This year marks the 70th anniversary of the Pensacola Museum of Art becoming an art center in Pensacola. In honor of this milestone, the museum is hosting a series of events during Foo Foo Fest along with a new exhibition that highlights the permanent collection – Celebrate 70: A History of Collecting.
“As a community museum, collecting art is vitally important to our mission of enriching the lives of locals and visitors,” says Nick Croghan, Director of the Pensacola Museum of Art. “Each piece of artwork on display acts as a page in our 70-year story. Our mission is to serve as stewards of our vast collection and expand this valuable cultural resource to benefit the citizens of Pensacola and future generations.”
Seven decades ago, members of the local chapter of the American Association of University Women wanted to open a community space to exhibit traveling art exhibitions, offer art classes for both children and adults and provide a community space for public meetings, lectures and films. In 1954 they leased the vacant, historic City of Pensacola Jail and formed the Pensacola Art Association. The group established the Pensacola Museum of Art in 1982 and purchased the building from the city in 1988. In 2016, the museum entered into a gift agreement with the University of West Florida to transfer the museum to the university. The PMA is now part of the University of West Florida Historic Trust.
On October 31, the museum is hosting a Halloween Block Party outside of their building on Jefferson Street in downtown Pensacola to celebrate the launch of Foo Foo Fest and first in their series of 70th Anniversary events. The event will include live music, a food truck, interactive photography, interactive puppetry with the Birds of a Feather project, and activities for art lovers of all ages.
Between November 1-10, the Pensacola Museum of Art is offering free admission to the museum for visitors to view the collection and celebrate the 70th anniversary of the museum.
On Thursday, November 7th the museum is hosting a curator presentation and tour of the Celebrate 70 Exhibition. The content of this presentation will focus on the importance of art, culture and stewarding museum collections for the community.
Finally, on November 9th, the museum will be hosting a 70th Anniversary Gala to celebrate and raise funds for the continued collection work and operations of the museum. This fine art and fine dining event will include a large selection of passed hors d’oeuvres, drinks, live entertainment and a viewing of the Celebrate 70 exhibition.
To learn more about these events, check the museum’s hours of operation, or purchase tickets for an upcoming museum visit, head to pensacolamuseum.org.