The Orlando Museum of Art (OMA) is a 501 (c) 3 not-for-profit organization directly serving greater Orlando, Orange County and Central Florida. The museum was founded in 1924 by a group of art enthusiasts. The museum's mission is to inspire creativity, passion and intellectual curiosity by connecting people with art and new ideas.

Orlando Museum of Art
Orlando Museum of Art is located in Florida
Orlando Museum of Art
Location within Florida
Established1924; 100 years ago (1924)[1]
Location2416 North Mills Avenue
Orlando, Florida
Coordinates28°34′22″N 81°21′52″W / 28.57271°N 81.36444°W / 28.57271; -81.36444
TypeArt museum
AccreditationAmerican Alliance of Museums
Public transit accessLocal Transit Lynx 125
Nearest parkingOn site (no charge)
Websitewww.omart.org
Orlando Museum of Art building and grounds

General

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OMA presents a rotating series of temporary exhibitions originated by the museum matched by traveling shows that are complemented by permanent collection exhibitions and continuous education programs for people of all ages. OMA hosts year-round workshops, art appreciation classes, lectures, seminars, films and guided tours for children and adults.

In 2014, the museum launched the exhibition initiative titled The Florida Prize in Contemporary Art which features work produced by the most progressive and thought-provoking emerging and mid-career artists living and working in the State of Florida today.

OMA is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums (AAM) and is a member of the North American Reciprocal Museums program.[2]

History

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The history of the Orlando Museum of Art (OMA) is one of growth guided by community leadership. OMA was founded in 1924 as Orlando Art Association. Its name was changed to the Loch Haven Art Center in 1960, and again to the Orlando Museum of Art in 1986.

The organization began as a small art center with a group of artists who met informally in the early 1920s, displaying and critiquing their work. In the late 1950s, the community raised funds to build a new facility designed by James Gamble Rogers III, which was completed in 1960.

OMA began to collect art in 1960 when it accepted the donations of important American paintings by Georgia O'Keeffe and Charles Sheeler. OMA continued its expansion, working with architects Nils Schweizer and Duane Stark, both students of Frank Lloyd Wright. By 1969 OMA had added new galleries, a 250-seat auditorium, three studio classrooms, a library, vault and offices.

During the 1970s, OMA was given a major collection of Art of the Ancient Americas, and additional works of African Art, and also formed the nucleus of its acclaimed Contemporary American Graphics Collection.

In 1985, OMA was designated a "major cultural institution" by the State of Florida.

In 1997, OMA completed a $13.5 million facility renovation and building project which expanded the facility to its current size of 80,000 square feet.[3]

In 2022, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) investigated artwork attributed to Jean-Michel Basquiat in the OMA exhibition Heroes & Monsters.[4] The exhibition, which consisted of 25 paintings on reclaimed cardboard, opened in February 2022 and was originally planned to run through June 2023.[5] After news of the investigation, the exhibition was set to close early on June 30, 2022.[6] On June 24, 2022, the FBI removed the entire exhibition after the works' authenticity was questioned.[7][8] The paintings were claimed to have been purchased by Thad Mumford directly from Basquiat for $5,000 in 1982 and then placed in storage, where they remained until being rediscovered in 2012.[9] An affidavit obtained by The New York Times revealed that Mumford told a federal agent in 2014 that he "never purchased Basquiat artwork and was unaware of any Basquiat artwork being in his storage locker." He signed an affidavit in 2017, a year before his death, stating that he had never met Basquiat.[7] A few days after the FBI seizure, the board released a statement announcing that De Groft is no longer the Director and CEO of the museum.[10] Joann Walfish, a longtime employee who served as the CFO, was appointed interim COO. The New York Times later reported that the museum's board of trustees that had planned to see the resignation of chair Cynthia Brumback were themselves removed, citing a previously overlooked rule that limited trustees to nine-year terms.[11] Two days later, Brumback resigned and the board of trustees elected Mark Elliot as the museum's new chair. [12] In January 2024, The New York Times reported the scandal led to significant financial distress for the museum, due to a reduction in donor support as well as costs for dealing with the aftermath.[13]

Collections

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OMA's collection boasts more than 2,400 objects including Contemporary Art, American Art from the 18th century to 1945, Art of the Ancient Americas and African Art. The Art of the Ancient Americas collection is among the finest of its kind in the Southeastern United States.[2]

On May 1, 2018, OMA announced that it may become the permanent home of an extensive collection of the paintings of Belgian Post-Impressionist painter, Louis Dewis. OMA presented a small exhibition of seven Dewis paintings from May 18 through September 9, 2018, as a preview of a major Dewis exhibition presented January 25 through May 5, 2019.[14]

Florida Prize in Contemporary Art Exhibition

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The annual Florida Prize in Contemporary Art has become one of the Orlando Museum of Art’s more anticipated exhibitions, aiming to bring nrecognition to the progressive artists in the state. Each year OMA’s curators survey artists working throughout the state, then invite 10 artists participate. One artist receives a $20,000 award, underwritten since 2017 by local philanthropists Gail and Michael Winn.

Artists range from emerging to mid-career, often with distinguished records of exhibitions and awards that reflect recognition at national and international levels. In all cases, they are artists who are engaged in exploring significant ideas of art and culture in original and visually exciting ways. As of 2022, the exhibition has brought 80 Florida artists new levels of recognition.

As a survey exhibition, the Florida Prize always brings together artists of diverse backgrounds and varying practices. It seeks to be a snapshot of the state’s cultural vitality.

Year Artist Year Artist Year Artist
2014 Sarah Max Beck 2015 Farley Aguilar Winner[15] 2016 Anthea Behm
2014 Elisabeth Condon 2015 Bhakti Baxter 2016 Adler Guerrier
2014 Vanessa Diaz 2015 Cesar Cornejo 2016 Maria Martinez-Canas
2014 Christopher Harris 2015 Michael Covello 2016 Noelle Mason Winner[16]
2014 Ezra Johnson 2015 Rob Duarte 2016 Ernesto Oroza
2014 Brookhart Jonquil 2015 Jennifer Kaczmarek 2016 Matt Roberts
2014 Sinisa Kukec 2015 Nicolas Lobo 2016 Dawn Roe
2014 Jillian Mayer 2015 Wanda Raimundi-Ortiz 2016 Kyle Trowbridge
2014 Juan Travieso 2015 Alex Trimino 2016 Michael Vasquez
2014 Augustina Woodgate Winner[17] 2015 Antonia Wright 2016 Sergio Vega
Year Artist Year Artist Year Artist
2017 Domingo Castillo 2018 Carlos Betancourt People's Choice[18] 2019 Robert Aiosa
2017 William Cordova Winner[19] 2018 Brooks Dierdorff 2019 Joe Fig People's Choice[20]
2017 Coco Fusco 2018 Rafael Domenech 2019 Lilian Garcia-Roig
2017 Mark Gerstein 2018 Gonzalo Fuenmayor 2019 Lola Gómez
2017 Aramis Gutierrez 2018 Ya La'Ford 2019 Amer Kobaslija
2017 Dana Hargrove 2018 Jason Lazarus 2019 Pepe Mar
2017 Lisa Iglesias 2018 Glexis Novoa 2019 Anja Marais
2017 Carl Juste People's Choice 2018 Kerry Phillips 2019 Edison Peñafiel Winner[21]
2017 Ralph Provisero 2018 Kenya (Robinson) Winner[22] 2019 Vickie Pierre
2017 Chase Westfall 2018 Jack Stenner 2019 Sri Prabha
Year Artist Year Artist Year Artist
2020/21 Lauren Mitchell 2022 London Amara 2023 TBA
2020/21 Matthew Cornell People's Choice[23] 2022 Francie Bishop-Good 2023 TBA
2020/21 Tra Bouscaren 2022 Tomas Esson 2023 TBA
2020/21 Richard Heipp 2022 Dominique Labauvie 2023 TBA
2020/21 Clara Varas 2022 Jared McGriff Winner[24] 2023 TBA
2020/21 Anastasia Samoylova 2022 Hiromi Moneyhun People's Choice[24] 2023 TBA
2020/21 Sean Miller 2022 Gavin Perry 2023 TBA
2020/21 Marielle Plaisir 2022 Jamilah Sabur 2023 TBA
2020/21 Robert Rivers Winner[25] 2022 Sara Stites 2023 TBA
2020/21 Kedgar Volta 2022 Typoe (Gran) 2023 TBA

Notes

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  1. ^ Orlando Museum of Art. "about the museum", Orlando Museum of Art website. Retrieved on November 05, 2007.
  2. ^ a b Art, Orlando Museum of. "Orlando Museum of Art". omart.org. Retrieved 2016-03-29.
  3. ^ Orlando Museum of Art - Forward to 100 Vision Plan. Orlando, Florida, United States. 2015.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  4. ^ Sokol, Brett (May 29, 2022). "F.B.I. Investigates Basquiat Paintings Shown at Orlando Museum of Art". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-06-29.
  5. ^ Fischer, David (June 24, 2022). "FBI seizes disputed Basquiat artwork from Florida museum". AP NEWS. Retrieved 2022-06-29.
  6. ^ "FBI raids Orlando Museum of Art to collect Basquiat pieces". 25 June 2022.
  7. ^ a b Sokol, Brett; Stevens, Matt (June 24, 2022). "F.B.I. Raids Orlando Museum and Removes Basquiat Paintings". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-06-29.
  8. ^ "FBI Seizes Basquiat Works from Orlando Museum of Art". ARTFORUM. June 27, 2022.
  9. ^ Sokol, Brett (February 16, 2022). "In Orlando, 25 Mysterious Basquiats Come Under the Magnifying Glass". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-06-29.
  10. ^ Sokol, Brett (June 29, 2022). "Orlando Museum Director Loses Job After Disputed Basquiat Show". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-06-29.
  11. ^ Sokol, Brett (2022-08-29). "An Orlando Museum's Disputed Basquiats Are Gone. Its Leadership Is, Too". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-08-29.
  12. ^ "Orlando Museum of Art: Mark Elliott replaces Cynthia Brumback as board chair". Orlando Sentinel. 26 August 2022. Retrieved 2022-09-07.
  13. ^ Sokol, Brett (2024-01-12). "After Fake Basquiats, Orlando Museum Faces 'Severe Financial Crisis'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  14. ^ "LOUIS DEWIS: A BELGIAN POST-IMPRESSIONIST". Orlando Museum of Art.
  15. ^ Sentenac, Hannah. "Miami Artist Farley Aguilar Wins Orlando Museum's Florida Prize". Miami New Times. Retrieved 2022-07-08.
  16. ^ "Noelle Mason wins 2016 Florida Prize in Contemporary Art". Orlando Sentinel. 14 May 2016. Retrieved 2022-07-08.
  17. ^ "Agustina Woodgate wins 1st Florida Prize for art". Orlando Sentinel. 21 June 2014. Retrieved 2022-07-08.
  18. ^ "The 2018 Florida Prize in Contemporary Art | 1 June - 19 August 2018". Carlos Betancourt. Retrieved 2022-07-08.
  19. ^ "OMA's Florida Prize goes to William Cordova". Orlando Sentinel. 7 June 2017. Retrieved 2022-07-08.
  20. ^ Vailati, Laura. "The Florida Prize in Contemporary Art 2019 awards Edison Peñafiel, winner of the sixth edition of the competition. Joe Fig won the People Choice Award. – Miami Niche". Retrieved 2022-07-08.
  21. ^ "Poignant piece wins Florida Prize at Orlando Museum of Art". Orlando Sentinel. 2 June 2019. Retrieved 2022-07-08.
  22. ^ "Kenya (Robinson) wins OMA's Florida Prize". Orlando Sentinel. June 2018. Retrieved 2022-07-08.
  23. ^ "Florida Prize exhibit opens at Orlando Museum of Art, highlights Sunshine State artists". Orlando Sentinel. 7 June 2021. Retrieved 2022-07-08.
  24. ^ a b "Florida Prize exhibit opens at Orlando Museum of Art, showcasing Sunshine State artists". Orlando Sentinel. 5 June 2022. Retrieved 2022-07-08.
  25. ^ "UCF Professor Heralded Among Florida's Top Artists | University of Central Florida News". University of Central Florida News | UCF Today. 2021-06-08. Retrieved 2022-07-08.
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