Orlando Museum of Art
2416
N Mills Ave
Orlando, FL 32803
(407) 896-4231
Orlando, FL 32803
(407) 896-4231
Closed
Mondays
AT A
GLANCE: Orlando Science Center
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Date of Visit:
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Saturday, January 14,
2017
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Parking
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Plentiful and free,
onsite parking.
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Amount of time needed
to peruse exhibits:
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45 – 90 minutes
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Amount of time needed
for gift shop
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25 – 35 minutes
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Online shopping
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OMA offers just a few
things on its online shopping site. If
you see something you like, buy it.
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Dress code
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You may feel conspicuous if you wear
shorts and a tank top to the Orlando Museum of Art. It’s ok to do so, as long as you make them
a decent pair of shorts. “Street wear”
looks a bit tacky.
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Be sure to…..
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Visit the Mennello
Museum, located across the street from OMA.
It is currently under construction to install a new exhibit. Admission is free during this time, and
they still have a few gift shop items for sale (tote bags, coffee cups). Visit here to see the greatest collection
of Earl Cunningham paintings.
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Nearby/other
establishments to visit
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·
Orlando Fire Museum
No official website
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Mennello Museum of American Arts *
http://www.mennellomuseum.com/ * The Mennello Museum is currently under construction to install a new exhibit.
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Nearby places if you feel like wandering about: http://omart.org/visit/loch_haven_park/
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Walkability, general
downtown area / amount of traffic
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This museum district
is walkable. Park your car in the
shade, and wander about. You’ll need a
car or other transportation to have lunch at Q’Keenen.
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Safety, in terms of
type and number of crimes committed in general area
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Generally safe, but be
alert, as you will encounter many tourists visiting the museums. Still, stow your valuables out of sight and
lock your car.
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Orlando Museum of Art Mission
Statement:
“… to enrich the cultural life of Florida by
providing excellence in the visual arts.”
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| The entrance of the Orlando Museum of Art. |
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| The gift shop is to your right. |
Do you know why I especially like the gift shops of
contemporary art museums? Because I like
to do something that I’m good at, after spending almost an hour with art that I
don’t always understand.
The photo to the left was one of only a few I could take. It's "no cameras" allowed once you get to the exhibits on the wood floor (shown in the bottom left). Click here to take a peek at exhibited art: OMA Current Exhibitions
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| Welcome! Come on it. |
Have you ever visited an art museum, and felt
overwhelmed (or bored) by the many displays? To know that you will visit the gift shop afterward gives us a boost in
our mood, and adds a bit of excitement along with it.
Gift shops make us feel safe in a comfortable
surrounding along with giving us pretty things to look at. The OMA gift shop does something for visitors
that I hadn’t seen before: providing a
place to sit. They kept to their artsy vibe by adding two brightly colored tables; tables that would only by
appropriate in an artsy place.
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| Square erasers, but what is the banana used for? Read on for the answer. |
A good art museum gift shop aims to connect you with their exhibits, but a secondary reason exists, which is to help those, like me, who need help in making this connection. In other words, the gift shop aids in “translating” the art exhibits on a personal levels. How? By stocking merchandise including books about an artist, an art movement, or a similar artist. Art reproductions on posters or coffee mugs lets us enjoy the art after we’ve returned home.
For example, when I first started visiting art
museums, I discovered that I love bright colors. This lead me to a preference for artist
Georgia O’Keefe, who I think is the master of bright colors. The Orlando Museum of Art (OMA) had an
original O’Keefe painting on display, and I was chomping at the bit to find art
reproductions or books about one of my favorite artist. No luck there, but I did spot a set of
candles that were reminiscent of her style and reminding me of her paintings of
poppies:
Although I came up dry with O’Keefe items, I happened
upon a book which had bright colors on the front of it. It was a book about Harold Garde. I don’t know who that is, but I feel
extremely smug knowing that I “discovered” a new artist.
The OMA gift shot didn’t have shot glasses, but they
had plastic-looking Dixie cups in black.
They’re located on the table on the bottom left side. Branded t-shirts also available. 
Their refrigerator magnets are cute little reproductions of famous artists, e.g., Salvador Dale. I was hoping for one designed after their imaginative logo. Personally, I think that OMA is miss out out on some incremental sales by not having a logo magnet. With the artist magnets, you most likely put these on a home appliance or on a filing cabinet at work. Much later, you look at that magnet and remember the good time you had there, and would like to re-visit. Hmmm… where was that museum and what was the name? Now, supposed you purchased one of our fictional logo magnets. Where was that museum? Orlando. What was the name of it? Its nickname us OMA, and a quick computer search informs you that it is the Orland Museum of Art. Woo Hoo! Time to plan a return trip.
These are great coffee mugs for those who are serious about their art. Note: the one that is second to the right is by Salvador Dali, in case you bought that refrigerator magnet.
Their refrigerator magnets are cute little reproductions of famous artists, e.g., Salvador Dale. I was hoping for one designed after their imaginative logo. Personally, I think that OMA is miss out out on some incremental sales by not having a logo magnet. With the artist magnets, you most likely put these on a home appliance or on a filing cabinet at work. Much later, you look at that magnet and remember the good time you had there, and would like to re-visit. Hmmm… where was that museum and what was the name? Now, supposed you purchased one of our fictional logo magnets. Where was that museum? Orlando. What was the name of it? Its nickname us OMA, and a quick computer search informs you that it is the Orland Museum of Art. Woo Hoo! Time to plan a return trip.
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| "Pedestrian" necklaces |
Would you like a
bracelet? Yes, please. I would have loved to buy all of them. However, the jewelry located on
top of the first glass cabinet looked rather ordinary to me; kind of “pedestrian.” I really wanted to buy a set of candle holders
shaped like origami take-out containers, for which I had no purpose. They were so darned cute, though. Sigh... they were still in the gift shop when we left.
These are great coffee mugs for those who are serious about their art. Note: the one that is second to the right is by Salvador Dali, in case you bought that refrigerator magnet.
These are great coffee mugs for the rest of us, who
maybe aren’t as serious about art.
The ornaments have similar designs to the coffee
mugs for “serious” art lovers. You know,
if coffee mugs aren’t your thing.
The OMA gift shop has lots of plush for children,
though I’m not sure how it relates to its exhibits. I need to fess up here: the plush seals creep me out. They are those weird white things at the
bottom in the middle, I’d much rather go with a walrus, in the bottom right
corner.
Not plush, but stuffed animals pillows for the art lover of
all ages (photo on left).
I was glad to see art
books for children, but I don’t think this is a good gift shop for children to
shop for themselves. Much of the
inventory is priced in the average - expensive range, and there are all kinds
of breakable things.
The second glass counter is located by the cashier,
and is smaller than the first one. The two glass counters in this
gift shop is for you if you are looking for statement jewelry. I unequivocally adore the middle necklace(left),
which is the one with stones and sea shells.
It’s doubtful that you would ever see any ones else wearing the same necklace
as you. You’re such a maverick, sporting
around town wearing a statement necklace.
Kudos to you! 
Thumb through these art reproductions to find
something by an artist that you discovered today. Try not to be too haughty when your friends
ask about it. They are not the traveler
that you are, and lack exposure to art and jewelry.
Every wall in the gift shop displays original pieces by local artists, which is also for sale. I tried to capture the differences of this art, so you don’t think it’s all weird stuff.
In the meantime, I will find a space at home for
one of the yarn-fabric things. I think
I like the one with the white background because of its bright colors. You know what would be funny? Many of you are craftsy people, and those
fabric pieces of art look fairly easy to make.
Whip one up yourself, and tell folks that it’s an original from a local
artist. Technically, you wouldn’t be
lying.
The mystery of the banana is solved. I had no idea of what they were when I first
saw them, thinking that they were an eraser, or a highlighter. Wrong on both accounts. Show off your Florida side with one of these
when you go home. Granted, you’re going
to need to load up on wine to ensure you get plenty of use from your
banana. It’s ok, you’re supporting the
arts in your own unique way. Adult beverage, anyone?
When you're through puttering around the gift shop, head back outside and turn left for the sculpture plaza.
The temperature was in the low 80s when we visited
in mid-January. Cool off and refresh
yourself by standing near this water feature in the sculpture park. You’ll get misted with water, not wet.
Websites for additional info:
Are you ready for lunch yet? Get back in the car , head for I-4 south,
drive about 20 minutes and you’ll find yourself outside of a strip mall,
featuring a Publix grocery store. Don’t worry;
you’re in the right place. From the
parking lot, go right as you face Publix, and go around the corner, and you’ll
find Q’Kenan tucked away there. It’s
tough to find, yet worth it. I liked the
description of them on Google Maps:
“Classic Venezuelan fare in low-key digs.” We had the Tumba Rancho and the Dominó (numbers 18 and 23 on the menu). After we shared our sandwiches with each
other, we declared both of them as incredibly tasty. Try the frozen lime-ade, too. I thought it was similar to that frozen
lemonade we used to buy back in the day, so I didn’t expect much. What I got was a fresh lime slushy. I couldn’t finish mine, and our waiter
produced a to-go for me.
Here’s the Q’Kenan website accompanied by a review
from tripadvisor.com: Q'Kenan Latin Food
Q’Kenan’s website is in Spanish, but start scrolling
down and you’ll see an option to go to the English version. TripAdvisor review
I have one final website for you, for a link to a streaming AM radio station. You may start to miss Florida after you return home: http://www.radio1300.com/. This station has beach reports, weather, and happenings in our part of Florida.
I hope you've had a good day exploring Orlando.
Postscript:
Do you remember me mentioning my new cousin, the artist, in the Foosaner
Museum re-visit? His name is Jim
Leonard, and here’s a link to the article that appeared in the Smithsonian
Magazine. Smithsonian magazine article
No, I don’t understand the art he uses, but he’s a really nice
guy.
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