Beach Fun at The Pensacola Museum of Art

Florida’s decades-long surfing history will be showcased during the newest exhibition at the Pensacola Museum of Art which opens Thursday, May 24, 2012. The museum will also host “The Beach Ball,” a beach-themed, outdoor street party at the Museum on Friday, June 8, 2012 from 5:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. The party will be held in lieu of the Museum’s usual monthly Culture Club event.

The Beach Ball will include tropical food and drinks from local restaurants, live music and admission to the surf exhibition. Everyone is invited to the party. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased online or at the Museum.

More than 25 professional surf photographers contributed to the chronological presentation of historical and contemporary photographs, vintage surfboards and surf memorabilia from across Florida. Scholars from four universities have woven surfing’s larger themes, including nature, religion, environmental activism, music and maritime history, into the specifics of Florida’s surfing history.

The exhibition will include one gallery dedicated to local and regional surfboards and memorabilia. Surfing films compiled from vintage clips will be shown during the summer-long exhibition which runs through Saturday, September 1, 2012. Anyone interested in loaning vintage boards or surf memorabilia is asked to contact Fred Esposito at Espocreative@gmail.com .

Surfing Florida is a Photographic History that has been organized by Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton. University Galleries Director, Rod Faulds and Project Curator and Editor, Paul Aho curated the exhibition which was made possible through a grant from the Florida Humanities Council and through funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

The Pensacola Museum of Art is located at 407 South Jefferson St. Museum hours are Tuesday - Friday,
10 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., and Saturday 12:00 - 5:00 p.m. The Museum is closed Sundays and Mondays.

Admission is $5 for adults and $2 for students and active duty military. Children under 5 get in free. On Tuesdays admission is free to the public. For more information about the Museum call (850) 432-6247, visit the website at www.pensacolamuseumofart.org or log on to Facebook at Pensacola Museum of Art .