Writer: Jerrica DuBois
2 min read February 2023 — The Tampa Museum of Art received a nice boost to its Centennial Campaign from PNC Bank. The bank pledged $500,000 earmarked for the renovated Vinik Family Education Center. This is the latest investment toward a series of ongoing projects and expansions happening at the museum.
The Vinik Family Education Center, which opened in May of 2022, enables children and adults to explore art, attend classes, lectures and participate in art camps.
“We’re proud to be longtime sponsors of this gem in the community,” Chad Loar, PNC regional president for West and Central Florida said in a statement. “With the PNC Family Classroom and Gallery, thousands of students and families will have the opportunity to learn about the vast world of art and culture through the many programs and exhibits that the Tampa Museum of Art offers.”
The museum expansion encompasses a site redevelopment and adds 51,000 square feet of new space along the Hillsborough River, essentially doubling its exhibition spaces and triple its education spaces. New York-based WEISS/MANFREDI Architecture/Landscape/Urbanism led the charge of reimagining the museum, which first opened in 2010.
Additionally, the new PNC Family Classroom and Gallery, 1,680 square feet of renovated space at the education center, is geared to expand education and exhibition programming. All of the renovation and expansion at the museum is expected to quadruple activity and patron numbers, which currently sits at 14,000.
On the exhibition side, Tampa Art Museum opened the expanded gallery space back in November. Time for Change: Art and Social Unrest in the Jorge M. Pérez Collection received the honor of being the first exhibit in the renovated space, and is on display at the museum until March 12th.
“Time for Change is a fitting start to a new era of expanded exhibition programming at the Museum,” Michael Tomor, the Penny and Jeff Vinik executive director of the Tampa Museum of Art said in a statement. “We’re eager to welcome the community into our new galleries and begin offering more year-round opportunities to experience and learn from works that reflect our region’s vibrant community.”
Restoration, renovation and expansion remain key to keeping Tampa Bay’s arts and culture scene vibrant. Significant contributions to the Tampa Art Museum’s Centennial Campaign include the lead donation of $25 million donation from Dick Corbett, and the Vinik family with a total contribution of $10 million. In addition to the recent donation, PNC Bank also sponsors the museum’s “Museums for All,” a signature program of the Institute of Museum and Library Services which encourages people to visit museums regularly and offers free admission to individuals and families receiving food aid.
“PNC Bank has long been generously invested in the success of the Tampa Museum of Art,” Tomor said in a statement. “We are excited to unveil the new PNC Family Classroom and Gallery as a place where museum visitors and their families can enjoy art-making activities on designated family days, as well as a flexible space for regional and student art exhibitions.”
