Tampa Museum of Art receives $5 million from the Vinik Family Foundation for its education center

The Tampa Museum of Art announced Monday that its new education center is named the Vinik Family Education Center, thanks to a $5 million gift from the Vinik Family Foundation on behalf of Penny and Jeff Vinik.

The announcement was made at an event May 23 celebrating the opening of the new education center.

The donation is the most recent contribution to the museum’s $100 million Centennial Campaign for Renovation and Expansion. Since the campaign launched in 2021, $71 million has been raised toward the $100 million goal. That includes a $25 million gift from Tampa real estate investment firm president Dick Corbett made in April.

“The Tampa Museum of Art is renowned for the value of its educational programs and its exceptional support for Hillsborough County students and teachers,” said Penny Vinik in a news release. “We are delighted to advance that good work with this gift, and to further contribute to the museum’s mission to educate, engage, and inspire Tampa Bay residents and others around the world.”

In 2019, the Viniks made a $5 million donation to the museum to endow the executive director position through their Family Foundation.

The education space has grown from 1,400 to 8,000 square feet, including four classrooms, a lobby, orientation spaces and a secure entrance. The museum anticipates quadrupling the number of students it serves per year, with the potential for the school tour program to grow from 6,000 students to 24,000 each year.

It opened May 16 and will serve as the temporary entrance to the museum while additional renovations are completed. The first classes in the space will be the Summer Art Camps for ages 6-17, beginning June 6.

“The opening of our new education center is long-awaited for museum members, volunteers, and other visitors,” said Michael Tomor, the Penny and Jeff Vinik Executive Director of the Tampa Museum of Art, in the release. “We are so thrilled to finally have a facility with a capacity to match the demand for our education programs, and we are grateful to the Viniks for their generous gift to help make this facility and the future growth possible.”