Foosaner Art Museum facts for kids
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| Established | March 14, 1978 |
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| Location | 1463 Highland Avenue Melbourne, Florida |
| Type | Art |
The Foosaner Art Museum is an exciting place to explore art in Melbourne, Florida. It's located right by the Indian River in the Eau Gallie Arts District. This museum, which used to be called the Brevard Art Museum, first opened its doors in 1978.
Inside, you can discover over 5,000 amazing art pieces! These artworks are from the last 2,000 years and make up the museum's permanent collection. They show different styles and stories, reflecting the interests of the museum and the lives of people in the community.
Throughout the year, the museum features different art shows. These shows display art from famous artists from around the world. You can see both modern and historical art movements. The museum's main collection focuses on Modern and Contemporary Art. It also has a special collection of American industrial designs and the world's largest collection of art by Ernst Oppler, a German artist.
Contents
Museum's Journey: How It Grew
The Foosaner Art Museum, part of the Florida Institute of Technology, started on March 8, 1978. Back then, it was known as the Brevard Art Center and Museum.
Early Days and New Spaces
The museum got its first building in the summer of 1978. It was changed to fit the needs of an art museum. At first, it had three galleries for showing art, covering about 4,500 square feet.
In June 1980, a kind person named Samuel J. Foosaner from Cocoa Beach gave a big gift. This gift helped the museum buy another building next door, which was about 6,000 square feet. This new space was turned into the Renee Foosaner Education Center. Here, kids and adults can take art classes and create their own masterpieces.
In February 1986, the museum moved to an even bigger place across the street. This new building had five galleries, which tripled the space for showing art. It also had more room for offices and storing artworks safely. This allowed the museum to show more important art collections. The permanent collection grew to over 3,000 objects with new art pieces given as gifts.
Adding Science and Education
After a local science museum closed in 1994, the museum decided to add a science education area for kids. About 5,000 square feet of new science exhibition space was added. This new science center opened in the fall of 1995.
In February 1995, the museum officially changed its name to the Brevard Museum of Art and Science. Later, in 1999, the science center was renamed the Ruth Cote Clemente Children's Science Center, honoring another generous donor.
Teaching and learning about art is a very important part of the Foosaner Art Museum's goal. They have many programs for everyone in the community. As the biggest visual arts museum in Brevard County, it's a valuable place for both people who live there and visitors.
Today, more than 30 years later, the Foosaner Art Museum has much more exhibition space. It uses modern ways to protect and store its growing art collection. Also, the Renee Foosaner Education Center still offers pottery, painting, drawing, and printmaking classes for all ages.
Becoming the Foosaner Art Museum
In June 2007, the museum's name changed again, from the Brevard Museum of Art and Science to the Brevard Art Museum. The old Science Center space was then redesigned to make bigger studios for painting and ceramics.
On July 1, 2011, the museum joined forces with the Florida Institute of Technology. This is a special university focused on technology. A gift of $1 million from the Foosaner Foundation helped the museum, which was then officially named the Foosaner Art Museum. Anthony J. Catanese, the president of Florida Tech, said that the Foosaner family has a long history of helping the community. He noted that this gift would help continue the important work of education and culture that the museum started in 1978.
Featured Art Exhibitions
The museum often has special exhibitions for visitors to enjoy.
- Clyde Butcher: Florida's Photographer (June 8, 2019 – present) - This exhibition features 69 black and white landscape photographs by Clyde Butcher, showing the beauty of Florida.
The $1 million gift in 2011 from the Foosaner Foundation, which led to the museum's current name, was given by Dione Negroni-Hendrick. She lived in Brevard County and made the gift to honor her parents, Sam and Renee Foosaner. Dione passed away in 2017.
