The new $15.4 million Bennett-Schmidt Pavilion adds four new galleries, including two education studios, a viewable collections storage, gift shop, and outdoor sculpture park.
The Muskegon Museum of Art was established in 1912. Its last expansion was in 1980. The museum’s current collection houses over 5,500 works of art but was only able to display about 3% of the collection due to space constraints. The new expansion showcases more of the museum’s permanent collection on its historical side, while new galleries focus on rotating exhibitions.
One such exhibition scheduled for this summer is entitled Julia Child: A Recipe for Life.
The museum has acquired over 600 new works of art in recent years, many of them from art collector Steven Alan Bennett. The pavilion is named after him and art collector Dr. Elaine Melotti Schmidt.
The public is invited to Thursday evening’s opening ceremony from 5-7 PM. A Family Day Celebration will be held Saturday, February 8th from 11 AM-5 PM.
