Websites and social networks are great resources for finding and sharing inspiring images. Most designers looking for a little creative inspiration for website sites look to other innovative web designers to get their creative juices flowing. However, the web is not the only places to seek out for inspiring images and artwork. Sometimes professional graphic designers turn to local museums for a dose of inspiration for their work – and to share their creativity with others. Below is a list of some top museums around the Tampa Bay area whose art can often motivate your next big deign idea.
1. St. Petersburg Museum of Fine Arts
Established by Margaret Acheson Stuart, the St. Petersburg Museum of Fine Arts’ collection includes fine examples of 17th, 18th and 19th century European art; 19th and 20th century American art; photography; Greek and Roman antiquities; and pre-Columbian and Asian art.
2. Salvador Dalí Museum
The Salvador Dali Museum is a work of art itself, with a geodesic glass shell running along the concrete façade. Inside, you’ll find the world’s largest and most highly acclaimed collection of works by surrealist master Salvador Dali. The museum is situated on the waterfront in downtown St. Petersburg.
3. Tampa Museum of Art
The Tampa Museum of Art opened their new riverside building in February 2010. It has established important collections in Greek and Roman antiquities and modern and contemporary paintings, sculptures, works on paper, photography, and decorative arts.
4. Contemporary Art Museum at the University of South Florida
Situated next to the USF College of Visual and Performing Arts in Tampa, the Contemporary Art Museum’s permanent collection encompasses more than 5,000 objects of contemporary graphics, works on paper, sculpture multiples and photography. Featured works include those by acclaimed artists such as Roy Lichtenstein and Robert Rauschenberg. The museum also boasts an extensive sampling of contemporary photography and African art.
5. Glazer Children’s Museum
The Glazer Children’s Museum is just over a year old and home to more than 170 hands-on, minds-on “interactivities,” with plenty of quiet nooks to regroup. “Water’s Journey,” a 35-foot-tall climbing structure, is one of 12 themed galleries that help kids explore everything from the role water plays in the world to the history of aviation. A popular place to be is “KidsPort,” an expansive water table where kids manipulate shipping channels and work with tides to move boats.