Polk Museum of Art facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Polk Museum of Art at Florida Southern College

Polk Museum of Art in Lakeland, Florida
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Established	1966
Location	Lakeland, Florida
Type	Art museum

The Polk Museum of Art at Florida Southern College is a special art museum located in Lakeland, Florida. It's a private, non-profit museum, which means it's not run by the government and doesn't aim to make money. It's also nationally accredited, showing it meets high standards. The museum is one of the top art museums in Florida and is connected with the famous Smithsonian museums. The best part? It's free to visit! Since 2017, the museum has worked closely with Florida Southern College to offer even more to the community.

Museum History: How It Started

The museum first opened its doors in 1966. It was started by a group called the Junior Welfare League and was first known as the Imperial Youth Museum. In 1969, its name changed to Polk Public Museum as it began to focus on more than just youth, including art, history, and science.

In 1970, the museum moved into a bigger building that used to be a grocery store. This new space gave them twice as much room for art displays and classrooms. The museum also teamed up with the local school board to create art lessons for students in Polk County. The museum got its current name, Polk Museum of Art, in the 1980s. Its current building was finished in 1988.

Art Collections and Exhibitions

The Polk Museum of Art (PMoA) shows art from many different time periods. You can see art from ancient times all the way up to today. Each year, the museum displays hundreds of artworks in various exhibits, often based on a main idea or theme.

The museum has a permanent collection of over 2,500 artworks. This includes art from ancient cultures, modern and contemporary art, and pieces from Asia and Africa. You can also find European and American decorative arts, plus sculptures in the outdoor gardens.

PMoA also has many temporary exhibits. These shows feature local artists and traveling displays from other places. You might see American folk art, famous modern paintings, Japanese prints, or African art. The museum even created its first online exhibit called "Hindsight 2020," which you can explore from home.

Since it's connected with Florida Southern College, the museum also displays some of the college's own art collection.

The Murray Gallery on the second floor, where you can see amazing art.

Modern and Contemporary Art

This collection started by focusing on art from Florida. Now, it includes works by artists from many different backgrounds, including Latino, African-American, and Asian-American artists.

European Decorative Arts

A 16th-century plate called "It Rains Manna," made from majolica.

This part of the collection features beautiful European ceramics from the 1400s to the 1800s. It also includes English and American silver pieces from the 1700s and 1800s.

African Art

The African art collection began in 2004 with a generous gift of 56 traditional artworks. This collection shows many different types of art and styles from various African cultures.

Education and Learning at the Museum

The Polk Museum of Art wants to "enhance the lives of our varied communities by bringing people and art together." Because of this, the museum puts a lot of effort into its Education Department. They offer many programs for both kids and adults.

Some of these programs include guided tours of the museum and fun art camps for children and families. They also have classes and workshops where you can learn skills like photography, drawing, and painting. There's even a special program called "Meet Me at PMoA: Making Art Accessible to People with Dementia," where people with dementia meet monthly to create and talk about art.

The museum also has an outreach program called "Changing Lives Through Art." This program helps people in the community who might be facing challenges, including children living in homeless shelters. For a time, a free public charter school called Lakeland Montessori Middle was located on the second floor of the museum.

See also

• Mario Bencomo