Museum of The American Arts and Crafts Movement Delays Opening
by Kate Nixon
This article has been updated to reflect the address of the museum site.
The Museum of the American Arts and Crafts Museum (MAACM) has entered the final stages of construction, however, the projected completion date for the museum has been moved to occur in the early Summer of 2020. Currently, an exact date has not yet been released.
“Although the initial completion date of the museum has been moved again, we are working diligently to ensure that construction of this complex, multi-phase project wraps up early spring 2020 and we look forward to the grand opening,” said Rudy Ciccarello, president and founder of the MAACM.
The project started through the collection of the non-profit organization The Two Red Roses Foundation, founded by Rodolfo “Rudy” Ciccarello. Ciccarello acquired the 3.2 acre back in 2014 and a 300-space parking garage was added in 2015; floors were added, increasing the space from 90,000 square feet to 137,000 square feet. The five-story museum will house Ciccarello’s collection of more than 2,000 decorative and fine art objects from early 20th century design, including furniture, ceramics, glass, lighting and more. Forty thousand square feet of the space will be dedicated to galleries; additional features to the museum include a grand atrium, a museum store, a 100-seat theatre, a café and restaurant, and a research library. The collection will include work by Gustav Stickley, Charles Rohlfs, Frank Lloyd Wright, the artists of Byrdcliffe Colony, Greene and Greene, Dirk Van Erp, Roycroft, Newcomb Pottery and Arthur Wesley Dow among other icons of the movement.
“We are working diligently to ensure that construction of this complex, multi-phase project wraps up early spring 2020 and we look forward to the grand opening.” – Rudy Ciccarello, president and founder of the Museum of the American Arts and Crafts Movement
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The building will be the only museum in the world dedicated exclusively to the American Arts and Crafts movement, which revived and elevated the art of handicrafted items during the industrial revolution. The exterior of the building itself will feature rare stone and woods, leaded glass, handwrought copper, vintage glazed tiles, Venetian plaster, and handmade chandeliers. Crafting the museum itself into a meaningful monument to the Arts and Crafts movement is a process that the development team responsible says takes time. “Perfection takes persistence,” said Alberto Alfonso, president of Alfonso Architects.
”We are anxiously awaiting the opening and are excited to show this iconic museum to local residents and the international arts community,” said Tom Magoulis, Executive Director of the MAACM.
The museum is located at 355 4th St. N., St. Petersburg, FL. 33701
We at artsandcraftscollector.com will continue to make updates to this story in the coming months, including the opening date for the museum.