The Gulf Coast Museum of Art began in the early 1930's as the "Art Section" of the Clearwater Women's Club in Clearwater, Florida, later becoming an independent organization known as the Clearwater Art Club.  On January 7, 1936, the organization formally incorporated as the Clearwater Museum Association. 

Mrs. Georgine Shillard-Smith, a member of the prominent Philadelphia Wetherill family was the president of the board of the museum in 1938. Mr. Henry White Taylor, a fellow at the Pennsylvania Academy of Art became the institutions first director.  In 1946 the organization became the Clearwater Art Museum. In 1948, Mrs. Smith deeded to the organization a portion of her Belleair property.  The museum relocated to this residential community, changed its name to Florida Gulf Coast Art Center and began developing exhibition and teaching programs and continued to build a collection.  Mrs. Smith died in 1955 leaving the balance of her estate to her daughter that ultimately came to the Museum upon her death in the early 1980's. From 1948 to 1951 four buildings were built with funds primarily donated by Mrs. Smith:  a gallery/art storage space, a painting studio; a ceramics studio; and a sculpture studio.  In 1980 two additional studios were built as an addition to the main gallery; in 1985 a photography darkroom was established; and in 1990 a metalsmithing studio, both using existing spaces.

In February 1994, the Board of Trustees set new goals that included professionalizing the institution's operation, achieving accreditation by the AAM, developing broad community involvement, enhancing the museum’s exhibition, and instructional programs, focusing the Museum’s collecting efforts, and leading the effort to raise funds for a new facility. In early 1994, the Trustees adopted an aggressive Strategic Action Plan. At that time a new mission statement was also adopted, focusing the Museum’s collections on contemporary Florida Art from 1960 forward and American fine crafts, primarily from the twelve Southeastern states.

Groundbreaking for this new 45,000 square foot, $6 million campus facility was held on November 26, 1997, and Phase I (22,000 square feet) was completed in the summer of 1999, with the grand opening in September. Phase I contains galleries, a Museum Store, collections storage, security offices, workshops, exhibition prep areas, and the museum’s administrative offices. Phases II and III consisting of a 110 seat teaching auditorium, two studio classroom buildings for painting, sculpture, photography, ceramics, and metalsmithing, as well as a kiln house were begun in January 2000, and completed in early 2001.

Additionally, an innovative partnership with Pinellas County government has been developed and a new, 45,000 square foot Museum campus facility has been constructed within the new 186 acre Florida Botanical Gardens adjacent to Heritage Village.

Principals Charles Rose and Maryann Thompson, with Thompson and Rose Architects of Cambridge, Massachusetts, are credited with the innovative design of the Museum buildings, which incorporate natural light in the galleries and a thoughtful response to the landscape. The Museum facility has been published internationally. The Largo construction management firm, Peter Brown Construction, Inc., was selected to carry the project to completion. Accreditation by the American Association of Museums was received in March 1998, and in order to more clearly reflect the nature and mission of the institution, its name was changed to the Gulf Coast Museum of Art.