Friday, August 2, 2013

Free Admission to Museum Thanks to Partnership - posted by Florida Fine Art Museum



Saturdays At The Polk Museum of Art Are Now Free Thanks To Mid Florida Bank
From The Daily Ridge
Polk Museum of Art Press Release:

Polk Museum of Art is proud to announce an agreement with MIDFLORIDA Credit Union that will enable the Museum to offer free admission to everyone on Saturdays year-round. Admission will be waived for all visitors to the Museum on every Saturday, beginning August 3.

MIDFLORIDA is underwriting the cost of Saturday admissions as part of a newly extended partnership agreement. With this new agreement, MIDFLORIDA becomes the first of the Museum’s new corporate partners. The Museum anticipates establishing six to eight such partnerships over the next five years, and each of the corporate partners will be able to specify which day of the week they want to sponsor.

“Having MIDFLORIDA become our first corporate partner is so fitting, because it has been a major supporter of the Museum all these years,” said Claire Orologas, PMoA Executive Director. “And as for free admission, anything we can do that makes the Museum more accessible is important for our community and for our commitment to public service.”

MIDFLORIDA has a long-standing partnership with the Museum and has been the title sponsor of MIDFLORIDA Mayfaire by-the-Lake since 2009. In addition to Mayfaire and Saturday admissions, the credit union will be a sponsor of exhibitions in the Student Art Gallery; Family Day; Red, White & The Blues and the Museum’s new Fall for Art Festival.

Polk Museum website found here

I love these partnerships that benefit everyone. And free admission to museums is a growing trend that I hope continues.  GL

Thursday, August 1, 2013

National Gallery of Art to close East Building for Three Years- posted by Florida Fine Art Blog

Glenn outside The National Gallery's East Building
between a very large Henry Moore 

National Gallery of Art announces $30 million renovation to East Building

From the Washington Post
By Katherine Boyle and Lonnae O’Neal Parker

The National Gallery of Art announced a $30 million renovation on Tuesday that will add more than 12,260 square feet of exhibition space and a rooftop sculpture garden to its East Building. 

That renovation will occur at the same time the museum completes an update to its infrastructure, a process that began with the West Building in 1999. East Building galleries will gradually close from July through December and then remain closed for about three years after renovations begin in January.
The renovated space will include two sky-lit interior Tower Galleries and an outdoor sculpture terrace overlooking Pennsylvania Avenue. The two new galleries will house modern art from the permanent collection, including a possible Rothko room, said Deborah Ziska, a spokeswoman for the National Gallery. 

More after the fold...


ARTIST SPOTLIGHT- Joy Postle - by Florida Fine Art Blog


ARTIST SPOTLIGHT- Joy Postle
1898 - 1989

A real Florida Treasure, Joy Postle painted for over 70 years.  Always looking for untouched places off the trail, much of the Florida landscape Joy captured is gone now.  Replaced with shopping malls and suburban sprawl.  Her work is therefore important as a historical record but also should be noted for its artistic merits. In her many years as a painter she managed to accomplish something very few artist can, she made a living her whole life as an artist!  She was supportive to her community and an inspiration to many artists.  Her bio reads like another great Florida artist, Beanie Backus.  Although she is not nearly as well known.  Is that a result of gender bias?  I doubt it although art history is filled with lesser known but equally important women artists who never got the recognition they deserved.  GL

Much more after the fold...

New Director of NSU's Museum of Art Named- posted by Florida Fine Art Blog


Bonnie Clearwater appointed new Director of NSU's Museum of Art

Nova Southeastern University's (NSU) President and CEO, George L. Hanbury II, Ph.D., today announced the appointment of Bonnie Clearwater, M.A., as the new Director of NSU's Museum of Art | Fort Lauderdale effective September 3, 2013. Clearwater joins NSU's Museum of Art | Fort Lauderdale from the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) in North Miami. Clearwater will work closely with the museum and university staff, and the museum's Board of Governors, to lead the museum into an era of unprecedented transformation and growth.  

Recognized for her visionary leadership, scholarship and commitment to artists and education, Clearwater brings to the museum her extensive knowledge and experience in shaping an institution's identity and mission, and in developing thought-provoking exhibitions and collections. She shares the university's goal of expanding the museum's educational initiatives, partnerships and cross-disciplinary collaborations to fully integrate the museum into both NSU's academic and extra-curricular campus life and into the broader art world.

"Bonnie has an exceptional track record as a museum director, curator and scholar, and strikes the perfect balance as a creative visionary and administrator with the ability to engage and inspire people of all backgrounds," said Hanbury. "Capitalizing on NSU's academic resources, she will develop new opportunities for synergy between the museum and the university, forging exciting connections between art and education. We look forward to her leadership at NSU's Museum of Art | Fort Lauderdale."

One of the most prominent figures in South Florida's art world, Clearwater is the Director and Chief Curator of the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), North Miami.  During her 18-year tenure, she transformed MOCA into a museum of international stature, recognized for its original and groundbreaking exhibitions, collection, education and public programs. Clearwater has championed both emerging and established artists, who have become among the leading artists of our time, and played a key role in establishing Miami as a preeminent international arts center and destination.  

 "Bonnie is an internationally known leader in the arts with tremendous energy, creativity and an unparalleled understanding of the field," said David Horvitz, chairman of the Board of Governors of NSU's Museum of Art l Fort Lauderdale.  "Becoming the Director of NSU's Museum of Art provides a transformational opportunity for our museum, for the university, for our community and for Bonnie."

"The integration of lifelong learning and a love of the arts has been central in my professional career and personal life, and is at the heart of NSU's Museum of Art's mission," said Clearwater.  

She was present at the opening of the museum's building in 1986 when its galleries and lofty spaces became a beacon of art and culture for all of South Florida. "It's a gem of a museum that deserves worldwide attention," she said. "I am looking forward to working with the museum's deeply committed Board of Governors and staff, along with NSU's leadership and faculty. Together, we will build upon the strong programs already in place to raise the museum's standing regionally and nationally as a dynamic center of culture, education and community engagement."

To learn more about Bonnie's background, CLICK HERE
Museum website found here

This is a really good sign for the museum.  Bonnie Clearwater comes from MOCA, a museum that has always been one of my favorites and has been a leader in cutting edge original programing.  What the Fort Lauderdale Museum desperately needs is strong community outreach as well as integration into the larger museum community and current art scene.  I always felt the museum was being run like it was an island unto itself, unmoved by the exploding art scene in the community it serves and unwilling to take advantage of the vast cultural networks that exist.  The partnership between the Museum and NSU was never fully explored nor the vast resources exploited.  Reading Bonnie's resume I am impressed with her long list of accomplishments and the art associations she has worked with in the past.  And congratulations goes to George Handbury for going out and getting such a impressive leader to head the Museum.   It shows the University's commitment to the community and to the Arts.  Fort Lauderdale deserves a world-class arts museum and this is a major step in the right direction.  We should all welcome Bonnie and offer her our support. GL