Besides its beautiful beaches, the Tampa Bay area boasts a rich collection of art museums -- and it's growing. This week on Florida Matters we feature stories about museums and galleries in the region, part of WUSF’s occasional Art Populi series.
We visit the Museum of Fine Arts in St. Petersburg, where an exhibit is highlighting some of the iconic jazz and civil rights photography of Herb Snitzer.
We tour a display at the University of South Florida Contemporary Art Museum in Tampa called “Restricted” that shows off about 50 hidden gems from their collection of over 5000 pieces.
We take a look at some new art destinations in downtown St. Petersburg like the Jamse Museum of Western and Wildlife Art that reflect a global trend of wealthy art collectors opening up their own institutions.
We explore the region’s glass art scene to find out why some in the business are dubbing this area the “Glass Coast.”
We also check out a new exhibit at the Dali Museum that showcases the real-world inspiration for Salvador Dali’s surrealist painted landscapes in the form of black and white photos by Clyde Butcher, who is best known for his photos of the Florida Everglades and Big Cypress.
Follow the links to each story to see photos and videos of the museums and exhibits we visit in our Art Populi series.
You can hear some of the reporters behind the series talk more about the museums they covered on our podcast Florida Matters More.
And we always like to hear from you. What are some of your favorite experiences with Tampa Bay's art museums? Share your stories on our Facebook page, on Twitter or by emailing FloridaMatters@wusf.org.