The Florida Museum of Photographic Arts (FMoPA) made its move into the historic Ybor City Kress Building official last week. Artists and photographers spilled onto the sidewalk along Seventh Avenue at sunset on Nov. 9, waiting for Mayor Jane Castor and museum leadership to cut the ribbon on FMoPA’s new digs.
“We are honored and thrilled to be in the heart of Ybor City,” said FMoPA Executive Consultant Wendy Leigh. “We couldn’t find a better place to be…We love the diversity; we love the music; we love the chickens; we love the humanity here. And we’re thrilled to share our art here.”
FMoPA is part of a wave of artists and arts organizations that moved into the previously vacant historic Kress building at 1624 E Seventh Avenue in Ybor City in 2022-2023.
Mayor Castor expressed gratitude for the artists and developers who’ve helped bring this historic building back to life, many of whom were at the ribbon cutting.
“This is very exciting to open the photographic arts museum here, but also to have the variety of arts that are on display in this building,” said Castor. “And this is just the beginning. We are going to continue to support the arts, we’re going to continue to grow, and we’re going to continue to tell Tampa’s story in a variety of ways.”
FMoPA opened in its original Hyde Park location in 2001 with an exhibition of Black and White photographs entitled “Masters of Black and White.” FMoPA brought the black and whites back in 2008 as “Masters of Black & White II” when they moved into their downtown Tampa location.
Per tradition, FMoPA opened their current Ybor City location with yet another collection of black and white photographs.
“Icons of Black & White”—which runs through Dec. 3—gathers black and white photographs by history’s most prominent photographers, including Ansel Adams, MIT scientist and researcher Harold E. Edgerton, and African American photojournalist Charles ‘Teeny’ Harris (Pittsburgh Courier).
If you go, don’t miss Angelika Kollin’s solo exhibition, “Turning Darkness into Light.” Although the show opened on Halloween, there’s nothing creepy about it. Running through Dec. 10, the show celebrates how we as human beings have the power to bring light into each other’s lives through our actions, from holding our loved ones close to working in the service of others.
“Icons of Black & White” and Kollin’s “Turning Darkness into Light” open an exciting season of photography at FMoPA which includes the story of the Florida panther as told by photographer/conservationist Carlton Ward in “Path of the Panther” (Dec. 7-Mar. 2024); the FMoPA 2023 Members show (Dec. 12-Jan. 14); and the 11th annual group exhibit of the United Photographic Artists Gallery (Jan. 16-Feb. 18, 2024).
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About The Author
Jennifer Ring
Jen began her storytelling journey in 2017, writing and taking photographs for Creative Loafing Tampa. Since then, she’s told the story of art in Tampa Bay through more than 200 art reviews, artist profiles, and art features. She believes that everyone can and should make art, whether they’re good at it or not...
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