TARPON SPRINGS, Fla. — The Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art in Tarpon Springs is looking to move some of its exhibits into the 21st century with help from one of the largest donations in the museum’s history.
They will be able to do this after recently receiving a million-dollar donation.
The museum says it’s only the second time in the museum’s 22-year history it has received a donation that large.
It’s in honor of an art gallery owner in Tampa, James Mitchell, who recently passed away.
His siblings donated $1 million to the museum in his name so they can keep the arts alive and thriving.
“It’s transformational, truly transformational,” said Christine Renc-Carter, the executive director of the museum. “I never thought I would see this in my tenure here at the museum.”
According to Renc-Carter, much of the funds will go into creating contemporary and interactive spaces for the art they showcase.
“We’re inspiring the future generations with art, but we’re also engaging the community that surrounds us,” she said.
Like with the reproduction of a Picasso mural, Guernica, in the museum.
This is the only authentic reprint of the mural in the world with the original piece in Spain.
“Behind it,” Renc-Carter said, when referencing the mural, “is a lighting system and gears that’s totally analog.”
It used to be an interactive experience, but with analog, it stopped working about five years ago.
With this money, Renc-Carter says they’re bringing the mural into the 21st century by making the interactive elements digital and futureproof.
“We are able to truly envision the future of the museum and make it this interactive destination that it was always meant to be,” she said.
Renc-Carter anticipates that it’ll take about a year to update the mural to the digital age.
She says the money will also help with the museum’s reaccreditation process with the American Alliance of Museums.