NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale: A Cultural Anchor Shaping South Florida’s Art Landscape

NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale has long served as an important cultural anchor in South Florida, bringing research-driven exhibitions, significant collections, and inspiring programs to the heart of downtown Fort Lauderdale. Situated midway between Miami and Palm Beach, the museum has become a major destination for both local residents and visitors, offering a broad exploration of visual history alongside contemporary artistic expression.

Founded in 1958 as the Fort Lauderdale Art Center, the museum has evolved into a major cultural institution with a distinctive modernist home designed by architect Edward Larrabee Barnes. The 83,000-square-foot building opened in 1986 and contains more than 25,000 square feet of exhibition space, along with the 256-seat Horvitz Auditorium, museum store, and café. In 2008, the museum became part of Nova Southeastern University, connecting its exhibitions, collections, education, and public programming with the university’s broader academic environment.

NSU Art Museum is particularly known for the depth and diversity of its collections, including contemporary art, Latin American art, photography, works by American realist William Glackens, and one of the most significant U.S. museum collections associated with the European CoBrA group of artists. Its holdings also extend into African and Oceanic art and the art of the Americas, with collections reflecting the cultural history of South Florida and the Caribbean. Two scholarly research centers further support the study of these collections: the Dr. Stanley and Pearl Goodman Latin American Art Study Center and the William J. Glackens Study Center.

Among the museum’s important holdings is its extensive collection of work by William Glackens, one of the leading American realists of his generation. The museum’s Glackens collection includes more than 500 works and spans the artist’s career, including both his oldest known painting and his final completed work. The museum is also the permanent home of Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s Surrounded Islands documentation exhibition, preserving the history of the landmark public art project the artist duo created in Miami’s Biscayne Bay in 1983 and establishing another significant connection between the museum and South Florida’s artistic history.

The museum’s development has also been shaped by Director and Chief Curator Bonnie Clearwater, who joined NSU Art Museum in 2013. Widely recognized for her curatorial vision, scholarship, administration, public education, and community outreach, Clearwater has guided a period of transformation that has expanded the museum’s reach locally, nationally, and internationally. Before joining NSU, she served from 1997 to 2013 as Executive Director and Chief Curator of the Museum of Contemporary Art, North Miami, where she developed an internationally renowned exhibition program. Her curatorial record includes first U.S. solo museum exhibitions for artists such as Daniel Arsham, Hernan Bas, Tracey Emin, Teresita Fernández, Mark Handforth, and Shinique Smith, alongside historically important exhibitions of artists including David Smith, Frank Stella, Roy Lichtenstein, Richard Artschwager, Jack Pierson, and Helen Frankenthaler.

Today, NSU Art Museum continues to occupy an important place within South Florida’s evolving cultural landscape, bringing together art, scholarship, education, and public engagement in the center of Fort Lauderdale. Its history, distinctive collections, international exhibition program, and connection to the wider South Florida art community position the museum as an important cultural institution not only for Fort Lauderdale, but for the region as a whole.

For more information visit: www.nsuartmuseum.org

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