Museum of the American Arts & Crafts Movement
Now Open in Downtown St. Pete
St. Petersburg is a destination for the arts, and the latest museum to open its doors in the arts district is the Museum of the American Arts & Crafts Movement (MAACM) – the world’s only museum dedicated to the American Arts and Crafts movement. Founded by the private collector Rudy Ciccarello, the museum opened its doors on September 7, 2021.
The 40,000 square feet of gallery space is filled with crafted objects and installations from the end of the 19th century as a reaction against the Industrial Revolution’s ethos of mass production. The collection includes more than 2,000 objects primarily from 1890 – 1930 including furniture, pottery, ceramic tiles, metalworks, woodblocks, lighting, textiles and leaded glass from artistic and companies including Gustav Stickley, Charles Rohlfs, Frank Lloyd Wright, Newcomb Pottery, Tiffany Studios and more. In addition to the permanent works, the museum will also host temporary exhibitions.
The five-story, 137,000 square foot museum building was designed by Tampa-based architect Alberto Alfonso. The building “is inspired by the Arts and Crafts movement in its detailing and customisation of material and joinery,” said Alfonso. “[It] will serve the collection in its presentation of precious objects in a modern, functional, and didactic way. The spaces will embrace natural light and respond to the different scales of the objects they hold.”
The museum building itself is a work of art with a show-stopping spiral staircase greeting guests in the central atrium. Visitors will enjoy an outdoor green space, an education studio, graphic studio, research library, theater, event space, retail store, restaurant and café. There is additional event space for weddings and corporate events.
The museum is open Tuesday through Sunday,
with extended hours on Thursday until 9 p.m.
355 4th Street North
St. Petersburg, FL 33701
www.museumaacm.org
727.440.4859
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