• Plan Your Visit / Map
  • FAQ
  • Mission & History
  • Exhibits
  • Founder’s Talks
  • Artist’s Talks
  • Sign Up for Emails
  • Events / Parties
  • Artist List
  • Videos & Press
  • Contact Us
  • Donations
  • Volunteering

Frequently Asked Questions

Visiting Groups

The Marietta Museum of Art & Whimsy is pleased to welcome self-guided groups to tour the museum buildings and gardens on your own during our regular open hours: Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. 1 p.m.-4 p.m. November 29, 2025 to May 23, 2026 Usually there is an Artist Talk or Mary Talk starting at 1:15 to 1:30 pm Our trained volunteers will be happy to provide you with more information about our Artwork, Founder, and Museum!

Can I bring in food or drinks?

Water only. We do provide fruited water.
Anna Maria Oyster Bar Landside 6906 14th St W.Bradenton, FL 34207 (941) 758-7880
We have many wonderful restaurants in the area. Here is a listing of some nearby restaurants (in alphabetical order):
Captain Brian's 8421 N Tamiami TrailSarasota, FL 34243 (941) 351-4492
Marina Jack's 2 Marina PlazaSarasota, FL 34236 (941) 365-4232
Wicked Cantina 1603 N Tamiami TrailSarasota, FL 34236 (941) 706-2395

What can I or my family touch?

Please use your very best judgment. In general, please do not touch the artwork inside the museum unless assisted by a Volunteer. Please do not sit on the chairs obviously painted or made by an artist. Some of the artwork was designed to be interactive, and the Volunteers will assist you.
The Lee Family gardens were designed for your enjoyment. You'll find a variety of sculptures, plants & trees, windchimes, and games such as Dominos, Checkers, and Chess. Please do not climb on or try to rock the sculptures or landscape features. *Except the Bronze Bunnies. It's OK for children to sit on them if they are not too hot. They are bronze and can get very hot in the Florida sun.

Do you have Discounted Admission Fees?

Not at this time. That will be re evaluated next summer. We are a member of the American Alliance of Museums, but not a member of NARM (North American Reciprocal Museum Association

Can I put my art on your walls and sell it?

No, this is a museum, not a gallery or a co-op. The artwork is not for sale.

Who owns the artwork?

The Marietta Museum of Art & Whimsy paid for and owns about 98% of the art. Approximately 2% is on loan from our Founder.

How do you decide what to buy?

The buying process is slightly complicated, with many questions. The most important questions include: "Does it fit well within the current museum collection?" "Does it give museum staff something positive to teach about the resiliency of human nature?" "Can we laugh or chuckle about it because it is universal as opposed to artwork that makes fun of particular groups or groups of people?" "Will this artwork encourage people to come together, or will it foster hatred and anger?" "Does this have the capacity to put a smile on your face?” "Will this still be important 50 years from now?"

Donating your artwork

We appreciate your generosity in wanting to donate artwork no matter who made it. However, the process again is slightly complicated. It must meet all of the qualifications above and be approved by the Board of Directors More info to come.

We use cookies to enable essential functionality on our website and analyze website traffic. For more information, read our Cookies and Privacy Policy.

Your Cookie Settings

We use cookies to enable essential functionality on our website and analyze website traffic. For more information, read our our Cookies and Privacy Policy below.

Cookie Categories
Essential

These cookies are strictly necessary to provide you with services available through our websites.

Analytics

These cookies collect information that is used in aggregate and in an anonymized form to help us understand how our website is being used and how effectively our site is performing.