Manifest Whimsy

Giant pink lawn flamingos. The very thought turns one’s mind to elderly ladies’ front lawns saturated with the pink plastic birds accompanied by the occasional clan of gnomes, Coca-Cola memorabilia and Christmas lights never taken down from the past year. However, there can be, when curated correctly, a sublime method to the kitsch madness that conquers America’s material culture. The eye of this tacky hurricane of style is located right in Sarasota: the Marietta Museum of Art & Whimsy.

“It’s art that has a very different dimension,” says Marietta Lee, founder of the museum. “It’s more about something that’s fun or playful. It’s hard to describe.”

The official definition of such a nebulous concept includes buzzwords such as playful, quaint, fanciful and humorous. Another definition that should be added to the museum’s personal brand of whimsy is therapeutic.

Opened by Lee in 2010, the museum started as a release for those haggard from the various dramas large or small that can so easily overwhelm one’s life. And in four years, the still-young gallery of whimsical art has grown exponentially in its art inventory of paintings, statues and other assorted pieces as well as community interest growing from a collection of just two volunteers to 24 volunteers and three full-time staff.

And with that growth comes a natural expansion: a “manifest whimsy.” Construction took place over the summer in anticipation of the museum’s Oct. 25 preview party and ensuing 2014 season to improve the interior and exterior grounds, which include a vast statue garden. Also, ground is being broken to build a future gift shop to sell local artists’ whimsical wares as well as house a café for refreshments.

This relatively rapid growth is no surprise considering the mark the building leaves on its neighborhood and its weekly first-time visitors. With a striking pink façade and the giant aforementioned pink flamingos winking from the street corner, the museum structurally shines compared with the other standard-colored buildings lining North Tamiami Trail. The interior’s effect is simultaneously a cool wave of serenity and a blaze of festive stimuli. Walls are painted with colorful hues and adorned with an assortment of art ranging from city coast landscapes to eclectic portraitures of desserts and cats. All of it amounts to a restorative arts elixir.

“I told everyone from the beginning that this is for overstressed adults,” says Lee. “People with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, people who need just a moment respite from the day as a short mental getaway.”

With free admission and regular hours from 1 to 4 p.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, visitors and residents alike can embrace the whimsy way. Whether standing in the shadow of a realistic, life-sized fake security guard or gazing up at an iconic urinal statue, the Marietta Museum of Art & Whimsy is drunk with laughter, smiles and feel-good vibes.

“Whether you’re in Sarasota, the U.S., or anywhere on the globe, we’re pretty consistent in developing a space where people feel good,” says Lee. “We’re seriously silly.”