LAKELAND, FLA.- The Ashley Gibson Barnett Museum of Art (The AGB) at Florida Southern College announced the grand opening of its highly anticipated 14,000-square-foot expansion on Thursday, January 16, 2025, for Museum members and Saturday, January 18, for the community.
The completion of the expansion project fulfills a three-decade dream to expand upon the Museum’s 1988 building, adding seven new galleries, new educational spaces, a new creativity lab, and renovations to the original building. The expansion seamlessly connects with the existing space, nearly tripling the Museum’s main exhibition area. This increased capacity allows for the display of more works from its 3,400-piece permanent collection in addition to hosting a broader range of diverse, world-class exhibitions.
“This project reflects the realization of the dreams of many individuals in our community and at Florida Southern College to establish a world-class museum,” Dr. Anne Kerr, FSC President Emerita said. “We are especially proud of being a Smithsonian Affiliate that provides notable exhibition opportunities, and we are gratified to be one of only a few such museums in the nation that serves as both a community and academic art museum. We anticipate that this model will inspire many other such visual arts projects in the future to benefit countless individuals.”
Visitors to the new expansion will discover two buildings of exhibitions, with the aim to appeal to broad audiences, while showcasing both the breadth of the Museum’s collection and of human experience. Among the highlights are exhibitions like “Hair & Newton: The Rise of the Highwaymen,” the first in a continuing, rotating series of shows featuring and celebrating the story of Florida’s homegrown landscape artists; “Rodin at The AGB,” featuring 14 sculptures by the most-famous sculptor in modern history, on long-term loan to the Museum; “American Art Since the 1960s,” featuring six decades of post-war American works from the permanent collection; and “Warhol Condensed: From Marilyn to Soup and Back Again,” featuring five iconic Warhol works on long-term loan to the Museum.
“Every museum awaits a once-in-a-generation moment like this, and we are thrilled that the moment has finally arrived to share this incredible expansion with our art-loving community,” Dr. H. Alexander Rich, Executive Director and Chief Curator said. “From our donors and members to the construction crews and our expert Museum staff, this was a massive, collaborative effort that propels our mission to be recognized as a site for exceptional accessible learning and a top academic and community museum in the region, state, and nation.”
The addition, with its bold modern façade and innovative gallery designs, is designed by Straughn Trout Architects, the same firm that designed the Museum’s 1988 structure, and built by Rodda Construction. Additional exhibitions on view in the expanded AGB include “Above All, Enjoy The Music: Photographs by Herman Leonard,” “Before & After: Giulio Carpioni’s Four Seasons of Man,” “Matters of Scale: On the Intimate and the Sublime,” “Surface, Service, and Splendor: Decorating History in Clay,” Matisse to Gehry: Works on Paper, 1938-2022,” and the continuing “Dutch Impressionism: The Hague School, 1860-1930.”
“This expansion has been a dream for many years, and it will allow us to better serve our community and share our love of art with a wider audience,” added Lynda Buck, Board of Trustees President.
The Museum, which affiliated with Florida Southern College in 2017, recently evolved from the Polk Museum of Art to the Ashley Gibson Barnett Museum of Art at Florida Southern College, initiating an optimistic and fresh chapter in its nearly 60-year history.
