Polk County art museum completes $8 million expansion

The Ashley Gibson Barnett Museum of Art, formerly the Polk Museum of Art, recently opened its doors on a 14,000-square-foot expansion. 

Two new buildings were added to a museum building completed in 1988, tripling the capacity of the main exhibition area. Renovations were made to the original building, and additional amenities were built in, including seven new galleries, educational spaces and a new creativity lab, according to a statement. 

The addition is designed by Straughn Trout Architects, the same firm that designed the museum's 1988 structure, and built by Rodda Construction.