This year marks a milestone for the Ashley Gibson Barnett Museum of Art as it celebrates 60 years of fine art, community engagement, and many a name change. Look back at its timeline — just don't touch.

1960s

The Youth Museum of Imperial Polk County opened in 1966, backed by volunteers and what's now the Junior League of Greater Lakeland. Over the next few years, it gained a director and a new name: the Polk Public Museum.

1970s

It wouldn't be a local history piece without a Publix mention. In 1970, the museum expanded into a former supermarket building, which doubled its space. The next year, the first Mayfaire by-the-Lake Fine Arts Festival took place.

Exterior view of the red brick Polk Museum of Art building with palm trees and vintage cars parked out front. — The main building is still part of the museum — those old cars, not so much. | Photo via Lakeland Public Library

1980s

The growth didn't stop there. Sporting a fresh accreditation from the American Alliance of Museums and a new moniker — the Polk Museum of Art — the museum dedicated its current main building in 1988.

2010s

Things started picking up in the last decade, when the museum became affiliated with both the Smithsonian and Florida Southern College. To this day, it's one of just a dozen Smithsonian affiliates in Florida and the only one in Polk County.

The exterior of the AGB Museum of Art's new expansion wing, which features high glass walls and a stone facade — The AGB's expansion added a contemporary edge to the left of the original building. | Photo by LALtoday

2020s

After receiving an endowment from the Nicholas and Ashley Barnett Foundation at GiveWell in 2024, the museum was given its most recent name: the Ashley Gibson Barnett Museum of Art at Florida Southern College (aka the AGB). The next year, an $8 million expansion finally opened to the public. It added 14,000 sqft of galleries, classrooms, and art labs to the 1988 building.

Today

One thing that hasn't changed: the AGB is still free to visit, and there's always something new to explore.

If it's been a while since your last visit, don't miss the Fall Family Festival on Saturday, Oct. 3, or browse the galleries on your own time. It's open daily.