This article is part of a special Fine Arts & Exhibits section on how museums, galleries and auction houses are embracing new artists, new concepts and new traditions.
In 1997, Rudy Chicarello saw a copy of Gustav Stickley’s bookshelf near his home in Palm Harbor, Florida. A few weeks later, he saw the original on the bookshelf at an auction and was immediately drawn to the work of the American Arts and Crafts Movement. Since then, he has started building a collection that includes everything from furniture to ceramics to movement metalwork.
Former entrepreneur Ciccarello, who made his fortune as the founder of the pharmaceutical company Florida Infusion Services, decided to create a museum to house his collection.
Over several years with Tampa architect Alberto Alfonso of Alfonso Architects, he spent approximately $65 million on the 137,000-square-foot building, which includes 40,000 square feet of gallery space. American Arts & Crafts Movement Museum Located in the center of Saint Petersburg.
Has Chicarello ever considered donating all or part of his collection to an existing museum? “Never,” he wrote in an email. “The collection is too important to be treasured and entrusted to an institution that may not be aware of its importance.”
Mr. Chicarello is not alone. Collectors across the country are choosing to establish their own museums, and perhaps nowhere is this trend more pronounced than in Florida. Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic coast.
There are many relatively new museums on the Atlantic coast. For example, the Lebel Museum opened in his 1993. Miami is also home to the Marguilles Collection, including The Warehouse, and Dania Beach, near Fort Lauderdale, has been home to the Vienna Museum of Decorative Arts since 2014.
Art/exhibition special corner
More recently, however, the Gulf Coast has made similar moves. In St. Petersburg alone, since 2018 he has opened three new museums. These include Mr. Cicarello’s Museum and James He’s Museum of Western and Wildlife Art, which primarily houses a collection of Western art by living artists. It was created by Raymond his James Financial Chairman Emeritus Tom his James and his wife Mary.on the way The Imagine Museum, home to Trish Duggan’s glass collectiona local philanthropist, which houses her own glass collection. James and Imagine both opened in 2018.
St. Petersburg is the home of Dali, which opened in 1982. It houses the Reynolds and Eleanor Morse collections and attracts about 400,000 visitors each year. “I think Dali’s success helped prove that St. Petersburg is a new museum destination,” Mark Ormond, who has been curator at various Florida museums, said in an interview. In 2010, Chihuly became home to his collection of the artist’s work, funded by local philanthropist Beth Morian.
Chris Ballestra, St. Petersburg’s managing director of development, said the city has been very involved in finding the right kind of development.
they have a reason. The American Museum Alliance reports: Museums generate more than $12 billion in tax revenue, one-third of which goes to state and local governments.
Admittedly, some collectors donate all or part of their collections to existing museums, but dealing with collectors often means walking a tightrope of negotiations. Steven High, executive director of the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota (also founded by private collectors), said the museum had always considered donations, but space and interest were limited and donors said it could make dramatic demands. “If we were going to build a new building for the collection, we had someone who would give us the collection,” Hai said in his telephone interview. “It never happened.”
Collectors who build their own collections often have a strong vision of what they want.
For example, Mr. Chicarello’s museum executive director and longtime business associate, Tom Magris, wanted to build a craft museum in Tampa, but disagreements with the city led to negotiations falling apart. I remembered. Mr. Chicarello went elsewhere.
“St. Petersburg has been very welcoming,” Magris said. Collectors may start negotiations in one town and end up in another. It is often a place where museums are densely packed.
Filmmaker George Lucas initially Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in San Francisco and later in Chicago, where he and his wife, Melody Hobson, have a close relationship. But when negotiations faltered, they moved forward with museums in Los Angeles, resulting in him having two new museums in Los Angeles. Lucas, due to open in 2025, and Broad, which opened in 2015 and was funded by Eli his Broad and his wife Edith. About Lucas: “He’s proud that the museum is being built in South LA, one of the most vibrant neighborhoods in Los Angeles. It’s part of Exposition Park,” said Sandra, director of Lucas. Jackson Dumont wrote in an email. It’s privately funded, she notes, and plans to make a donation.
Whether a donor builds a museum or donates to an existing organization, there are attractive tax incentives. For example, if an investor donates cash or fine art to the foundation, he can deduct the value of that cash or fine art from his income taxes for five years, said former New York Attorney General William Josephson. The department’s charity office explained. However, the deduction will not exceed his 50% of the donor’s income each year.
For example, $75 million was spent building the James Museum. James has admitted to putting money into the tax exempt entity that owns the museum. As a result, he was able to take advantage of those tax credits.
Chicarello donated 2,000 pieces from his craft collection to his two Red Rose Foundations, according to the foundation’s website.
Other museums have more modest goals. For example, James, who has a multi-billion dollar fortune, said he planned to spend $45 million on the new museum and create a $30 million fund. Instead, he recalled, the cost ballooned to his $75 million. The annual budget is currently about $4.5 million and the museum’s revenue is about $2.5 million. James is filling in the rest for now, with the goal of creating his $50 million fund funded by himself and his donors. “If the fund makes more than 5 percent in a year, without violating principle, he can distribute $2.5 million to cover losses at the museum,” he explained.
Long-term funding is very important.of Rubin MuseumFocusing on Himalayan art, it opened in New York City in 2004. At the time, there were concerns that funding could run out by 2020, the museum’s spokeswoman Sandrine Milet confirmed. did. In 2019, she announced that she was laying off and reducing staff and hours to make the museum more financially secure. Millett said the addition of federal loan programs, such as the Paycheck Protection Program and financial assistance from donors, has mitigated pandemic-related revenue losses. And the 2019 strategic plan has led to a series of global initiatives to expand Rubin’s international presence.
A clearly targeted new museum should also diversify its exhibits. “It is important for museums with a single focus to broaden the subject matter of their exhibits to attract a more diverse and broad audience,” said Susan Weber, director of the Bard Center for Decorative Arts in New York.
The Jameses, who began collecting Western art when they went skiing west, know how difficult it can be. Last month, the museum debuted an exhibit called “Black Pioneers: Legacy of the American West.” It explores the diversity of their professions and lifestyles and will run until January 8, 2023. The museum already hosts book clubs, movie nights and concerts. Visitor numbers are up 30% through August compared to 2019, according to museum executive director Laura Hein.
Mr James said: Former chairman of Dali’s board and founder of James says he is determined to make sure St. Petersburg becomes a center of art, not just a beach destination .