Approximately five percent of the Grand Rapids Public Museum’s collection is on display at its Van Andel Museum Center.
“It’s a shared facility with the city of Grand Rapids and Kent County, although the public museum occupies probably 80% of it, which house our more than 250,000 artifacts and specimens.”
Dale Robertson, President and CEO of the Grand Rapids Public Museum, points out the archives renovation will make those artifacts more accessible to the public for study and research.
“Ninety-eight percent of those 250,000 artifacts and specimens were donated by the people of West Michigan over 171 years.”
The facility will boast a new public lobby and classroom space. And as a publicly owned entity, Robertson says the artifacts belong to the people.
“There’s an implied promise that we make these collections available to the public for, what I argue, is the highest and best use, which is education and the inspiration that comes from it.”
When completed, Robertson hints the renovated center will be unlike any other in the nation.
For a weekly dose of news right to your inbox, sign up for the WGVU newsletter.
