Your Complete Guide for Visiting the James Museum of Western and Wildlife Art

This is the story of Tom and Mary James (of financial powerhouse Raymond James). Mr. and Mrs. James, as many wealthy people do, collect art. Specifically, they love western and wildlife art. Once upon a time, they displayed their art collection for others to enjoy at the Raymond James headquarters in St. Petersburg, Florida. Eventually, their collection grew too large. What to do? What to do?

In the end, they built a museum for their beloved community, of course! Their collection now contains about 3,000 pieces, which allows for both permanent and rotating exhibits. The James Museum of Western and Wildlife Art opened to the public in 2018 and the art world buzz is growing. Visitors love this place! As a frequent visitor to museums of all kinds, Mrs. HomeFree hereby declares that this museum is a MUST-SEE!

Note: Remember that in photo galleries where images are small, you can click to enlarge them.

Planning A Visit

The museum is in downtown St. Petersburg and is open seven days each week and adult admission is $20.00. Youth tickets (ages 7-18) are $10.00. Initially, I was concerned because this seemed expensive to me. I wasn’t sure how large the museum was, so I didn’t know what I was getting for my $20. However, the museum earned my respect by:

• Offering admission discounts for seniors, students, teachers and active military personnel
• Offering teachers free admission during the month of July
• Offering a half-price day on Tuesdays (adult admission = $10, youth admission = $5)
• Participating in the Museums for All program, which offers guests who receive SNAP benefits free admission when they show their EBT card.

As my readers know, I do watch my budget when I travel, so I planned to visit on a Tuesday. Sure enough, my admission ticket was $10.00. Memberships are also available. Currently, the museum does not belong to any museum consortium, but perhaps it will someday.

By The Numbers

• An eight-minute introductory movie begins your visit
• There are 26,000 square feet of space.
• The museum is divided into eight galleries (each with a different theme)
• Upwards of 80% of the art is by living artists, thereby supporting the art community here & now!

Immersion in the Theme

First, the museum entrance is genius. In St. Petersburg’s business district rises a representation of a sandstone cliff that is at least six stories tall. In fact, it partially obscures an attached parking garage, which improves the downtown aesthetic. Inside, visitors immediately arrive in the arroyo. An arroyo is a steep-sided gully. In reality, in the Southwestern U.S., they are typically formed by fast-moving water cutting through the landscape. Incredibly, at the James Museum, the arroyo is the multi-story entry foyer dominated by a stunning two-story water fall and a sculpture of a Native American on horseback.

The water feature and the sculpture are arresting, so much so, that I will chalk up the fact that I watched a woman walk right into the reflecting pool, on its distracting beauty and not her stupidity. Seriously, I was inside three minutes when this happened. Incredibly, she climbed onto a ledge to pose for a photo near the statue. In my opinion, this wasn’t appropriate anyway. The pool was glass-like and she looked ahead at the waterfall beyond, not down at her feet. Not realizing the water was real, she forged ahead and got soaked up to the calves for her trouble.

As I was saying, the two-story museum’s eight galleries surround the visitor as they stand in the arroyo. Immediately, you are immersed. Each gallery is painted a bold color that represents the Southwest’s natural beauty. As I moved from gallery to gallery, I did have the sensation of weaving in an almost serpentine pattern.

Representation in Western and Wildlife Art

Each gallery has its own theme including, Early West, New West, Frontier, Wildlife, and more. Indeed, the James Museum earned my respect by dedicating an entire gallery to Native artists. After all, Native Americans have a history that is fraught with betrayal by white settlers and their own powerful efforts to rise above all this. What could be more appropriate than allowing them to tell the honorable stories of their own people their way?

Unfortunately, I was terribly disappointed to learn that I would not be in town for a new temporary exhibit that allows Native American artists to tell their own stories about the residential schools of previous generations. Sadly, these schools had a mission to “civilize” or “assimilate” Native American youth into Euro-American culture. This is an area that I know very little about, so I am interested in learning more. Visiting this exhibit could have been a great start. I encourage my readers to go see it and report back to me.

Lastly, I also noticed that several paintings also represented the contributions of the Asian culture to building the American west. Sadly, another example of American ethnocentrism is the fact that Asians built railroads and “served” white society but were not treated very well. I openly admit that I too, had forgotten this until I saw the paintings that depicted Asians on the streets of San Francisco in the early 1900’s. Then, I was so grateful for the reminder that I sat on a bench opposite them for several minutes, ensuring that I gave them the time they deserved.

A Few Favorites

Museum staff member, Kiki, told me one of her favorite pieces is Songs of the Night by John Coleman. By coincidence, this was one of my favorites too. If the subject matter was different, admirers could easily believe it is a recently re-surfaced piece by a Dutch master. If you don’t believe me, click here to see Rest on the Flight into Egypt by Rembrandt. The similarities in the way the two men paint fire light are unbelievable!

Additionally, when I asked Tiffany at the admissions desk if she had a favorite piece, without hesitating she selected Red Talkers by Paul Pletka. In fact, she said once each week or so, she sits for a while and examines it again. There is so much to see in this one piece, after all.

In addition to Songs of the Night discussed above, I also fell in love with the movement of Going to Market by Craig Dan Goseyun, a member of the Ndeh Apache Nation. I could not shake the sensation that I needed to step out of her path as she walked towards me lest we bump into each other. After completing a trip through every gallery, I subsequently returned to visit her again. This is a favorite little habit of mine. When I find a piece of art that makes me weak in the knees, I return to it multiple times and notice new details I love each time. Am I the only one who does this?

The Jewel Box

Not to be missed, in my humble opinion, is the jewelry exhibit called “The Jewel Box.” These delicate pieces are so colorful it makes me yearn for a personality bold enough to carry any one of them off. Suddenly, I have a desire to have a “grown-up night.” Let’s get dressed up, go to an art opening where they serve champagne and hors d’oeuvres and make heads turn as we walk in wearing a jeweled ear of corn pendant.

Elements of Success

Congratulations to the James Family for creating a place where everyone can learn about Western art. Finally, the James Museum’s commitment to making art accessible, as evidenced by its extensive discount programs, is something I admire. Having worked in Cultural Affairs for over a decade myself, it is deeply important to me that no one ever feel that art is “for someone else.” In addition to their many discount programs, I also found the staff approachable and excited to talk about the collections. They did not shy away from giving their genuine opinions when asked (as seen in the “A Few Favorites” section above).

One Final Note

Lastly, if you are staying at the gorgeous Karol Hotel (as we typically do), the museum is only a 15-minute drive south. As a fabulous bonus, the Karol Hotel also has a small and beautiful collection of art. Life has been stressful these last two years. In the end, we should surround ourselves with beautiful things. I promise it helps usher in that relaxed vibe you are seeking. Readers, I encourage you to visit The James Museum (and the Karol) and then comment on this post and tell me about your favorite piece.