Polk Museum of Art at Florida Southern College

Name

Polk Museum of Art at Florida Southern College

Legal name

The Ashley Gibson Barnett Museum of Art at Florida Southern College

Website

https://polkmuseumofart.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1966

Operating status

Operating

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Art Museum / Cultural Institution

NAICS

Museums (712110)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Art Museums (THAJADAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cultural Centers & Multidisciplinary Arts Institutions (THAJADAJ), Museums & Heritage Sites (History, Science, Specialty) (BPAGAHAA), Arts, Humanities & Creative Research Universities (EDAHABAG)

Keywords

• Art museum exhibitions
• Art education programs
• Permanent art collection
• Community arts programming
• Cultural institution services

Headquarters

HQ city

Lakeland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Memberships: Memberships provide ongoing revenue and support free admission to the museum. The museum operates with a free admission policy underwritten by members, sustaining partners, and visitors who donate at the door.
2. Donations and Strategic Partnerships: Revenue generated through donations at the door, business memberships, Art Resource Trust, and strategic partnerships that underwrite admission and operations.
3. Event Hosting: The museum offers event hosting capabilities including facility rentals for private events, corporate functions, and gallery spaces.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Polk Museum of Art at Florida Southern College is a non-profit visual arts institution that operates a permanent collection of more than 3,400 works, hosts temporary and traveling exhibitions, and delivers art education programs for all ages — from K-12 outreach (Art Express, Junior/Senior Docent) to senior and college audiences. It anchors central Florida's cultural life through signature community events such as Mayfaire by-the-Lake, supported by memberships, donations, sponsorships, and grants.

Product overview

The Ashley Gibson Barnett Museum of Art at Florida Southern College is an academic and community art museum offering a unified portfolio of services centered on world-class exhibitions, art education, and cultural programming. The museum serves approximately 140,000 visitors annually through rotating and permanent exhibitions (featuring works by artists such as Rembrandt, Warhol, and Ringgold), comprehensive education programs for all ages, and signature events including Mayfaire by-the-Lake and the Gallery Concert Series. The institution operates as a single integrated museum experience with free admission, supported by memberships, donations, and strategic partnerships.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Permanent Collection Exhibitions Ongoing free public access to the museum's permanent collection of 3,400+ works of art, available to general visitors in Lakeland, Florida.
• Temporary and Traveling Exhibitions Rotating temporary and traveling exhibitions curated by the museum, presented free to the general public throughout the year.
• Art Express School Outreach Program Classroom- and museum-based visual arts education program designed for K-12 students and teachers across Polk County.
• Junior Docent and Senior Docent Programs Student docent training and leadership programs that engage youth in museum interpretation and education delivery.
• Senior Outreach Program Visual arts programming tailored for senior audiences in the Polk County community.
• Mayfaire by-the-Lake Festival Annual signature community arts festival hosted by the museum, drawing regional attendance and serving as a major fundraising and visibility event.
• Museum Membership Program Tiered membership offering for individuals and households that underwrites free admission and provides member benefits.

Quantifiable outcome

• 140,000 visitors annually learn through works of art from across time and place
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Florida Southern CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2017The museum became affiliated with Florida Southern College on June 1, 2017, to offer area students, faculty, and community members more opportunities to experience masterwork exhibitions, participate in academic programs of excellence and onsite internships, and conduct meaningful art history research. The museum houses and displays year-round themed exhibitions of FSC's museum collection of American figurative art, made possible by Florida Southern College Alumnus J. William Meek, III.
• Smithsonian InstitutioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBecame a proud Smithsonian Affiliate in 2010, at the time making it the only Smithsonian Affiliate fine art museum in Central Florida. Today it is one of two Smithsonian Affiliates fine art museums in Central Florida.
• School Board of Polk CountymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSince 1970, museum staff have worked with the School Board of Polk County to establish and sustain a curriculum-based art education program in alignment with Polk County Schools.
• Polk Arts AllianceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Polk Arts Alliance and Cultural Arts Council of Polk County on the Arts & Economic Prosperity 5 Study conducted by Americans for the Arts in 2016 to report on the economic impact of arts organizations in Polk County.
• Lakeland Public LibraryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic location across from the Lakeland Public Library on Lake Morton in Downtown Lakeland enables natural community integration.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Tampa Museum of Art: Mid-size Florida art museum offering world-class exhibitions, K-12 programs, and a robust membership base. Competes for the same regional donor and visitor pool within driving distance of Lakeland.
• Orlando Museum of Art: Regional art museum serving Central Florida with comparable exhibition, education, and membership-driven programs. Similar scale and Smithsonian-adjacent positioning make it the closest comparable institution in the same metro region.
• Cornell Fine Arts Museum (Rollins College): Small college-affiliated art museum in Winter Park with rotating exhibitions and educational programming. Closest analog to the AGB's FSC affiliation model and community-museum footprint.
• Norton Museum of Art: West Palm Beach art museum with masterwork collection, K-12 education programs, membership model, and recent expansion. Most directly comparable in terms of programmatic scope, accreditation, and free/low-admission access model.
• Museum of Fine Arts St. Petersburg: Regional art museum in Tampa Bay area offering rotating exhibitions, education programs, and membership tiers. Similar scale and community-museum positioning within Florida's art ecosystem.
• Appleton Museum of Art (College of Central Florida): Ocala-based art museum with permanent collection, educational programming, and college affiliation. Closely matches the AGB's small-city, college-affiliated, regional-museum profile.
• Morse Museum of American Art: Winter Park museum focused on American art and Tiffany glass with masterwork collection and free admission. Comparable in scale, free-access model, and Central Florida footprint.
• The Ringling (Ringling Museum of Art): Sarasota-based art museum with permanent collection, educational programming, and signature events (e.g., circus museum tie-ins). Comparable art museum peer within Florida's Gulf Coast cultural ecosystem.

Broad incumbents

• Harn Museum of Art (University of Florida): University-affiliated art museum with permanent collection, K-12 and college programs, and free admission. Comparable academic-affiliation model and education pipeline, but larger and better-funded as part of a major research university.
• Lowe Art Museum (University of Miami): University art museum with diverse permanent collection, K-12 outreach, and rotating exhibitions. Similar academic-affiliation structure and educational programming, but operates at larger scale within a major university.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Polk Museum of Art at Florida Southern College