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 is a cool art museum located at Florida International University in Miami, Florida. It first opened in 1977. Back then, it was called 'The Art Museum at Florida International University'. In 2003, it was renamed after Phillip Frost and Patricia Frost.

This museum has an amazing collection of art. You can see art from Latin America, American art from the 1900s, and beautiful Haitian paintings. They also have many artworks by modern artists, especially from Latin America and the Caribbean islands. The museum is officially recognized by the American Alliance of Museums. 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" many times. It also won "Miami's Best Art Museum 2009".

Exploring the Art Collections
The Museum's Design
- A New Home for Art
- Protecting the Art
Gallery
See also

Exploring the Art Collections

The Frost Art Museum has a huge collection of almost 6,000 art pieces. These pieces come from different groups. They include the General Collection, the Metropolitan Museum and Art Center Collection, and the Betty Laird Perry Emerging Artist Collection.

The General Collection

This part of the collection has American prints from the 1960s and 1970s. It also features cool photographs and Pre-Columbian objects. These ancient objects date back to 200 to 500 AD. The museum is always adding more art from modern Caribbean and Latin American artists. They get new art through gifts, purchases, and other ways.

The Metropolitan Museum and Art Center Collection

This collection was given to the Frost Art Museum in 1989. This happened when the Metropolitan Museum and Art Center in Coral Gables, Florida closed. It has more than 2,300 art pieces. You can see sculptures, photographs, and paintings by artists from the 1900s. There are also American prints from the 1960s. Plus, you can find Japanese Netsukes and old bronze pieces from Asian and African cultures.

The Betty Laird Perry Emerging Artist Collection

This collection supports the university's art program. It includes artworks bought from talented art students. These students are chosen from those graduating since 1980. Many of these artists have become famous around the world.

The Museum's Design

From 1977 to 2008, the museum was in a smaller building. It was less than 7,000 square feet inside. This building was called Primera Casa. To show art to more people, the museum created an outdoor sculpture program. This program has 57 artworks by modern sculptors.

A New Home for Art

The new Frost Art Museum was designed by Yann Weymouth. He is from the company Hellmuth Obata + Kassabaum (HOK). The new building is about 46,000 square feet. It opened in November 2008. The building has a tall, three-story glass entrance area. This area is called an atrium. A cool staircase hangs in the air, leading to the upper floors.

On the ground floor, you'll find a café and a museum shop. There's also a special lounge for museum members. Plus, there's an auditorium for talks and lectures.

Protecting the Art

To keep the art safe from floods, the main art galleries are on the top two floors. This gallery space is about 10,000 square feet. These floors also have space to store the art. There are also areas for research, preparing, and taking care of the artworks. The lighting in the galleries is special. It uses lots of natural sunlight. This light comes in through skylights and special panels. Three of the nine galleries show the museum's permanent collection. The other six galleries feature new, temporary art shows.

The Sculpture Park located by the Frost Art Museum.

The new museum building is next to a lake. It helps create the "Avenue of the Arts." This avenue has sculptures from the museum's outdoor collection. It connects the museum to the Wertheim Performing Arts Center. It also links to the Management and Advanced Research Center (MARC). All these places are on the Modesto Maidique campus.