Why does the Museum need an addition? What will the new building contain?
The expansion and renovation of the Museum’s current facility has been an identified need for decades. Currently, the Museum can only exhibit three to four percent of its collections at any given moment. Storage space is insufficient to the needs of UMMA’s growing collections. Most spaces in the Museum, including galleries, serve two or even three distinct purposes. The absence of adequate object study and classroom facilities inhibits UMMA’s ability to fulfill its fundamental teaching mission. The 53,000 square foot addition will more than double the Museum’s physical space and enable the Museum to better accommodate temporary exhibitions, lectures, concerts, classes, and community meetings through substantial new gallery space; state-of-the-art collections storage and “open” storage for greater public accessibility; a print study room; Asian conservation lab; auditorium; University classrooms and art-making facilities; an expanded Museum shop; and improved visitor amenities and publi
