From the boardroom to the hub of the art scene in St. Petersburg, Florida, Tom James, Chairman Emeritus of Raymond James Financial, Inc., and his wife Mary, are honored to announce the opening of The James Museum of Western & Wildlife Art to the public beginning April 7, 2018 with a grand opening celebration to be held the weekend of April 28-29.
“I felt I could make a contribution to cementing the image of St. Petersburg as a tourist attraction by enhancing its reputation as an art destination,” shares Tom James. “Without our development team’s and curator’s assistance as well as that of St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman and his staff, the James Museum would be a dream instead of a beautiful new addition to St. Petersburg and the Tampa Bay Area. It’s been a wonderful experience for us to collect art, and we hope visitors will enjoy the sojourn through our collection.”
With 30,000 square feet of gallery space and works by over 200 artists including Charles Russell, Frederic Remington, Irving Couse, John Sharp, Allan Houser, Jesse Monongya, Howard Terpning, Bob Kuhn, Martin Grelle, John Coleman, Bonnie Marris, John Seerey-Lester, and Tammy Garcia, the collection comprises 400 paintings, sculptures, and jewelry. Handpicked from Tom James and his wife Mary’s 3000-piece private collection, the artworks showcase the American West from a historical and modern perspective.
In addition to the eight galleries, the museum includes a theatre, shop, cafe catered by Datz, special events space for up to 750 people and events and programming for all ages. The museum—located in St. Petersburg, Florida at 150 Central Ave.—will be open from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily and Tuesdays from 10 a.m.-8 p.m.
To read more about the art collection and a private interview with Tom James check out a story done for Destination Tampa Bay magazine.
About the James Museum of Western & Wildlife Art 
The James Museum contains about 400 works of art selected from over 3,000 pieces acquired by Tom and Mary James over their 50 years of art collecting. The 88,000 square foot museum includes over 30,000 square feet of gallery space; a double height lobby with water feature; a Native American jewelry collection; 6,000 square feet of rental event space, supporting both large events and break-out sessions; a commercial catering kitchen; and a museum shop and café. Planned programming includes special exhibitions in a variety of genres, artist talks and demonstrations, art classes, docent tours and children’s activities. Through exhibitions and education programs, The James Museum of Western & Wildlife Art will emphasize the core values of art that moved Tom and Mary James: action, fortitude, heritage and integrity.