The Patricia and Phillip FrostArt Museum is a museum located on the Modesto A. Maidique campus of Florida International University in Miami, Florida. Founded in 1977 as The Art Museum at Florida International University, it has grown to achieve official recognition as a major cultural institution of the State of Florida for its unprecedented collection of Latin American and 20th century American art, its innovative exhibitions that draw on or enhance the collection, and its unparalleled service to South Florida's diverse audiences. In 2003, the museum was officially renamed The Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum. In 1999, the museum received accreditation from the American Alliance of Museums. From the community, the Frost Art Museum has earned the accolade "Miami's Best Museum" and Miami's Best Art Museum 2009. It has assumed a central role in the FIU community and in the cultural life of South Florida as a whole through its mission to serve the broadest audience possible and to deliver all programs and services free of charge. The Frost Art Museum is also an affiliate within the Smithsonian Affiliations program. Highlights from the Frost Art Museum's collection include Haitian paintings, American modern sculptures, paintings, and photographs.
Principal collections
The Frost Art Museum's Permanent Collection includes nearly 6,000 objects from several distinctive collections: the General Collection, the Metropolitan Museum and Art Center Collection and the Betty Laird Perry Emerging Artist Collection.
The General Collection holds a strong representation of American printmaking from the 1960s and 1970s, photography, Pre-Columbian objects dating from 200-500 AD, and a growing number of works by contemporary Caribbean and Latin American artists. The Museum continues to expand the collection through private donations, purchases and acquisitions.
The Metropolitan Museum and Art Center Collection, was donated to the Frost Art Museum in order to ensure its intact survival in 1989, when the Metropolitan Museum and Art Center of Coral Gables closed. This collection of more than 2,300 objects includes sculptures, photographs, and paintings by major 20th century figures, an extensive collection of American prints from the 1960s; major sculptural works; important photographs; rare Japanese Netsukes and ancient bronzes from Asian and African cultures.
In support of the University's studio arts program, the Betty Laird Perry Emerging Artist Collection comprises artworks obtained through purchase awards granted to selected BFA and MFA students graduating from the program since 1980. Numerous award recipients have continued to garner national and international recognition as mature artists.
Architecture
From 1977 to 2008, The Museum was housed in less than 7,000 interior square feet of Primera Casa, an FIU administration building, located in the heart of the campus. Through its determination to reach "the broadest audience possible," The Frost Art Museum figuratively burst through its walls to create one of the most prestigious outdoor sculpture programs in the United States, with 57 monumental works by the stellar sculptors of contemporary world art.
New building
The new Frost Art Museum was designed by Yann Weymouth of Hellmuth Obata + Kassabaum. The facility opened in November, 2008. The structure features a three-story glass atrium entrance and a suspended staircase leading to the second and third floors containing over. of exhibition space. Three of the nine galleries are dedicated to the permanent collection, while the remaining six galleries will feature temporary exhibitions. Among various interior design highlights is the prominent use of natural daylight in the galleries. Large "leaves" or "petals" are constructed to diffuse ultraviolet by preferentially scattering light to the walls. This unique gallery lighting was designed by ArupLighting. Ample storage room for the collection in the new building allows proper space for conservation, research and preparation of artwork. On the ground floor the Kenan-Flagler Family Discovery Gallery and Museum Terrace serve as the heart of the Museum's educational and community outreach. Also on the first level visitors will find the Steven & Dorothea Green Multi-Purpose Auditorium and Lecture Hall, the Dahlia Morgan Members' Lounge, the café and museum shop. The realization of a first-class facility provides increased accessibility to the visual arts to FIU's multicultural student body, the growing local population and Miami's visitors. The new museum is destined to become the cultural heart of the campus and an essential part of Miami's growing arts community. On its tranquil lakeside site, the new building frames the "Avenue of the Arts." Accentuated by selected works from the Museum's outdoor sculpture collection, the Avenue of the Arts connects the Museum, the Wertheim Performing Arts Center and the Management and Advanced Research Center on the Modesto A. Maidique campus.
Exhibitions
As the new museum strives to develop its international standard, the Frost Art Museum has held exhibitions showcasing work from a variety of regions including: the Caribbean, East Asia, India and South Florida. In addition to its cultural diversity, the museum has also paid close attention to the wide range of styles in the world of contemporary art.
