Downtown St. Petersburg will welcome another major museum to it cultural landscape this winter, the $90 million, five-story Museum of the American Arts and Crafts Movement. The museum will open in December and is the result of collaboration between collector and founder Rudy Ciccarello and architect Alberto Alfonso.
The collection will include more than 2,000 objects and examples of American furniture, pottery, metalwork, tiles, lighting, color-wood blocks, photography, jewelry and fine art from the early 20th century. The museum will also feature an auditorium, an event and banquet hall, a graphic studio and an education studio.
The building itself will feature a grand atrium, skylights and a dramatic spiral staircase, all adorned with period art, light fixtures, stained glass windows and fireplaces. The first floor will be home to the museum store, cafe and Ambrosia Restaurant as well as a research library. The other four floors will be home to more than 40,000 square feet of permanent gallery space and 10,000 square feet for rotating exhibitions.
Announcements regarding exhibitions and other programs are forthcoming.
St. Petersburg is home to a number of art and cultural institutions, including the Dali Museum, the Chihuly Collection, the Museum of Fine Arts, the Morean Arts Center, the Woodson African American Museum and the Florida Holocaust Museum.