University of South Florida Contemporary Art Museum

The University of South Florida Contemporary Art Museum (USFCAM) is a contemporary art museum located on the Tampa campus of the University of South Florida in Tampa, Florida. Established in 1989, it operates as part of the USF College of Design, Art & Performance and is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. The museum functions as both a public exhibition space and a teaching laboratory, organizing significant exhibitions of contemporary art from Florida, the United States, and internationally. It maintains the university's permanent collection of more than 5,000 works and is funded by the Florida Department of State, the Florida Arts Council and Division of Cultural Affairs, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Arts Council of Hillsborough County, the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners, and private donors.

USFCAM opened at its current location adjacent to the USF College of the Arts in 1989. Its institutional roots are intertwined with Graphicstudio, the university's renowned printmaking atelier founded in 1968 by Dr. Donald J. Saff. Graphicstudio emerged during the American printmaking renaissance, inviting artists to Tampa to experiment with intaglio, lithography, silkscreen, and sculpture multiples. This creative environment, which attracted figures such as Robert Rauschenberg early on, established a foundation of technical innovation and artistic collaboration that directly informed the museum's later development. Both USFCAM and Graphicstudio operate under the umbrella of the USF Institute for Research in Art, which also oversees the university's Public Art program. This structure embeds the museum within a broader ecosystem of artistic production, research, and community engagement rather than isolating it as a standalone entity.

The museum's permanent collection comprises over 5,000 contemporary artworks. Its strengths lie significantly in graphics and sculpture multiples produced through Graphicstudio, reflecting decades of collaboration with internationally acclaimed artists. The collection extends beyond these editions to encompass painting, sculpture, photography, electronic media, and performance art by artists from Florida, the broader United States, Africa, Europe, Latin America, and Asia. A majority of the collection is accessible through an online visual database. As a teaching laboratory, the collection serves as a direct resource for graduate students in the university's MFA program, who work alongside curators and gain hands-on experience in institutional art practice.

The collection includes exceptional holdings in prints and sculpture multiples by artists such as Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Rauschenberg, Jim Dine, Louise Bourgeois, Chuck Close, James Rosenquist, and Ed Ruscha. Many of these works were produced at Graphicstudio, meaning they were physically created on the USF campus in collaboration with the university's master printers and technicians. The museum has also presented works by and holds interest in artists such as Vito Acconci, Alfredo Jaar, Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons, Pepón Osorio, Los Carpinteros, Zhang Hongtu, Allan McCollum, and Atelier van Lieshout. In 1990, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. established a dedicated archive of Graphicstudio editions, underscoring the national significance of these holdings.

The museum is situated at 3821 USF Holly Drive on the University of South Florida's Tampa campus. Its facility, described as modest in scale, is located adjacent to the USF College of the Arts. The building houses the museum's galleries as well as its administrative and curatorial operations. Visitor parking is available in lot 3B, with permits required and available via a pay station or the ParkMobile app using zone 9302.

USFCAM is located at 3821 USF Holly Drive, Tampa, FL 33620. Museum hours are Monday through Friday from 10am to 5pm, Thursday from 10am to 8pm, and Saturday from 1pm to 4pm. The museum is closed on Sundays, university holidays, and between exhibitions. Admission to exhibitions and events is free and open to all, unless otherwise noted. The museum is fully accessible to visitors with disabilities, featuring disabled parking spaces, an accessible entrance, good lighting, and accessible restrooms. It follows USF guidelines regarding service animals. Guided tours are available upon request by emailing amyallison@usf.edu at least two weeks in advance, and self-guided groups are welcome during regular hours. Groups larger than 10 should email or call (813) 974-4133 to reserve gallery time.