All is quiet behind the closed front doors of the University’s Museum of Art. The artwork that once hung on its walls and lined its galleries has been carefully wrapped in plastic and hidden in boxes.
The collections of photography, Pacific Northwest art, Russian icons and Asian art from China, India, Japan and Korea will soon be moved on palettes out of the building altogether.
Even though the building has been closed since September 2000, the museum staff is still as busy as ever, said Christie McDonald, the museum’s director of development and external affairs.
A dedicated crew, composed of staff, interns, students and volunteers, have been working to study, catalog, photograph and pack up more than 12,500 art pieces in the museum’s collection.
Lawrence Fong, the museum’s associate director and curator, said the expansion and renovation of the museum is expected to be completed by late October 2003, and groundbreaking for construction will begin this spring.
“It’s going to completely transform the space,” he said.
The antiquated art storage in the basement, or “vault,” of the museum and climate controls will be replaced, and the exhibition areas will be increased in size from 8,000 to 22,000 square feet.
“Our ambitions have always been there — but we never had the space to fulfill them,” Fong said.
An education wing with a studio for University students, K-12 classes and the general public will be established. Other new features will include a museum store and café, and a special events area for receptions, lectures and fundraising activities.
“What people will appreciate fully when we reopen is how far we have advanced this museum with collections, exhibitions and education programs,” Fong said.
McDonald said the museum — which opened to the public in 1932 — was built in the late 1920s. And while it was designed to be a much larger building, the Great Depression caused the museum to be built smaller than anticipated.
The building is listed on the National Register for Historic Places, but museum officials said its deficiencies in gallery space, humidity, and electrical and environment systems for preserving works have prevented it from being able to house special exhibitions.
The almost $13 million project is still about $500,000 short of funding, Fong said. The project is being funded partly from a state bond measure and partly through gifts from individuals, foundations and businesses.
Disability access was not part of the existing museum , but the renovated building will be completely accessible to persons with disabilities. Fong said even though the Campbell Memorial Courtyard will remain where it is currently located, both sides of it will have marble ramps for disability access.
“We’ll be able to show more of our own collection and be able to meet the academic desires of the University,” McDonald said, also adding that the museum will be able to showcase more borrowed collections than ever before in a changing exhibition area.
University students from the fine arts, architecture, arts and administrations and art history departments have had the unique opportunity to practice the application of their studies while the museum is closed, Fong said. The museum staff is also still running a docent program at local high schools and working on educational outreach.
“To have the museum closed is difficult because our courses are so much tied to the experience of art firsthand,” said Kate Nicholson, who heads the art history department and also serves on the museum’s board of directors.
But she said for students such as those taking Museology 411, taught by Fong this term, they are learning about what is involved in preparing the exhibitions that will be featured when the museum reopens. The museology class teaches theories and techniques in the operation of art museums.
Doug Blandy, director of the arts and administration program, said the graduate students in his program have a unique opportunity to witness a renovation firsthand before transitioning into museum jobs.
He said students will help plan for the opening.
“It is certainly going to be a much improved facility,” Blandy said. “It will be state-of-the-art in terms of what will be provided in terms of exhibitions and arts education.”
For more information about the museum, visit http://uoma.uoregon.edu or call 346-3027.
Contact arts and entertainment/features editor Lisa Toth at [email protected].