Frost Art Museum Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids
The Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum
Frost Art Museum
Established	1977
Location	Florida International University University Park, Florida, United States
Type	Art museum, Sculpture park

The Patricia and Phillip Frost Art Museum, often called the Frost Art Museum, is an exciting art museum. It is located at the Modesto A. Maidique campus of Florida International University (FIU) in Miami, Florida. The museum first opened in 1977 as 'The Art Museum at Florida International University'. It was renamed 'The Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum' in 2003.

The museum is famous for its collection of art from Latin America and 20th-century American art. It also has many beautiful Haitian paintings. Plus, it features a growing number of works by modern artists, especially from Latin American and Caribbean countries. The museum is highly respected. It was recognized by the American Alliance of Museums in 1999. It is also part of the Smithsonian Affiliations program.

People in the community love the Frost Art Museum. It has been called "Miami's Best Museum" by South Florida's New Times multiple times. Miami New Times also named it "Miami's Best Art Museum" in 2009.

Discover the Art Collections
Museum Building and Design
- The New Museum Building
Special Exhibitions
Images for kids
See also

Discover the Art Collections

The Frost Art Museum has a large permanent collection with nearly 6,000 art pieces. These pieces come from several special collections. They include the General Collection, the Metropolitan Museum and Art Center Collection, and the Betty Laird Perry Emerging Artist Collection.

General Art Collection

The General Collection features American printmaking from the 1960s and 1970s. It also includes photography and ancient Pre-Columbian objects. These old objects date back to 200 to 500 AD. The collection is always growing with new works by modern Caribbean and Latin American artists. The museum adds to this collection through gifts, purchases, and new acquisitions.

Metropolitan Museum and Art Center Collection

This collection was given to the Frost Art Museum in 1989. It happened when the Metropolitan Museum and Art Center of Coral Gables, Florida closed. This gift helped keep the collection safe and together. It has more than 2,300 objects. These include sculptures, photographs, and paintings by important 20th-century artists. You can also find American prints from the 1960s, Japanese Netsukes, and old bronzes from Asian and African cultures.

Betty Laird Perry Emerging Artist Collection

This collection supports the university's art program. It includes artworks bought from talented BFA and MFA students. These students are chosen from the program's graduates since 1980. Many of these award-winning artists have become well-known around the world.

Museum Building and Design

From 1977 to 2008, the museum was in a smaller building called Primera Casa. It had less than 7,000 square feet inside. To reach more people, the Frost Art Museum added an outdoor sculpture program. This program now has 57 sculptures by modern artists.

The New Museum Building

The new Frost Art Museum building was designed by Yann Weymouth from HOK. This large building, about 46,000-square-foot (4,300 m²), opened in November 2008. It has a tall, three-story glass entrance. Inside, a cool staircase hangs in the air, leading to the second and third floors.

On the ground floor, you'll find a café and a museum shop. There's also a special lounge for members. The building includes the Steven & Dorothea Green Auditorium and Lecture Hall. This is where talks and events happen.

To keep the art safe from floods, the main gallery space is on the upper two floors. This area is about 10,000 sq ft (930 m²). It also has space to store the art and areas for research and art care. The lighting in the galleries is special. It uses natural daylight that comes in through skylights. These skylights have special "petal arrays" that spread the light. Three of the nine galleries show the permanent collection. The other six galleries feature changing exhibitions.

The new building is located by a lake. It helps create the "Avenue of the Arts." This avenue is lined with sculptures from the museum's outdoor collection. It connects the museum, the Wertheim Performing Arts Center, and the Management and Advanced Research Center (MARC) on the campus.

Special Exhibitions

The Frost Art Museum works hard to be a world-class museum. It has shown art from many different places. These include the Caribbean, East Asia, India, and South Florida. The museum also focuses on the many different styles in modern art.