The Tampa Museum of Art (TMA) provides an excellent example translating relationship-building into concrete gain, all while furthering its mission, through its annual participation in the Congressional Art Competition, an officially sanctioned bipartisan event designed to encourage the artistic talents of high school students nationwide.  Since the competition began in 1982, more than 650,000 high school students across the country have participated.  Almost every Member of the U.S. House participates, and winning artworks hang in the Cannon Tunnel of the U.S. Capitol for one year.

Each year, TMA hosts the competition in partnership with U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor.  This year, at a reception for students, parents, artists and sponsors, Rep. Castor presented museum director Dr. Michael Tomor with a copy of the Congressional Record including her remarks celebrating his tenure and service. Following is an excerpt from those remarks:

“Tomor is a passionate advocate for the role of art in children's education. His commitment to showcasing how museums foster learning opportunities that extend beyond the traditional classroom is a hallmark of his legacy. Tomor led initiatives to significantly expand the presence of artists in underserved school districts, tripling the number of artists working directly with students. By integrating artistic activities into preschool programs, he helped develop methods that used creative expression to strengthen literacy for young students in the community. Tomor welcomed high school art students to display their work at TMA during the annual congressional art competition--providing budding artists with a point of pride for their work. Building on these successes, Tomor later expanded them to serve military veterans coping with post-traumatic stress.”

The museum's relationship with Representative Castor extended beyond the Congressional exhibition in part as a result of this partnership.  In 2023, she arranged a $1,000,000 grant through the U.S. Department of Education to the Hillsborough County Public School District to provide the means for them to engage with TMArt to provide transportation, museum tours and studio art classes, supplies and facilitators at the museum to over 15,000 students from all Title 1 schools in the county.  

Dr. Tomor retired from the TMA on March 31, following ten years at Tampa, twenty-five years as an art museum director, and forty years in the art museum field. 

Photo caption: U.S. Representative Kathy Castor reads remarks at a podium outside the Tampa Museum of Art, as Dr. Michael Tomor looks on during the 2026 14th Congressional and Next Generation High School Art Competition Award Ceremony. Photography by Paige Boscia.