Mennello Museum of American Art

Mennello Museum of American Art

Location within Florida
Established	November 22, 1998 (1998-11-22)
Location	900 East Princeton Street Orlando, Florida
Coordinates	28.57°N 81.367278°W / 28.57; -81.367278
Owner	City of Orlando
Website	https://www.mennellomuseum.org/Home

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.

The museum's mission is to "enrich the public through exhibitions, education, programs, and publications that celebrate the broad richness of American Art." The institution delivers educational programming, docent-led tours, and community-focused events like Free Family Funday, art talks, performances, and programs for youth in addition to its exhibition programming.

History and Founding

The museum opened in November 1998, established to preserve, exhibit, and interpret the permanent collection of paintings by self-taught artist Earl Cunningham (1893–1977), donated by philanthropists Marilyn L. Mennello and Michael A. Mennello. The museum is housed in what had been the private residence of Howard Phillips, son of local philanthropist Dr. Philip Phillips; it is owned and operated by the City of Orlando.

Collections and Exhibitions

The museum’s core permanent collection comprises the largest holding of Earl Cunningham paintings in the United States. In addition to this foundational collection, the museum hosts rotating temporary and traveling exhibitions spanning traditional, contemporary, and folk American art. Notable recent exhibitions have included Pool Party: The Pool in American Art (2025) and Sally Michel: Abstracting Tonalism (2024).

Sculpture Garden and Grounds

The Marilyn L. Mennello Sculpture Garden, which is open to the public, features a 350-year-old live oak nicknamed “The Mayor”, draped in Spanish moss, and various outdoor sculptures, including Alice Aycock's Twin Vortexes (2014, aluminum powder coated white, 12' high x 12' wide x 18' long). The garden’s paths connect to the Orlando Urban Trail, seamlessly blending art and nature in a tranquil lakeside setting.

Location

Situated in the Loch Haven Cultural Park, the museum is adjacent to notable cultural institutions such as the Orlando Science Center, Orlando Museum of Art, Orlando Family Stage, and Orlando Shakespeare Theater.

Smithsonian Affiliation

The museum is an Affiliate of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, having presented exhibitions organized by the Smithsonian such as 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).

Founders

Founded in 1998 by Michael A. Mennello and Marilyn L. Mennello. Michael A. Mennello was a business leader and art collector from Winter Park, Florida, who studied at Princeton University, Rider College, and the Interboro Institute. His and Marilyn Mennello’s donation of the Earl Cunningham collection resulted in over 30 museum exhibitions across the country, intended to secure Cunningham’s place in American art history.

Governance and funding

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 & Cultural Affairs Program, and United Arts of Central Florida.

Publications

• 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)
• Barbara Sorensen: Ripples (2016)