Inspired by the vision of Cynthia L. Flowers, Charles Levin and Vincent Sorrentino founded the Tampa Gallery of Photographic Arts in 2001. The museum’s inaugural show, Masters of Black and White, ran from May 4 through July 1 and featured images by Ansel Adams, Berenice Abbott, Willy Ronis, Andreas Feininger, Julius Shulman and Clyde Butcher.
In 2006, the museum’s board of directors changed the name to the Florida Museum of Photographic Arts and relocated it to the Tampa downtown business area.
Past Exhibits
The museum has hosted a wide variety of exhibits since its inception. Following is a list of some of the more prominent presentations:
- Clyde Butcher Retrospective, November 2, 2002 to January 5, 2003 – Butcher, an award-winning black and white photographer, known for capturing and preserving on film unspoiled areas of the Florida landscape.
- Stopping Time, September 13 to October 26, 2003 – Developer of the electronic stroboscope, Dr. Harold Edgerton made the invisible visible by photographing phenomena that was inaccessible to traditional photography.
- Florida Showcase, August 10 to September 8, 2007 – Featuring work by photographers such as Clyde Butcher, Connie Bransilver, John Moran, Jeff Ripple, James Shadle and others, the show presented Florida’s natural beauty as scene through the camera lens and focused on the state’s flora and fauna.
- Eyes in the Sky, November 16, 2007 to January 9, 2008 – The works of Robert Hartman, an accomplished photographer and pilot, document how civilization is ravaging the land. Hartman combines his passion for photography and flying, taking photographs from his 1949 Piper Clipper.
Education
The museum also sponsors a number of photography classes, including Digital Lunches for anyone with a digital camera and wants to know how to make the best use of it; Photography 101, a five-week class that helps participants gain a better understanding of cameras and photography; Digital Darkroom, a four-week class on photo editing skills; and various photography safaris, which in the past have included outings to the Florida Strawberry Festival and Lowry Park Zoo.
The museum’s Children’s Outreach Program, Literacy Through Photography, includes a tour through the museum and an introduction to digital photography. Other workshops and events designed for children are presented.