By T. Jensen Lacey

It’s nearly August and the so-called “dog days” are upon us here along the Gulf Coast. The kids are tired of swimming; band, cheerleader, soccer, and football camps are in the books; they’re likely finished with Vacation Bible School, the bills for the family vacation have come in and no one wants to be out in the stickiness of the heat and humidity. 

Here’s a solution to make everybody happy and cool without putting a further strain on the ol’ budget: make a day trip to the Pensacola Museum of Art (PMA). For those traveling outside of Pensacola, it’s a short drive that will soon have you and your family cool and happily enthralled in viewing lovely works of art.

Another reason to visit now is that Pensacola Museum of Art is celebrating its 70^th anniversary. PMA Chief Curator and Director Nicolas Croghan recently put out this press release.:

Celebrate 70 - A History of Collection

on view through September 29, 2024

This exhibition highlights the Pensacola Museum Art’s permanent collection of international, national, and regionally acclaimed artists. Since its inception, the museum has built a collection of modern and contemporary art from the nineteenth, twentieth, and twenty-first centuries. As a community museum, collecting art is vitally important to our mission of enriching the lives of locals and visitors. Each artwork functions as a continuation of our story and is meant to inspire creativity, facilitate an understanding of art history, and give life to beautiful, aesthetic experiences. Museum staff are stewards of the collection and are charged with protecting and expanding this valuable cultural resource to benefit the citizens of Pensacola and future generations.

2024 marks the 70th anniversary of the Pensacola Museum of Art becoming an art center in Pensacola. Seven decades ago, members of the local chapter of the American Association of University Women envisioned a venue to exhibit traveling art exhibitions, offer art classes for both children and adults, and provide a community space for public meetings, lectures, and films. In 1954 they leased the vacant, historic City of Pensacola Jail and formed the Pensacola Art Association. The group established the Pensacola Museum of Art (PMA) in 1982 and purchased the building from the city in 1988. In 2016, the museum entered into a gift agreement with the University of West Florida to transfer the museum to the university. The PMA is now part of the University of West Florida Historic Trust.

More than seventy artists are included in this exhibition with featured works by Francisco Goya, Henri de Touluse-Lautrec, Thomas Hart Benton, Alexander Calder, Joan Miró, Marc Chagall, Salvador Dali, Henri Matisse, Philip Guston, Clementine Hunter, Alfred Stieglitz, Walker Evans, Alex Katz, Käthe Kollwitz, Erté, Louise Nevelson, Philip Pearlstein, Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol, Fairfield Porter, Linda Benglis, Norman Rockwell, and Miriam Schapiro. Through these works, the exhibition will provide a survey of modern and contemporary styles and periods including, Cubism, Realism, Pop Art, Non-objective Art, Folk Art, and Illustration.

While you may revel in works of art by some of your favorite artists, the kids may think the coolest thing about the PMA is that it is housed in what used to be a jail. The original jail cell bars are still in place in doorways throughout the PMA.

A tour of the PMA is ticketed (adults, $12; Ages 3-14, $7 with discounts for senior citizens and military) and do make sure you visit their gift shop. Your ticket(s) are good for a full seven days after purchase, so you can come back during the week. There are also art classes for adults and children. For more information, go to their website (www.PensacolaMuseum.org) or by calling (850) 432-6247.