University of Michigan to reopen art museum

From The Ann Arbor News: The renovated and expanded University of Michigan Museum of Art in Ann Arbor is scheduled to reopen Saturday evening. The $41.9 million project has more than doubled the space available for collections display, temporary exhibitions, programs and educational exploration. The original, 41,000-square-foot museum space in Alumni Memorial Hall was refurbished and a new, 53,000-square-foot wing was added. The museum includes larger galleries for collections and special exhibitions; open-storage galleries and study rooms; state-of-the-art conservation and art storage facilities; expanded public programming in performing arts, spoken word, film- and art-making; a 225-seat auditorium; classrooms and event spaces to serve multiple audiences; a curatorial research center; a cafe and an expanded museum store. The architect is Allied Works Architecture.FROM 2008: An expansion of the University of Michigan Museum of Art in Ann Arbor will more than double the museum's usable floor space. When it opens in spring 2009, the $41.9 million project will add 53,000 square feet--bringing the museum's usable floor space to about 97,000 square feet. With existing space, the university can exhibit only 3 to 4 percent of its 18,000-plus works of art. (The Detroit News)