SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016
| TAMPA BAY MAGAZINE 47
Tom and Mary James are using $50 million of their personal
wealth to make their dreams of a museum a reality.
Walking Through Bear Patch by Earl Biss is one
of the Jameses’ approximately 3,000 pieces of
art, about 300-400 of which will be on display
at their new museum.
Although its opening is a year away,
the Jameses’ gift will obviously be
a new jewel in the city’s necklace of
destination museums, which will rival
the Boston necklace that was created
so many years ago and probably
influenced Tom while he was in school
at Harvard.
Both the exterior and interior design
of the James Museum of Western and
Wildlife Art will help to make this
a cultural gem that will benefit our
community for many generations.
Thank you, Mary and Tom. 9
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