Florida Museum of Photographic Arts opens new exhibit

TAMPA, Fla. - The Florida Museum of Photographic Arts relocated from downtown Tampa to Ybor City. 

It was a necessary move as the museum's former location in Rivergate Plaza was difficult for visitors and tourists to find. 

"We'd love to have people come and see our new space and come and see these amazing photographs," said Executive Curator Robin O'Dell.

The Museum has a new exhibit, Icons of Black and White, to accompany their new location.

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"Many of these images, you'll be familiar with, right," shared O'Dell, "These are actual vintage prints."

Viewers will see the actual photos of Marilyn Monroe from the cover of Life Magazine paired side by side with the cover art.

There's the iconic image of a migrant mother from the Great Depression era that captured the unknown future for a mother and her children in the 1930s.

The exhibit shows the Civil Rights era and the arrests and actions in southern cities.

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"Part of the exhibition is we actually describe and teach people what they are actually seeing because it's not the same as what we see today," stated O'Dell, "Black and white was considered what the professional artistic photographers do."

The new museum space allows the visitors plenty of room to walk through, stop and look, and, if they wish, take photos.

"Even to this day, people like to see black and white photographs 'cause it just makes you look at things a little differently," said O'Dell.

You will find the Florida Museum of Photographic Arts on the 1st floor of the Kress Building on the 1600 block of 7th Avenue in Ybor City.

This exhibit, Icons of Black & White, will be on display until December.

You can learn more about the museum and their exhibits by clicking here.