The Mennello Museum of American Art

The Mennello Museum of American Art is an American art museum located at 900 East Princeton Street in Orlando, Florida, within the Loch Haven Cultural Park along the shore of Lake Formosa. Founded in November 1998 by philanthropists Marilyn L. Mennello and Michael A. Mennello, the museum holds the largest collection of paintings by self-taught artist Earl Cunningham (1893-1977) in the United States. As a Smithsonian Affiliate and a city-owned institution, it serves as a significant cultural anchor in Central Florida, enriching the public through exhibitions, education, programs, and publications that celebrate the broad richness of American art.

The museum opened in November 1998, established to preserve, exhibit, and interpret the permanent collection of Earl Cunningham paintings donated by the Mennellos. The founding involved collaboration with then-Mayor Glenda E. Hood, and the institution initially operated under the name "Mennello Museum of American Folk Art." Frank Holt served as its first director. The Mennellos had collected Cunningham's work since Marilyn discovered his paintings in St. Augustine, Florida, in 1969; she organized a solo exhibition at the Orlando Museum of Art in 1970. After Cunningham's death, the couple systematically acquired his works, and their donation resulted in over 30 museum exhibitions across the country intended to secure Cunningham's place in American art history. The museum soon expanded beyond its folk art origins to encompass various movements in American art. Today, the collection of the City of Orlando comprises more than 900 works, including paintings, sculptures, tapestries, and mixed-media pieces. The museum operates under the ownership of the City of Orlando and receives additional support from the Friends of the Mennello Museum of American Art, Orange County Government's Arts and Cultural Affairs Program, and United Arts of Central Florida.

The museum's core permanent collection centers on the paintings of Earl Cunningham, forming the largest holding of his work in the nation. Beyond this foundational collection, the museum presents rotating temporary and traveling exhibitions spanning traditional, contemporary, and folk American art. Its programming has addressed Florida art history and American contemporary art, with exhibitions such as The Unbridled Paintings of Lawrence H. Lebduska and Style and Grace drawn from the founders' collection. Recent exhibitions have included Pool Party: The Pool in American Art (2025) and Sally Michel: Abstracting Tonalism (2024). The museum has also presented archived exhibitions organized by the Smithsonian American Art Museum, including Pop Art Prints (2016), George Catlin's American Buffalo (2014), African American Art: Harlem Renaissance, Civil Rights Era, and Beyond (2013), and 1934: A New Deal for Artists (2011).

The definitive holding of Earl Cunningham paintings constitutes the museum's signature asset. The outdoor collection includes Alice Aycock's Twin Vortexes (2014, aluminum powder coated white, 12 feet high by 12 feet wide by 18 feet long) in the sculpture garden, along with her Waltzing Matilda, both installed since 2016. The museum has also produced significant publications tied to its exhibitions, including Sally Michel: Abstracting Tonalism (2024), American Artists in the Southwest and American Paintings and Drawings from the Melanson Holt Collection (2021), Mira Lehr: High Water Mark (2020), Immersion Into Compounded Time and the Painting of Firelei Báez (2019), Shifting Gaze: A Reconstruction of the Black and Hispanic Body in Contemporary Art from the Collection of Dr. Robert B. Feldman (2018), and Barbara Sorensen: Ripples (2016).

The museum is housed in what had been the private residence of Howard Phillips, son of local philanthropist Dr. Philip Phillips. The building sits within Loch Haven Cultural Park along the shore of Lake Formosa. The Marilyn L. Mennello Sculpture Garden, open to the public, features a 350-year-old live oak nicknamed "The Mayor," draped in Spanish moss. The garden's paths connect to the Orlando Urban Trail, integrating art and nature in a tranquil lakeside setting. The museum is adjacent to other cultural institutions including the Orlando Science Center, Orlando Museum of Art, Orlando Family Stage, and Orlando Shakespeare Theater.