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[The Take Out Bandit]

Anybody visiting Cleveland had best visit the awesome art museum now and enjoy all the busty fapalicious Indian pornograph^H^H^Hart. They've green lighted rennovations to make it even more fabulous over the course of six years.

They're going to be closing down galleries to accomodate the construction.

Press Release
CLEVELAND MUSEUM OF ART RECEIVES BOARD’S VOTE OF APPROVAL FOR MAJOR RENOVATION AND EXPANSION PROJECT


$116.5 Million Raised Exceeds Board’s $100 Million “Start” Goal

Cleveland (March 8, 2005) – The Cleveland Museum of Art, home of one of the world’s most important encyclopedic art collections, announced Monday night that its Board of Trustees voted unanimously to move forward with its renovation and expansion project by approving the first construction milestone, which will total $160 million. The Board also announced that the Museum already had raised $116.5 million of the amount necessary to complete the first milestone, and that the advance funding stage of the campaign will continue through the groundbreaking date set for September.

The $116.5 million exceeds the $100 million attainment mark the Board in 2004 said was necessary to begin.

The entire project is currently estimated to cost $258 million, somewhat more than the original estimate of $225 million. The increased cost is due primarily to increased raw material costs and inflation attributable to an elongated construction schedule.

“The vision, leadership, and certainly the generosity of the Museum’s Board of Trustees have made this building project, one of the most ambitious in the city’s history, a reality,” Cleveland Museum of Art Director Katharine Lee Reid said. “Not only does this exciting endeavor serve to preserve and enhance a world-class treasure, it also will positively impact the local and regional economy, and help to reinvigorate the local marketplace.” Project construction alone could infuse as much as $80 million into the local market.

The new museum, designed by acclaimed architect Rafael Viñoly, will feature CMA’s two historic architectural landmarks, the 1916 Beaux Arts Building and the 1971 Breuer Building, both of which will be completely renovated. Two additions, one east wing and one west wing, will round out the new facility, with the new design featuring a 34,000 sq. ft. piazza at the center of the structure. The piazza features a soaring glass canopy that unifies the Museum’s campus with vibrant, light filled spaces. The expansion and renovation will increase the overall size of the Museum to 588,000 sq. ft., including 36,000 sq. ft. more gallery space. The new Museum also will include additional parking, totaling 650 spaces.

The first Board-approved milestone of the project, expected to be completed by 2008, includes the renovation of the Museum’s landmark 1916 Beaux Arts and 1971 Breuer buildings, the construction of a new East wing, which will house the new special exhibition gallery, and the installation of new mechanical and electrical systems. The Breuer Building will be completely rededicated to its original purpose, education, and will include the Life Long Learning Center. Two-thirds of the first milestone is renovation, one-third is expansion.

The second milestone of the project, also subject to board approval at the time that construction bids are ready to be let, includes the demolition of the Museum’s 1958 and 1983 buildings, the construction of the West wing, staff offices and the Piazza. This final portion of the project will be completed by 2011.

“The scope and vision of this project have remained the same throughout the design phase,” Board Chairman Michael J. Horvitz said. He added that the increased project cost is attributed primarily to increases in market prices for materials—steel and cement—during this period, and an elongated construction schedule. “We are confident that we have met or exceeded the objectives laid out by our trustees in the Museum’s 1999 Master Plan. More importantly, we are confident that we are moving forward in the most responsible, fiscally conservative manner possible.”


Attainment Reflects Community Generosity, Confidence

The $116.5 million raised thus far during the advance phase of the campaign, which will continue through September 2005, includes only 93 donors, with 29 gifts of $1 million or more. All of the Museum’s voting trustees participated in the advance phase, with all categories of trustees—voting, life, honorary and emeriti––accounting for nearly half of the attainment. Additional sources of giving include: 73 gifts totaling $55.2 million from individuals and family foundations; 10 gifts totaling $45.8 million from foundations and trusts; nine corporate gifts totaling $7.5 million; and $8 million in funds from The State of Ohio. Notable among these gifts are a $5 million commitment from the Gund Foundation and a $2 million commitment from the Cleveland Foundation.

Board of Trustees President James T. Bartlett said, “The generosity of those who have participated in this leadership phase of the campaign speaks volumes about their confidence in this Board and this Museum to execute its vision for the future. We will uphold this trust by continuing to govern this project and the institution in a fiscally sound and responsible manner.”

The Museum will continue the leadership phase of the campaign during the next two years, and then will reach out to the broader segments of the community, ensuring that all residents have an opportunity to participate in this historic undertaking.

“This is an exciting time in the Museum’s history, and we are honored to be a part of it,” Bartlett said. “With this new building, the Cleveland Museum of Art will reaffirm its leadership role in the broader cultural community and its place as a civic cornerstone for Cleveland and the Northeast Ohio Region.”


Preparation for Construction Begins in March 2005


In order to meet the 2011 completion date, the Museum will begin the construction bidding process in April. In keeping with this timeline, galleries at the Museum will be deinstalled, beginning in March. While some works of art will be loaned to other Museums, the majority of the Museum’s permanent collection will be stored on site. To accommodate renovation and the need for internal storage space, approximately 40 percent of the Museum’s employees will relocate to the Penton Building in Downtown Cleveland by June of this year. Gallery deinstallation schedules will be posted on the Museum’s website and published to provide the community an opportunity to see favorite works of art before they are placed into storage.

Exhibitions at the Museum will continue through January 8, 2006. Masterworks From The Phillips Collection is currently on view in the Museum’s special exhibitions gallery through May 29. The NEO Show, formerly the May Show, will be on view free to the public in the Museum’s 1958 galleries from July 10 through September 4. Design for a Modern World: The Arts and Crafts Movement in Europe and America, 1880-1920 (working title), will be on view free to the public in the 1958 Galleries from Sept. 10, 2005, through January 8, 2006. The Museum’s Summer Evenings outdoor courtyard events also will continue on site at the Museum during Summer 2005. Once construction begins, parking will be supplemented with off-site parking and shuttle transportation.


New Openings to Bring New Excitement


The Museum will be closed entirely for construction for approximately six months after January 8, 2006. However, some galleries will be reinstalled and the exhibition schedule will resume with Barcelona! Gaudi-Picasso-Dali n the fall of 2006, followed by Monet & Normandy in 2007. The first exhibition in the newly constructed East wing will be Artistic Luxury: Faberge- Tiffany-Lalique (working title), along withGaugin’s Volpini Suite in the summer of 2008.

“Although we will be closed for construction for approximately six months in 2006,” Reid noted, “we already have begun planning how we will become a part of the many wonderfully diverse communities in our region. We are investigating new and exciting programming options from concerts in houses of faith to a variety of community arts festivals. At the same time we are building our new facility, we also will be building stronger, deeper community relationships.”

For information about programs and events after April of 2005, visitors may
call the Museum’s information line at 1-888-CMA-0033 or 216-707-2262. For information on the fundraising campaign, call 216-707-2151.


Established in 1916, The Cleveland Museum of Art is one of America’s leading comprehensive museums. Its permanent collection is world renowned for its quality and breadth, spanning 6,000 years. The museum is an important international forum for exhibitions, scholarship and art acquisitions. For more information on the museum, its holdings, programs, services and events, call 1-888-CMA-0033 or visit www.ClevelandArt.org .

GO, NOW!

I need to go back with my digital camera. Those ancient Indian peoples had it goin' on. *cue bass line*