (Piove la Manna) plate 16th century earthenware majolica (Polk Museum of Art).jpg
It Rains Manna (Piove la Manna) plate 16th century majolica.)

This collection includes European ceramics from the 15th to 19th century, English silver, and American silver from the 18th and 19th centuries. [18]

African art

This collection originated in 2004 after a donation of 56 traditional pieces of work. The collection features a variety of media and includes work from numerous African cultures. [18]

Education

The Mission Statement of PMoA is that "The Polk Museum of Art enhances the lives of our varied communities by bringing people and art together." [10] Because of this, the museum invests heavily in its Education Department and educational programming for both children and adults. Some of these initiatives include tours of the museum, art camps for children and families, and classes and workshops on subjects such as photography, drawing, and painting. [19] There is also a program called "Meet Me at PMoA: Making Art Accessible to People with Dementia," where participants with dementia meet monthly to "create and discuss art." [20] "Changing Lives Through Art" is the museum's outreach program, which aims to help at-risk members of the community, including teenage mothers and children in homeless shelters. [21]

The free public charter school, Lakeland Montessori Middle, was formally located on the second floor. [22]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Polk County, Florida</span> County in Florida

Polk County is a county located in the central portion of the U.S. state of Florida. The county population was 725,046, as of the 2020 census, and estimated to be 818,330, as of July 1, 2023. Its county seat is Bartow, and its largest city is Lakeland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bartow, Florida</span> City in Florida, United States

Bartow is a city and the county seat of Polk County, Florida, United States. Founded in 1851 as Fort Blount, the city was renamed in honor of Francis S. Bartow, the first brigade commander of the Confederate Army to die in combat during the American Civil War. It is part of the Lakeland−Winter Haven Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had an estimated population of 787,404, as of July 1, 2022. According to the 2020 Census, the city had a population of 19,309.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lakeland, Florida</span> City in Florida, United States

Lakeland is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States. Located along I-4 east of Tampa and west of Orlando, it is the most populous city in Polk County. As of the 2020 U.S. Census Bureau release, the city had a population of 112,641. Lakeland is a principal city of the Lakeland–Winter Haven Metropolitan Statistical Area. Lakeland is situated among several lakes including Lake Morton downtown and is sometimes locally referred to by the nickname "Swan City" due to its sizeable population of swans, all of whom are descendants of two mute swans given to Lakeland by Queen Elizabeth II in 1957. Lakeland is home to several colleges and universities. Lakeland Linder International Airport is in Lakeland as is the corporate headquarters of Publix, a supermarket chain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Winter Haven, Florida</span> City in Florida, United States

Winter Haven is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States. It is located about 51 miles (82 km) east of Tampa and about 47 miles (76 km) southwest of Orlando, with neighboring Lakeland located to its west. The city's population was 49,219 at the 2020 census, making it the second most populated city in Polk County after Lakeland. It is a principal city of the Lakeland-Winter Haven, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adam Putnam</span> American politician (born 1974)

Adam Hughes Putnam is an American politician who served as the 11th Commissioner of Agriculture of Florida from 2011 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served in the U.S. House of Representatives for five terms, representing the Central Florida-based 12th congressional district. He chaired the House Republican Conference from 2007 to 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Publix</span> American supermarket chain in the southeastern United States

Publix Super Markets, Inc., doing business as Publix, is an employee-owned American supermarket chain headquartered in Lakeland, Florida. Founded in 1930 by George W. Jenkins, Publix is a private corporation that is wholly owned by present and past employees and members of the Jenkins family. Publix operates throughout the Southeastern United States, with locations in Florida (867), Georgia (212), Alabama (90), South Carolina (69), Tennessee (58), North Carolina (54), Virginia (20), and Kentucky (1). Kentucky is the most recent addition to the Publix footprint, with the company's first store in that state having opened on January 10, 2024, in Louisville.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Florida Southern College</span> Private college in Lakeland, Florida, US

Florida Southern College is a private university in Lakeland, Florida. In 2019, the student population at FSC consisted of 3,073 students along with 130 full-time faculty members. It offers undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate programs. The institution is home to the world's largest single-site collection of Frank Lloyd Wright architecture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joker Marchant Stadium</span> Baseball field in Lakeland, Florida

Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium is a baseball field in Lakeland, Florida. The 8,500-seat stadium was opened in 1966 and has had multiple renovations, most recently in 2017. It was named after local resident and former Lakeland Parks and Recreation Director Marcus "Joker" Marchant. It is the spring training home of the Detroit Tigers and the regular-season home of the minor league affiliates Lakeland Flying Tigers and Gulf Coast Tigers.

State Road 570 (SR 570), also known as the Polk Parkway, is a 24-mile (39 km) controlled-access toll road which runs through Polk County, Florida. It is operated as part of Florida's Turnpike Enterprise system of tolled freeways. The Polk Parkway mainly serves as a beltway around Lakeland forming a semicircle, which along with I-4 circumscribes most of the city limits of Lakeland.

The initials AGB are used for:

George Washington Jenkins Jr. was an American businessman who founded Publix Super Markets. As of 2016, the employee-owned, privately held corporation included 1,100 stores in the Southeastern United States with 170,000 employees and sales of $32 billion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henley Field</span> United States historic place

Henley Field is a historic site in Lakeland, Florida. Built in 1922, it is located at 1125 North Florida Avenue. Clare Henley, for whom the park was named in 1942, encouraged its construction in an effort to persuade a professional baseball team to train there. On May 23, 1997, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. Henley Field is located adjacent to Bryant Stadium, a football stadium.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Florida Polytechnic University</span> Public university in Lakeland, Florida, US

Florida Polytechnic University is a public university in Lakeland, Florida. Created as an independent university in 2012, it is the newest of the 12 institutions in the State University System of Florida. It is the state's only public polytechnic university, and focuses solely on STEM education.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sybil Gibson</span> American female painter (1908–1995)

Sybil Gibson was a self-taught American painter.

Crispers was a Lakeland, Florida based chain of fast casual restaurants with an emphasis on health-conscious fare and a menu that consists mainly of salads and sandwiches.

Ruby C. Williams was an American folk artist.

Polk County Public Schools is a school district headquartered in Bartow, Florida, United States. The district serves Polk County.

Rodney Charles Hardee is an American folk artist who was born in and still resides in Lakeland, Florida. He is a working-class, self-taught, religiously inspired southern artist. He has been painting folk art since 1972. His style has been characterized as "simple and flat, without the depth of traditional perspective", and folky but granular.

Jennifer Christine Fichter is an American former teacher who was convicted in Polk County, Florida, United States, in 2015 of sexual battery against three 17-year-old male students. She was sentenced to 22 years imprisonment.

Carol Jenkins Barnett was an American philanthropist and businesswoman, the daughter of George W. Jenkins, the founder of Publix Super Markets. Jenkins Barnett was president of Publix Super Markets Charities and as a member of the board of directors of Publix Super Markets. She had been included in a Forbes list of The World's Billionaires every year from 2008 on.

References

  1. 1 2 White, Gary (July 14, 2024). "Polk's art museum renamed for Ashley Gibson Barnett after 'transformational' donation". The Lakeland Ledger .
  2. ↑ "Polk Museum of Art Receives a Transformational Donation and Is Renamed the Ashley Gibson Barnett Museum of Art". www.flsouthern.edu. Florida Southern College. July 13, 2024.
  3. ↑ "Polk Museum of Art". Traditional Fine Arts Organization.
  4. ↑ "Arts & Culture". City of Lakeland, Florida.
  5. ↑ "Polk Museum of Art, Lakeland, Florida". www.flamuseums.org. Archived from the original on 2008-05-09. Retrieved 2008-06-19.
  6. ↑ "Polk Museum of Art". Lakeland Economic Development Council. Archived from the original on 2018-07-03. Retrieved 2015-07-13.
  7. ↑ Dorsey, Janine. "Polk Museum of Art now free year-round". TBO.com. The Tampa Tribune. Archived from the original on 2018-07-03. Retrieved 2015-07-13.
  8. ↑ Pera, Eric. "Florida Southern, Polk Museum Plan Partnership". Lakeland Ledger. Retrieved June 7, 2017.
  9. ↑ "Mission & History". Polk Museum of Art at Florida Southern College. Retrieved 2022-04-29.
  10. 1 2 "Visitor Info". Polk Museum of Art. Archived from the original on 2015-07-14. Retrieved 2015-07-13.
  11. ↑ "Visitor Info FAQs". Polk Museum of Art. Archived from the original on 2015-07-14. Retrieved 2015-07-13.
  12. ↑ "Student Exhibitions". polkmuseumofart.org. Polk Museum of Art. Archived from the original on 2015-07-14. Retrieved 2015-07-13.
  13. ↑ "Collections". polkmuseumofart.org. Polk Museum of Art. Archived from the original on 2015-10-13. Retrieved 2015-07-13.
  14. ↑ "Polk Museum of Art". VisitCentralFlorida.org. Archived from the original on 2011-07-20. Retrieved 2015-07-13.
  15. ↑ Ferguson, Lance. "Polk Museum of Art Presents 'Moon Museum' Exhibit". TheLedger.com. The Ledger.
  16. ↑ "Exhibitions". polkmuseumofart.org. Polk Museum of Art.
  17. ↑ "Polk Museum of Art presents first virtual exhibit". The Southern. 13 November 2020. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
  18. 1 2 3 4 "Our Collections". Polk Museum of Art at Florida Southern College. Retrieved 2022-04-29.
  19. ↑ "Education". polkmuseumofart.org. Polk Museum of Art.
  20. ↑ "Meet Me at PMoA: Making Art Accessible to People with Dementia". polkmuseumofart.org. Polk Museum of Art. Archived from the original on 2015-07-14. Retrieved 2015-07-13.
  21. ↑ Campbell, Tara. "CHANGING LIVES THROUGH ART". thelakelander.com. The Lakelander.
  22. ↑ "Lakeland Montessori". Lakeland Montessori. Retrieved June 7, 2017.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.