Why go to big cities to experience arts and culture? The University of Florida’s Cultural Plaza offers art, history and performing arts all in one location.
This year, take part in the 100th anniversary of the Florida Museum of Natural History, view engaging exhibits at the Harn Museum of Art and see world-renowned performances hosted by the Curtis M. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts.
The Florida Museum will celebrate its 100-year anniversary as a state museum with a gala on Earth Day, Saturday, Apr. 22, 2017, from 6:30 to 11 p.m. The event will include dinner, live entertainment and dancing. In the last 100 years, the museum’s collections have grown to more than 40 million specimens and artifacts. Visit to see special temporary exhibits alongside permanent exhibits like the “Butterfly Rainforest,” a living exhibit that features hundreds of free-flying butterflies and birds from around the world.
Next door, the Harn Museum exhibits total more than 10,000 objects including African, Asian, modern and contemporary art and photography. The museum creates engaging visual arts relating to world cultures, human history and current events. Current exhibits include “Mirror, Mirror…Portraits of Frida Kahlo” and “Intra-Action: Women Artists from the Harn Collection.” The mission of UF Performing Arts, including the Phillips Center, the Baughman Center and University Auditorium, is to ignite cultural and artistic connections for the students, residents and visitors of North Central Florida. At the Phillips Center, catch performances ranging from Broadway shows to ballet to folk music.