Museum of the American Arts and Crafts Movement facts for kids
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The entrance of MAACM
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| Location | St. Petersburg, Florida, U.S. |
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| Founder | Rudy Ciccarello |
| Owner | Two Red Roses Foundation |
The Museum of the American Arts and Crafts Movement (MAACM) is a large museum in St. Petersburg, Florida. It opened in 2021 and is about 137,000 square feet in size. This special museum shows amazing art and crafts from the Arts and Crafts Movement period.
The museum was built thanks to Rudy Ciccarello, a businessman and art collector. He started The Two Red Roses Foundation, which helps fund the museum. The building itself is five stories tall. It has a grand open area, skylights, and a cool spiral staircase. There are over 40,000 square feet of space just for showing art. The museum also has a kids' gallery, a library, a theater, and a green outdoor area.
History of the Museum
The idea for the MAACM came from Rudy Ciccarello. He built up the amazing art collection that you can see in the museum today. Rudy first became interested in the Arts and Crafts Movement when he saw a beautiful bookcase. It was a copy of one made by a famous designer named Gustav Stickley. Rudy decided to buy the original piece, and that's how his collecting journey began!
Since the early 1990s, Rudy has collected many different types of art. He bought pottery, metalwork, and lighting. He even collected entire rooms, including tiled walls and built-in furniture. Later, he also started collecting old photographs. These photos were from the early 20th century, by artists like Alfred Stieglitz.
Rudy Ciccarello wanted to build a museum to share his collection with everyone. He decided to build the museum without government help. This was a big project, and it's rare for a museum this large to be built in the United States by one person's foundation.
What You Can See: The Collection
The MAACM has a very important collection of American Arts and Crafts art. Experts say it's one of the best collections of its kind. You can see works by many famous artists and groups. These include:
- Gustav Stickley
- Charles Rohlfs
- Frank Lloyd Wright
- The artists from Byrdcliffe Colony
- Greene and Greene
- Dirk van Erp
- Roycroft
- William Grueby
- Newcomb Pottery
- Arthur Wesley Dow
This collection shows how artists in the Arts and Crafts Movement focused on handmade items. They valued good design and craftsmanship.
