The Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art

Celebrates the finale of its 20th anniversary year with award-winning architecture and design.  

Opening its doors in 2002, the Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art (LRMA) is celebrating 20 years of serving the community with a series of exhibitions that highlights the museum’s masterworks, Florida artists, and its award-winning architecture. This fall marks the finale of this year-long celebration with four exhibitions that build on the museum’s legacy by highlighting the modern style of Tarpon Springs architect Edward C. Hoffman, Jr., and architecturally inspired works from the permanent collection.  

Building Legacies: Architecture + Design is the theme of the fall exhibitions at the Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art. Special exhibition Edward C. Hoffman, Jr., A.I.A. | Visioning Structure, on view September 17 through December 16, 2022, is a retrospective of LRMA’s own architect Ed Hoffman. Architectural sketches, plans, renderings, models, presentation boards, prints, photographs, and awards document Hoffman’s 40-year career and reveal his passion for Modernism and local history. Recognized as a favorite son of Tarpon Springs, Hoffman has left a mark on the built environment of the city since opening Hoffman Architects, P.A. in 1981.  

Designed by Hoffman Architects and built by Creative Contractors, Inc., the Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art is home to a massive collection of art and archives from artists Allen Leepa, Abraham Rattner and Esther Gentle and works by important contemporary artists known locally and internationally. As an extension of Hoffman’s exhibition, Building Legacies: Architecture + Design, also on view September 17 through December 16, 2022, highlights more than 85 works from the museum’s major collections in four breakout galleries that includes Abraham Rattner’s architectural commissions from the 1950s, mixed media works by Florida artists, photography by Joseph Constantino, and contemporary prints.  

The exploration of architecture and “constructed” works continues in the Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art’s Challenge of Modern Art Interactive Gallery with Structure of Prints: The Dorothy Mitchell Collection, on view August 13, 2022 – March 12, 2023. This exhibition features a selection of 17 vibrant prints from the experimental screenprinting workshop Berghoff-Cowden Editions created by internationally known artists Sam Gilliam, Miriam Schapiro, George Sugarman, Brad Davis, Frank Faulkner, and Roberto Juarez.  

Finally, Building Legacies: Architecture + Design, Joseph Constantino Photography, will be on view October 22, 2022 – February 12, 2023, in the Lothar and Mildred Uhl Works on Paper Gallery. Constantino’s solarized black-and-white photographs highlight the architectural wonders of cultural and educational institutions in Florida, including the Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art, the Dalí Museum, the Museum of Photographic Art, and Florida Polytechnic University.  

Edward C. Hoffman, Jr., A.I.A. | Visioning Structure 

September 17 – December 16, 2022 

The Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art’s founding Director serves as guest Curator for Visioning Structure. This retrospective of the museum’s architect Edward C. Hoffman, Jr., provides insight through the architect’s creative process and highlights his major projects from educational campuses to private residences that have impacted our community. Hoffman’s flair for Modernism is balanced with his love of local history. Recognized as a favorite son architect of Tarpon Springs, Hoffman has left a mark on the built environment of the city since opening Hoffman Architects, P.A. in 1981.  His core belief is in the “power of architecture to synthesize ethics and aesthetics” based on a commitment to a design philosophy that provides synergy for all vested parties.  His firm has received numerous awards for architectural design, energy efficiency, and community service by the American Association of Architects (AIA), Tampa Bay Chapter.  The design legacy of Hoffman Architects, P.A. extends throughout the state of Florida. This exhibition is sponsored by Creative Contractors, Inc., and Wannemacher Jensen Architects.  

Building Legacies: Architecture + Design  

September 17 through December 16, 2022 

Building Legacies: Architecture + Design showcases the best of the museum’s collection through the theme of architecture. At the heart of the museum, the Center Gallery celebrates LRMA’s original collection by highlighting architectural commissions by Abraham Rattner that includes his major stained glass, tapestry, and mosaic projects. In addition, the atrium, terrace and permanent collection galleries include studies and maquettes for art in public places by Allen Leepa and Esther Gentle.  

Building on this foundation, the North Gallery showcases 30 works by local and nationally known contemporary artists that represent LRMA’s major collections from the Gulf Coast Museum of Art, St. Petersburg College Foundation, James and Martha Sweeny, Lothar and Mildred Uhl, and many others. Artists in these collections explore structure and design through photography, sculpture, painting, and printmaking. Mixed media sculptures by Rocky Bridges, Peter Lenzo, Charles Parkhill, Jack King and Sa Sisaluemsak reimagine structure and space using architectural elements and reclaimed materials. Printmakers Los Carpinteros, Stuart Davis and Richard Florsheim merge the traditional elements of fine art and design to create dynamic images that express a sense of place. Works on paper by Robert von Sternberg, Le Corbusier, David McKirdy and Terry Winters echo Edward C. Hoffman, Jr.’s modern design aesthetic. 

Structure of Prints: The Dorothy Mitchell Collection 

August 13, 2022 – March 12, 2023 

Structure of Prints: The Dorothy Mitchell Collection, on view through March 12, 2023, complements LRMA’s special exhibition Building Legacies: Architecture + Design by showcasing Berghoff-Cowden Editions’ masterful use of unconventional techniques to construct a print much like an architect would construct a building. This selection of seventeen contemporary screenprints weaves together the story of a partnership between the women-owned printmaking workshop, Berghoff-Cowden Editions, and art collector Dorothy Mitchell, who supported its mission. Together, they helped Tampa Bay flourish as a major center for collaborative printmaking workshops. The workshop encouraged artists to experiment with materials and techniques that included building layers, cutting and reassembling shapes, and folding edges in their screenprints. Throughout the 1980s and 90s, they attracted and collaborated with internationally known artists including Miriam Schapiro, Sam Gilliam, George Sugarman and others, and pushed the medium to new heights. Structure of Prints is sponsored by Mary Mitchell Avery. 

Florida’s Waterways  

June 18 – October 16, 2022 

On view through October 16, 2022, Florida’s Waterways features photography by Clyde Butcher, Barry Anderson, and Robert von Sternberg that explores life above and below the surface as we consider the human impact on our environment and the accelerated effects of global warming. 

OTHER RELATED PROGRAMS 

Event: Smithsonian Magazine’s Free Museum Day  

Saturday, September 17, 2022  

10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. 

Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art 

Admission is free, donations welcome  

Join us for Smithsonian Magazine’s Free Museum Day! Celebrate the opening day of LRMA’s architecturally inspired Fall exhibitions with a fun-filled day for the whole family that includes hands-on activities, docent led tours, screenprinting demonstrations, and Virtual Reality experiences! 

Get your Free ticket https://www.smithsonianmag.com/museumday/venues/museum/leepa-rattner-museum-of-art-TQ2/ 

Gallery Talk: Visioning Structure with Edward C. Hoffman, Jr. + Lynn Whitelaw  

Thursday, September 22, 2022  

6:00 – 7:00 p.m. 

Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art 

Admission is free, donations welcome  

Join LRMA’s founding Director and guest exhibition curator Lynn Whitelaw and LRMA’s award-winning architect Ed Hoffman for an intimate evening as they discuss building a museum and architecture in Tarpon Springs. Admission is free thanks to the support of Creative Contractors, Inc. Can’t make it in person? The event will also be live-streamed on Zoom. Join Zoom program here: https://spcollege.zoom.us/j/91397428178 . 

Panel Discussion: The Business of Art  

Wednesday, October 12, 2022 

6:00 – 7:00 p.m. 

Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art, Interactive Gallery 

Admission is free   

Join St. Petersburg College’s Institute for Strategic Policy Solutions, the Tarpon Springs Chamber of Commerce, the Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art, and community stakeholders as we discuss the intersections of the arts, workforce and business development. 

Concert: Nova Música – Brazilian-inspired music by David Manson for O Som Do Jazz 

Friday, October 21, 2022  

6:00 – 8:00 p.m.  

Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art, Interactive Gallery 

Admission is free  

David Manson presents his most recent original Latin jazz compositions on Friday, October 21 at 6:00 PM in the Leepa-Rattner Museum. Joining him in this free concert is Brazilian music group O Som Do Jazz performing new works of samba, Bossa Nova and Baião. Dr. Manson teaches jazz ensembles, composition, Pro Tools and low brass in the Music and MIRA programs at SPC. His music has been placed in TV shows on HBO, Fox, BBC, Showtime, AMC, ABC and CW networks. Manson is a recipient of a Pinellas Recovers Grant through Creative Pinellas and the National Endowment for the Arts. This free concert is made available through these grants, the nonprofit EMIT and St. Petersburg College. For more information, see www.emitseries.org. 

Gallery Talk: Structure of Prints with SPC Professor and Printmaker Linda Berghoff 

Thursday, November 10, 2022 

6:00 – 7:00 p.m. 

Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art, Interactive Gallery 

Admission is free, donations welcome 

Join LRMA Executive Director Christine Renc-Carter for an intimate evening with SPC professor and printmaker Linda Berghoff as they explore the vibrant experimental prints produced by the women-owned printmaking workshop Berghoff-Cowden Editions and renowned contemporary artists including Miriam Schapiro, Sam Gilliam, George Sugarman and others.  

Building Legacies: Estate Planning for Artists and Collectors  

Thursday, December 8, 2022  

6:00 – 7:30 p.m.  

Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art 

Admission is free, donations welcome 

Join museum consultant and art appraiser Ashley Burke and estate planning professionals as they provide insight on how to preserve art collections and plan for the future.  

Additional programs will be added throughout the fall. For more information on upcoming programs, please visit www.leeparattner.org/calendar.  

Also on View: Abraham Rattner: French Watercolors; Artistic Journeys; Elemental: Fine Crafts from the Collection; Made in Florida: The Art of Giving. 

About the Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art 

Opened to the public in 2002, LRMA is a modern and contemporary art museum with a collection of more than 7,000 works of 20th and 21st century art. The museum’s permanent collection includes works by Abraham Rattner, a renowned figurative expressionist; Esther Gentle, Rattner’s second wife and a printmaker, sculptor and painter; Allen Leepa, Rattner’s step-son and an abstract expressionist artist; and an extensive collection of works by notable 20th century artists such as Pablo Picasso, Marc Chagall, Fernand Léger and Henry Moore.  The museum is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, a distinction held by only 6 percent of all U.S. museums. 

LRMA is located just west of U.S. Highway 19 at 600 E. Klosterman Road, on the Tarpon Springs Campus of St. Petersburg College. Museum hours are 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and 1 p.m. – 5 p.m. Sunday. Admission by donation. The museum is closed on Mondays and major holidays. Additional information available at leeparattner.org.  

All images and content courtesy of LRMA for editorial purposes only–all right reserved. Feature IMAGE CREDIT LINE ABOVE: Allen Leepa, Tondo, 1960, acrylic on unprimed canvas, 59 ¼ in. diameter, Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art, on loan from the St. Petersburg College Foundation,

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