MUSKEGON, Mich. — The Muskegon Museum of Art has been a cornerstone on the lakeshore for more than a hundred years, and now work will begin to more than double it's size.
The multimillion dollar expansion project kicked off with a groundbreaking ceremony Saturday evening, immediately followed by a Gala celebrating it's 110th anniversary.
The final piece of the capital campaign making that expansion possible was a massive donation of both art and money. Elaine Melotti Schmidt and Steven Alan Bennett have gifted their collection of 'women painting women', as well as $12 Million for the museum.
"Women have been neglected by big art for a very long time," said Bennett. "This is a chance for Muskegon and our collection to honor women who haven’t received their full due in the big art world of museums and galleries."
Schmidt and Bennett have stipulated that the museum will have a permanent section dedicated to Female artists. Kirk Hallman, the museum's executive director says only five other museums in the nation have similar dedicated spaces, making them a trendsetter.
"We’ll be bringing a lot of people into Muskegon, raising a lot of awareness of women artists and hoping to further those careers," Hallman said.
"51% of the world are women, and the museums holdings don’t reflect that, virtually all museums don’t reflect that," said Schmidt. "I think people should bring their boys too and show them what talented women can do."
"Big day for the museum and a big day for Muskegon," said Mayor Ken Johnson. "For women and girls in our community to see what can be accomplished and have inspiration for their own creativity."
The expansion will more than double the exhibit space available, bringing it to 18,500 square feet. Johnson says this will make it possible to bring in larger touring exhibits, and create a draw for tourism benefitting the whole city, not just the museum.
If construction stays on schedule, the expansion is planned to be complete in 2024.
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