Florida’s Wonderful Weirdness Gets a Museum Moment

A souvenir can hold an entire vacation in miniature. A strange little object on a shelf becomes a shortcut to the heat, the roadside stops and the people who were there with us. Here at the Box, we like the idea of giving those everyday memory keepers a little room in the spotlight.

Opening September 18 at the Orlando Museum of Art, Floridiana: Vintage Treasures & Oddities from The Sunshine State brings together more than 130 objects from Gary Monroe’s collection. The exhibition runs through January 10, 2027, in the Weyand Gallery. Explore the museum’s exhibition preview.

A different way to look at the Sunshine State

The museum’s preview includes mid-century tourism pieces such as hotel ashtrays, rubber alligators and roadside-attraction brochures. It is a small-object route into a much bigger subject: how Florida has packaged its promise of escape.

That is the angle we want to spend time with. What does a souvenir tell us about the place it represents—and what does our decision to keep it say about us? A brochure’s lettering, an unlikely shape or a cheerfully exaggerated image can make a fascinating starting point for looking at design.

For our Orlando readers, this is an opportunity close to home to turn a familiar subject slightly sideways. You do not need to collect antiques to arrive with curiosity. Bring a memory of a roadside stop, or simply a willingness to look twice at something you might normally pass over.

Put it on the calendar

The exhibition is curated by Coralie Claeysen-Gleyzon with Gary Monroe and Tom Cook. The Orlando Museum of Art is at 2416 North Mills Avenue; check the official exhibition page for visitor information before heading over.

We have not visited this exhibition yet. This is our advance invitation to explore it—and to consider how much imagination can fit inside an object small enough to take home.

Featured image: official Floridiana exhibition promotional image, Orlando Museum of Art.

Written by Chetuno