The Florida Museum of Photographic Arts

Well thought out exhibits with substance beyond simply being aesthetic. The two times I’ve visited, each time I enjoyed the art displayed, the information, background and context. I was not left guessing at the connections between the different artists or pieces groupings. I will return with every visit to Ybor as it’s something that’s moved me with the art presented and the ease of which it can be enjoyed while giving you thoughts you’re likely to return to well after the visit. I like that very much Smaller than larger museums but truly impactful from my experiences.

My experience here was one of the best while in Tampa. I am an avid photographer and love documenting trips and where I visit. This tour was free and we got an entire tour of the museum by our wonderful tour guide. We got to visit during the day and we were practically the only ones on the tour. 10/10 would recommend!

An absolute gem in Ybor City, the Art Museum exudes a captivating atmosphere that elevates the entire experience. The staff is incredibly friendly, making every visit feel like a warm welcome. The curated collection is not just impressive but also thought-provoking. And let's not forget the delightful surprises in the form of unique items available for purchase – a perfect way to take a piece of art home with you. Located in the vibrant heart of Ybor City, this museum is a definite recommendation for both locals and tourists seeking a blend of culture and charm. A must-visit that earns top marks for its friendly vibes and artistic treasures.

This snapshot of Local and other photographers currently hosts photos of celebrities, mostly in the music industry, from the 20th century. The museum offers events, classes, opening receptions, and fund raisers. Currently, the sale of displayed photographs benefits the local Artist Community. Great photo museum.

My wife and I are both into photography so we appreciated the art and took our time. That said it only took about an hour to see everything. There are 2 dead end wings. Maybe 50 to 60 photos? If you're in the Curtis Park area it's nice to come inside for a look around the lobby, which is very nice.

This was my first time visiting this museum . I came to see the Langston Hughes collection . I was very satisfied with my experience there because the museum has a little bit of everything. They also showcase photographs from local artist as well as extrinsic artist as Roger Ballen (1950)

Small museum with a good collection of historic and artistic photographs. Must visit if you are around. Free if the pass is issued with the local library card.

Very pretty building, really nice lady at the service desk. I was expecting more, there were one and a half galleries open. It did not take very long to go through the whole thing which was slightly disappointing. The photographs were nice but it would have been nice to have more to look at.

This small photography museum recently relocated to Ybor City, right on 7th Ave. My first visit was on a Wednesday in April 2025, with a couple of art-loving ladies. Admission was only $12, plus they honor reciprocal museum membership associations. On display during our visit were two different exhibits. In the larger gallery, Tim Smith's "The Hutterites: In the World but Not of It" was a fascinating & touching documentation of these self-contained & self-sufficient colonies that sprinkle the NW US & western Canada. The other gallery featured photographs submitted by Tampa Bay area students for a juried competition in "Through Their Lens: A Journey of Self-Exploration". Both exhibits were outstanding! The museum offers a small gift shop with an eccletic selection of photography-related items and iconic concert poster reproductions. Plus, some vinyl records, photography books, and other small souvenirs, were available for purchase. Also on display, but not for sale, were vintage cameras behind glass on a couple of shelves. Though small, the Florida Museum of Photographic Arts was a great visit as I thoroughly enjoyed both exhibits. I'll note that the two bathrooms were very large & also featured a photograph in each. I definitely hope to return to enjoy future exhibitions!

I hate to mark down and arts and culture business because I love supporting local art galleries but this was pretty disappointing. My friend wanted to go here because he had seen they were doing different events for the week for photography day or something of that sort. The admission was $12 and the museum was basically a large room and a nook with a few more photographs. In total I think there were maybe 20 photos max and none really sparked my interest and apart from one of the photo series, were small photos. It's hard for me because I judge art galleries that charge based off the Harn museum that's in Gainesville, Florida, which is a huge gallery and is free to the public. $12 isn't a lot - especially for Tampa, but it was disappointing and not something I'd recommend to others unless you're deeply into photography. The inky reason I'm doing 2 stars instead of 1 is because the people working there were super nice and informative, I was just disappointed in the gallery, especially since I saw it used to be much larger when it was in another location.

I visited this museum last week for their Ybor Then and Now exhibit. They had that on display along with an exhibit where their members entered their own photographs. I really enjoyed both. Being an Ybor resident, I was really interested in seeing and learning more of its history. The museum is pretty small. I took my time and I was only there about an hour. Not sure if I'd go back unless they had another exhibit that really peaked my interest.

It is smaller than I expected. With it being named the Florida Museum (rather than the Tampa Museum) of Photographic Arts. It has two floors, but the second floor has only two rooms for exhibits. However for the price ($10) I do feel they have enough. It's a nice space and I saw some cool stuff. I didn't rate higher because of the issues I had with logistics on that particularly day of my visit. The 2nd floor with the two rooms is also used as an event space. On the day of my visit, they were setting up for an event which is not the problem. The problem is the employees did not consider that people visiting the museum would need a clear path in between the two rooms. There were tools and other things for the event scattered randomly on the floor. I had to carefully navigate through the stuff to get to the other room and the employees didn't make any effort to move things out of the way. It was a safety hazard to have stuff scattered all over the floor while paying customers are visiting. I wish they had been more mindful of that.

FMoPA is part of the Waterfront Arts District. It is housed in a 6-story structures known as The Cube. The Cube itself is a work of art! It has floor to ceiling windows with post-and-beam framing that bestows patrons with beautiful views of downtown Tampa and Riverwalk. I've been to FMoPA twice and I have been impressed both times by the exhibits. The first exhibit I came to see was Bruce Dale's Beyond the Len's exhibit. This exhibit showcased over 40 portraits taken over the course of his expansive career. He is one of the Greats! During this first visit, there was an exhibit by local photographers and the subject was being in and around Tampa. The photos were quite good, however, the exhibit was displayed in a narrow hallway and it was stifling hot with no air circulating. I couldn't stay in there long which was unfortunate. I came back to see Olivia Parker's Vanishing in Plain Sight exhibit. It is a photographic exhibit of her husband's journey through Alzheimer's. The images not only highlight the essence of John's  journey through Alzheimer's but also of Olivia's journey and the heartbreak as she watches the man that she knew as her husband disappear in front of our eyes. The exhibit is both sombering and painful, yet gentle and full of love. The second time I went, the climate was comfortable but I didn't go down that hallway. Admission is $10 for adults and $8 for seniors, Military personnel, and children. It's free for paying members. They have photography classes for the whole family that are taught by experienced photographers. The exhibits are on the second and the third floor.  It's small so you can see everything in about an hour to an hour and a half if you really take the time with the exhibits. Go check it out. If you like photography, you won't be disappointed. I'll be back.

If you are looking for a relaxing museum experience, this is the perfect place! There are a few galleries to view and each one has a wonderful ambiance. Every photographer has a different style and subject, so you will certainly find something that you like! The front desk is kind and there are many postcards available to purchase. The building is gorgeous and the lighting is perfect for taking photos as well. It's a great, quiet spot to reflect on the images and what they mean to you. If you like art and photography this is right up your alley! And there are many restaurants around so you could plan a fun dinner afterwards.

Not a lot to see. Even though masks were required according to signage, a lot of people were maskless. Also, having one of the photographers hosting a party with food and drink for her guests when it was all going on right out where paying visitors were walking around was a bit off-putting. Rather uncomfortable for those not part of this completely maskless group of friends. You can see everything in about 45 minutes tops!

My favorite part of the museum is the building it is housed in. It's a huge, square building, with gorgeous architectural details, large windows, and interesting angles. The photography museum occupies the 2nd and 3rd Floors of the building. I am always surprised at how small the displays actually are, and how few exhibits are offered at any given time. This most recent visit there were 2 special exhibitions, as well as the 2017 Member Show. Our favorite was the 'Under the Cuban Sun' exhibit - black and white photos of mostly old Cuba, depicting everyday life. I highly recommend buying the booklet on this exhibit for $10 from the tiny museum book shop. The second exhibit this time was Cirkut Camera Photography, which is essentially panoramic photography. Most of these were in black and white, and were of old ships, entire old fire brigades, or military lineups, although my favorite was an early view of Bayshore Boulevard in Tampa. This is a fun museum if you are interested in photography, or if you have an hour or so to kill to in downtown Tampa. If you park in the museum parking lot and bring your ticket in, they will validate it for a flat fee of $5.00.

This museum resides on the 2nd and 3rd floor of the Cube building in downtown Tampa. Not a big museum. I believe we were here about an hour viewing the permanent exhibit plus the visiting exhibit of Cuba in black and white. So enjoyed the old pictures of Cuba plus the varied pictures of Tampa over the ages. It was a bit hot the day we went and I have to say I was uncomfortable. This was my first time here so I'm not sure if this is the norm. Staff was extremely helpful and friendly. It was a bit odd for me to park here and figure out my way inside. I did figure it out but I was totally confused. I was wondering if I would find my car after my visit. I did manage to locate it quickly. Nice afternoon. They do have classes here and events which I would like to participate in.

So I did not come here to see any exhibits or photos rather for a photo class. My mom passed in 2015 and she loved photography. After being photographed for my wedding and by two friends for my 40th birthday I kind of had an interest in photography. Plus great excuse to dust off my mother's camera and try something new. I signed up for the basics class with Pierre and Cathy. I loved it and learned some much. I knew how to turn on the camera and press the button but nothing about the functions nor any technical terms. They were super knowledgeable and patient with me. I am glad it was a small class because we all needed some 1 on 1 instruction lol. I had a blast and it inspired me to want to learn more. I would come back here for more classes and best part it is in a beautiful part of downtown where I had the chance to take some pictures. I highly recommend taking classes here. :) Side note if you park in the garage bring in your ticket for it to be validated and cost $5.

An ok museum. One of the exhibits was 366 photos from 1968. One photo per day throughout the year. (Leap year). The photos were not labeled which was very disappointing. Staff had attempted to identify topics, people in the photos and had a partial printout but many of the people they identified were wrong. The entrance fee was $8 for seniors. There was one other exhibit by a female photographer who took shots of route 66 in the 1950s. They like the other exhibit were just ok. The art space, the cube was the best part of the exhibit. The building is cube shaped ultra modern and very cool.

This museum is small but it's got a lot packed in it. It's located in the Cube building which is right next to the Sykes building downtown. They said the cheapest place to park is at the Poe garage which I lucked out parking in & is only like $1.25 an hour. The exhibitions right now are super cool! But they constantly change so a year from now it will be something completely different. I really enjoyed what they have up right now & the staff at the front desk were eager to help & really nice. They explained all the exhibitions and where to start/go. It's definitely a hidden little museum but I really enjoyed the art & the cafe downstairs!

Just completed first class at museum: Introduction to Smartphone Photography and Editing, 2 hrs $80 for 2 using the Bring a Friend discount. Scott Bolendz instructor. A must take class for all ages and recommend it for families. Parents and teens can enjoy learning tips for quality cell photos and how to more expertly use editing features. If anything parents, take this class to WOW your kids. Scott demonstrates apps (only 2.99 or Free) he uses to edit his own professional photos. He helped us download and link to our camera features. Scott is an award winning artist who puts the class at ease immediately because he validates cell photography. I'm old school and feel like a cheater. But, Scott says to cast away the shame and be grateful for technology that improves our travel and family gathering memories. Check out the museum's website for classes. Scott teaches several including improving your travel photos. We will certainly sign up for more.

Though their view has been literally limited by commercial development in the area, an amazing building. Several years ago, vibrantly attuned to their mission, with classes, world class small exhibits, and programming which involved community. Communication and focus seem to grow increasingly muddled. Hope leadership can restore this institution and strengthen it as a reliable member of Tampa's art community.

The Florida Museum of Photographic Arts is located in downtown Tampa at the intersection of Kennedy Boulevard and Ashley Drive in the five-story building known as The Cube at Rivergate Plaza. The Cube is easy to find since it sits right next door to the famous "Beer Can" building which is home to Sykes Enterprises. There are several parking lots in the area, but it can be a bit confusing to find the one closest to The Cube. My advice is to just dump the car where you can, and do a bit of walking. The museum takes up two floors, and they have a suggested donation of $10 for Adults. You can honestly see everything in about an hour, unless you plan to stand there and oooh and ahh about the composition and lighting for each photo. My good friend Michelle M., had raved about the "Gangsters, Pirates, and Cigars: Photographic History of Tampa from 1879 - 1955" exhibit, and so I was psyched to take a walk through the gallery and soak up some Tampa history. Unfortunately that particular exhibit had already closed, and the current 2nd floor exhibit is Ruth Bernhard: Body and Form, a study of female nudes. While the photos were very beautiful, it was a bit disconcerting when I was hoping to see photos of gangsters and cigar manufacturing. Instead it was boobies as far as the eye could see! The 3rd floor is the Museum's permanent collection with a wide variety of historical, newsworthy, and celebrity photos with something to please everyone. They also have a Community Gallery to showcase the museum's collaborative outreach efforts with other organizations, such as the Boys & Girls Clubs of Tampa Bay, the American Institute of Architects, Shriner's Hospitals, MacDonald Training Center, Creative Loafing, and the University of Tampa. Lots of very fun photographs in this area. I like that the museum has a number of photography classes that are open to the community. Regardless if you're a point-and-shoot beginner or a digital SLR pro, you'll find a nice mixture of classes to sharpen your skills with photography and photo editing. Annual membership to the Museum is $45 for Adults, and that will provide free entrance to the Museum, grand openings, tours, lectures, discounts on the classes and purchases in the Museum store. Check their website for more information about the current exhibits.

The Florida Museum of Photographic Arts used to be nestled away in a small downtown building. I live in Channelside and didn't know that it was a legitimate museum for years. They just recently moved into the cube next to the Sykes building downtown and it's a major upgrade. The Museum is still small. It takes up 2 floors in the cube. They feature really cool photographers. They have had Ansel Adams, Bud Lee, and currently Andy Warhol. As I said, they is a small collection of works but its an inexpensive way to get out of the heat and support a small, local museum. I wish they stayed open later on the weekends so people could go before going out to dinner. They offer photo classes pretty regularly. They also have photo safaris where you get to go out around Tampa and learn to shoot in different conditions. I'm itching to try one of these but they always seem to fall on dates I can't make! I just became a member this weekend. I know, look at me- Support of the arts! I will write another review of the museum after attending one of their gallery openings/closings. I have a feeling those are a lot of fun.

The Florida Museum of Photographic Arts is located on the second and third floor of the Cube, a five-story atrium, in downtown Tampa. This small, but beautiful museum hosts multiple exhibitions throughout the year in addition to their permanent collection from Harold Edgerton and Len Prince. We visited the FMoPA this weekend to see their special exhibit "Gangsters, Pirates, and Cigars: A Photographic History of Tampa 1879-1955". This exhibit included a collection of historical photos of Tampa's mobsters as well as an inside look into cigar manufacturer, Vicente Martinez Ybor. One of the most entertaining parts of the exhibit was the documentary film "The Ghosts of Ybor: Charlie Wall". The film gave a thorough story of Tampa's organized crime figure, Charles McKay "Charlie" Wall. The suggested donation is $10 per person, but it is more of an "expected donation" than a "suggested donation". When we attempted to pay less than $10 per person we were given a hard time. In my opinion they should just charge a standard entrance fee if they don't want visitors to pay less than $10.

I caught the David Hilliard exhibit and really loved it! This is a fun relaxed museum. They have a nice little library. I like the suggested donation approach. It's really a gem in Tampa so don't miss it! They also had a terrific collection of polaroid style guest artworks capturing portraits of Tampa peeps. Great stuff!!! We are lucky to have this well managed museum in our 'hood. So check it out and enjoy.

I have visited this downtown Tampa museum a few times and always leave impressed by its exhibits. Its former location, on the street level on the other side of Kennedy Boulevard, was a nice space but the current address keeps this cultural venue much more visible and closely connected to the downtown cultural scene. Still, it is a little awkward to enter the lobby level and take an elevator to the second floor and then ride the elevator again to the third floor to view more photos. Not a hardship but just not a seamless experience. Dedicated to bringing vital and vibrant photographic works here, this museum is also a community resource that cultivates fledgling to experienced photographers with workshops and classes to help them hone their craft. I would encourage anyone to give this museum, and its exhibitions, a shot. The work is always exceptional and the themes are given in such a way as to allow enough guidance for the visitor but to also allow their own imaginations and interpretations to run free.

What's not to like about the Florida Museum of Photography? I mean where else can you go for a suggested donation of $10. There's two floors of changing photographic pictures that always seem to have a common thread running through them. I enjoyed seeing the different photos and trying to figure out how they're taken. Personally I really enjoy photography and don't do enough of it. Maybe if I go here more often I'll get inspired to get back to my photography. They offer a $45 a year membership fee that includes the teaching of some photography classes, this might be a good idea for me to pursue. The third floor houses there stable art exhibit and has some really significant works of art there. I continue to be quite impressed by the Florida Museum of Photography everytime I go to it. I have visited on several occasions and plan to continue. That $45 a year is looking better and better to me. As is continuing with my personal photographic work. This is a nice way to spend some quiet time by yourself or with friends or relatives. I like to sometimes just go by myself and enjoy the art for exactly what it is.it is. This is located in the building called the cube downtown and it is a nice way to spend an afternoon or morning. Being close to so much you can always grab breakfast or lunch and do some other touring while you're in the area. What's a girl to do? Relax and enjoy what Tampa has to offer.

I wish the place was a bit bigger. The exhibit we saw was Bud Lee's America. Lots of good content and variety, but again, I wish the place was bigger to give more breadth of his work and history. They had a table of print outs though. Although small, you can spend a solid hour in the place. It's pretty cheap: $4 for students. And they offer photography workshops! Good place to go to when downtown. If you have some time to spare, check it out.

I came back for a second photography class/workshop, which again was great. This time I had a little bit of time to walk around the museum. The exhibit portion of the museum is on the small side, with three different areas where works are showcased. It doesn't take very long to go through all of them, I was able to see everything in approximately 10 minutes but I probably could've spent more time if I had the availability.

The Florida Museum of Photographic Arts served as the filming site of the Punisher movie with John Travolta and also Edward Scissorhands with Johnny Depp!! This is a true treasure for cinema-files! 1st floor had a cafe that was closed at 1PM on a Saturday which I thought was odd, pictures of the Punisher movie, pictures of Edward Scissorhands movie, and the entrance to the bank vault that was featured in the movie. We had to go to 2nd floor to register. On 2nd floor, we saw the Underwater Marine Life exhibit and there were quite a few amazing photos! We then saw the travelling hotel room selfies exhibit on 3rd floor which was kinda funny but also a little weird. They visited a hotel where they could feed a giraffe through a window, a hotel which was in a tent, an Indian hotel, and a hotel that was just a bunch of beds with mosquito nets over it. It would have been helpful if they would've included captions to tell us where each hotel was. This museum has tons of glass offering beautiful views of Curtis hixon park, the downtown skyline, and the beer can building. They also have a cool bike rack that is shaped in the form of a bike. This is kind of a small museum with just 2 floors but still slightly bigger than the Tampa Museum of Art by Curtis Hixon Park. Because of the open air high ceiling design of this building, 2nd and 3rd floor weren't as big as they should have been and thus there was less room for exhibiting art. This is a large building on the outside but has very little viewing space on 2nd and 3rd floor. I think it took us only 15 minutes to get through this museum. The St Pete Museum of Fine Arts And Dali Museum is way bigger. The suggested donation of $10 for adults is more like an expected donation.

The museum, located on the second floor, is home to a mix of fresh and classic photographic styles that they rotate on a fairly frequent basis. I got in free with my Dali museum card which offers reciprocal admission the month of April; Otherwise I probably would have paid the $10. I parked at the garage also on Ashley and walked the block down. You may spend 1.5 hours and that's if you take in a coffee on the first floor.

There are two floors. I only got to see the main floor. It was quite what I expected. Not as many photographs as I thought they would have.

The museum is in a huge cube building near the Riverwalk downtown Tampa. It lives on the second and third floor, which I have been to for an event otherwise I would have not known to head up the elevator from the spacious lobby. There were three exhibits during our visit: Roger Steffens: The Family Acid, Jean Pagliuso: Poultry, Raptors, Places of Ritual and Chris Buck: Magnificent Hurt. The exhibits themselves were well curated and very interesting, but the way the building is designed didn't leave much room and I had thought there would be much more to look at. It is worth a visit if you are interested in Photographic Arts, but don't expect it to be a cornerstone event of a day.

I wasn't quite sure what to expect at this art museum. Photography is not my favorite medium of art but I was excited to check this out. The building was undergoing some renovations so the lobby was not really clearly marked as to where we should go, but we found our way up the second floor where the museum was. I was excited to see the exhibit of Chris Buck: Magnificent Hurt, and it was interesting to see these portraits of celebrities in different ways. There were a few other exhibits that were ok but the museum didn't really blow me out of the water. Depending on the exhibits there at the time, go check it out, but don't expect to have this take up too much of your day.

I love museums and surprisingly this is a museum that I have never been to and it's right here in my city. I put it on my list of places to go and one night I found out there was an exhibit opening where the photographer was going to be there and would give a speech. It was $10 for the admissions fee, which was fairly cheap, they had complementary wine and flatbreads to go with the opening. When it was close to the opening time, we went upstairs and sat down to hear the photographer speak. It was really cool to hear his perspective and how he views art, as well as how he portrays it in his art. Long story short, it was a very nice experience and would love to go back and check out newer exhibits. (ALSO HAS A NICE BATHROOM)

Abysmal. An absolute waste of time and money! We went in (on February 20th), expecting maybe photographic work from (mainly) famous people, like Ansel Adams, Annie Lebovitz, Margaret Bourke-White. Maybe a look at the history of photography, it's development over time, etc. What we experienced was the work of 2-3 people that encompassed (maybe) 2,000 square feet of wall space on part of the second and third floor. We couldn't even stretch out our visit for more than ten minutes. They had a lot of balls charging admission. Not a donation, mind you, but admission. Probably because they knew they would not get much via donation. Don Eckert

My best friend and I enjoyed so much of our short time together here. There was an amazing display of art and organizational beauty. I loved every minute within our experience, thank you Florida museum of Photographic Arts!!!!

The building was more amazing than the displays. I enjoyed the displays somewhat. I was expecting more but it's a perfect date idea.

The museum is in a multi level building, once entering you learn that the museum consists only of the second and third floor. Suggested admission charge is $10.00 per adult. I spent about an hour in the facility viewing the exhibits on both floors. The exhibits were Ruth Bernhard and Elger Esser. The curtains were drawn obviously to control UV light from the prints, however the architecture of the building is wonderful if you get to look around from the lobby's.

"Museum" has potential given the display space and architecture (I enjoyed the viewing atmosphere, private experience in a public area. A bank & coffee shop are present on the ground floor; commotion from such can be heard while observing the artwork in a private manner) -- pleasant viewing areas though very quaint. Not as vast as expected; more comparable to a gallery than a museum, certainly worth a browse though. View the current exhibits on their website as it seems there are no permanent displays beyond specified exhibits.

I have always loved the building FMoPA now occupies and the placement in downtown has made this more of an arts district where you can see multiple exhibits and shows within walking distance. Andy Warhol and friends is still one of my favorite opening events and exhibits of all time, that I shared with family and students. Most recently, working with the museum for a photography loan was fantastic from the process of selecting works, communications and planning, the hanging process, and provisions of collateral. The staff and the space are top notch.

Locals a MUST SEE. 3 rotating collections that keep you coming back to support this art. Let it be said, Im not a 5 hour museum visitor, I'm more lia 1 hour visitor that comes back multiple time to see the same collections. - This Museum tour is small , led by yourself by reading displays (that will require glasses) can be a short tour took me just over sn hour. The collections are well lit with descriptions. The building itself is an attractions with a photo Opportunity on 3rd floor of circle window. Get a discount by using a Tampa Downtown Guide. Students $8, a $2 discount.

This museum is fantastic and a staple of the Tampa bay photographic community. I've had the pleasure of being on both sides of the fence here. As a visitor the the fact that they have constant exhibits coming through both internationally and locally is a blessing. As someone who's worked with them in the past, I can wholehearted say that the staff was always polite and beyond helpful to achieve a goal to ensure an exhibit was ready for the masses. The bonus: the surrounding grounds to the museum make for great images.

A suggested donation at a photo art museum in Tampa is a good deal. While not on par with things you would find in culture capitals (Berlin, NYC, etc) this place serves as an embassy of culture in this vacuum that is Tampa. I really hope I can display here one day, as this is my hometown photo museum.

FMoPA was not at all what I was expecting ... I guess I expected to see work from local artists, instead I saw a compilation of historical photos from the Tampa Bay Area. I give it four stars because it was really informative, and having only lived in Saint Petersburg for a year now it helped us understand the culture a little better. I'm not sure it was worth the $10/head, maybe $5 would have been more appropriate.

This had to be one of the most embarrassing outings I've had in awhile, when I went with my wife and her parents to see this very minuscule display that calls itself a museum. They keep talking about two floors of pictures, but it's only one side of the building with some small cubby areas for the pictures. The selection wasn't necessarily bad, but it wasn't great, either. I've had better experiences in large coffee houses and restaurants that feature art on their walls. Let's just say the name is extremely pretentious what it really is, and that's why it gets as low a star as it does.

Ehhhh. The 8 dollar student admission was too much. It's a 5 story building but only 1.5 floors have any photography available. One of the exhibits was borderline child porn, and made us all very uncomfortable. Believe me, I love art, and my appreciation stretches quite far having lived with an art student for a year, but half naked 4 year olds in suggestive positions kinda creeps me out. Other exhibits include LiveJournal shots of someone's eyeball with a cell phone camera from 2005 and a non air conditioned hallway which is sure to doom any real art in months time. Don't get me wrong, we saw good stuff, like that one of the woman getting a tattoo. There's just not enough art. Maybe 5 dollar's worth. Not ten.

I've experienced FMoPA as a student (taking a photography seminar), and visitor, enjoying exhibits. It's a must-visit destination for Florida residence, and those visiting from out of town. A Tampa gem!

The Florida Museum of Photographic Arts is a great idea, but this effort is pretty much a failure. It is a small gallery in a huge (and beautiful) building. I have been to several exhibits there, continuing to look for improvement, but it's just not forthcoming. The Tampa Museum of Art recently exhibited Henri Cartier-Bresson that was by far better than any exhibit I've seen at FMoPA, and that museum doesn't specialize in photography. In a photography museum I would expect to see an exhibit of photography equipment and processes (or at least a historical perspective of some kind), a staff versed in the art of photography, as well as exhibits from prominent photographers. FMoPA has little of this and completely misses the mark. There is a display case of old cameras and a store where patrons can buy books on older photography, but nothing really educational about the history and prominence of photography. That, in my view, is what a museum is and does.