Description
The Museum of Florida Art has served as a cultural cornerstone of the city and county dedicated to presenting and educating in the visual arts. The Museum's exhibitions and programs attracted attention throughout Florida. The educational commitment was expanded with the growth of art programs for children, classes for adults and youth and gallery tours. The Museum has grown from a small house into a shared cultural arts center facility providing high quality exhibitions and programming for all ages. Working with the community, the museum is committed to education, partnerships, providing a venue for emerging and established Florida artists through exhibitions with service to a broad constituency in the visual arts. The Museum of Florida Art, then the DeLand Museum of Art was recognized in 2005 as "The Biggest Little Museum in the State" by the Orlando Sentinel.
History
In 1950, a group of women in DeLand, Florida wanted a museum for their community. With thirteen dollars as seed funding and a priceless amount of determination, the DeLand Museum of Art got its start. Founded by the American Association of University Women in 1951, the DeLand Children's Museum was established to provide classes in the arts, sciences, and history for children. Originally the Museum was located in a small house, later relocating to a larger, 19th century home to add adult programs. In 1965, it was incorporated as The DeLand Museum. In 1985, due to the growth of community interest, the museum redefined to focus more on visual art and thus became The DeLand Museum of Art.
In 1991, the Museum moved into the Cultural Arts Center, a $2.25 million dollar facility shared with The Sands Theater Center. This move more than doubled the gallery space to 6,000 square feet and provided classrooms, a vault for storage of the Museum's permanent collection, a Museum Shop, receiving and preparation area, and a shared kitchen and lobby areas. Located in downtown DeLand, across the street from Stetson University, the Museum works closely with the University as an important partner.
Since the 1991, move to the Cultural Arts Center, the expanded facility has allowed the Museum to bring to the community national caliber exhibitions such as Ansel Adams, Icons of the Twentieth Century: Portraits by Yousuf Karsh, The Spirit of Africa, Audubon in Florida, and Audubon Treasures, It's a Dog's Life: Photographs by William Wegman from the Polaroid Corporation, also showcasing work of established and emerging Florida artists.
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