As the Broad Museum celebrates its one-year anniversary this week, officials and patrons are reflecting on its place at MSU and in the local community.

Economic impact

The East Lansing-based Anderson Economic Group conducted market opportunity analysis for the museum in 2012, and estimated that in its first year, the museum would see 150,000 patrons and generate nearly $6 million in revenue.

Museum Director Michael Rush said it’s “too early” to analyze revenue, but said he is encouraged by the total number of visitors during the Broad’s inaugural year: about 115,000.

“It’s still too early to tell the economic impact of the museum, but you can be sure that if we’ve had 115,000 visitors, that the economic impact is real,” Rush said. “Developers are talking about building new hotels and restaurants (in East Lansing), and I’m sure that’s in direct response to the impact of the museum.”

Ongoing development projects in the area include the planned East Lansing Park District redevelopment project, and one of the popular preliminary ideas for the location is a hotel.

Scott Watkins, a senior consultant with the Anderson Economic Group, blamed the summer’s construction for lower attendance than was predicted.

“We’re still pretty happy with how it came about, especially when you think of how that construction on Grand River (Avenue) restricted access to the museum over the summer,” Watkins said.

And Rush said the lower-than-anticipated attendance figure still is positive.

“The big story is that we’ve had this number of visitors, and from more than 80 countries,” Rush said. “And that’s having an enormous impact on the worldwide reputation of MSU.”

MSU partnerships

Museum officials have been forging partnerships and working closely with various MSU departments.

The museum has collaborated with the MSU Departments of Art, Film Studies, English, African American and African Studies, or AAAS, and Entomology, as well as the College of Music, said Aimee Shapiro, the museum’s director of education.

“We’re just a year old, and the university has such a diverse offering — so it’s safe to say a lot more collaborative programming is on the way in year two,” Shapiro said.

The museum helped fund and promote a screening of the 2013 film “Fruitvale Station,” working with AAAS, said Ramon Jenkins, an African American and African Studies doctoral student.

“It’s a partnership we forged with the head curator soon after the Trayvon Martin shooting and the George Zimmerman verdict,” Jenkins said.

Another partner has been MSU’s Lesbian, Bisexual, Gay and Transgender, or LBGT, Resource Center.

“It’s been more of an issue-based partnership than a strategic thing,” said LBGT Center Director Deanna Hurlbert. “(At the Center), we have a strong value of visual art and art as a tool for education.”

The resource center has helped the Broad Museum seek artwork exploring sexual identity and culture.

“Art can be more than just eye candy,” Hurlbert said. “It can be used as a tool to fuel the mission of the university.”

Together, the LBGT Resource Center and Broad Art Museum have organized an event called Examining Civil Rights, a panel where art scholars and artists will discuss how art can represent civil rights tensions, Hurlbert said.

“It’s a chance to explore civil rights as they relate to things like same-sex marriage, or sexuality,” Hurlbert said.

An asset to the community

Shapiro said there’s been a great mix between resident and student attendees.

“I think it’s become an attraction for Michiganders, and even beyond,” Shapiro said.

Lansing residents Lindsey Burnside and Paul Wilson visited the museum for the first time during the anniversary celebration on Sunday and said they didn’t know admission is usually free.

“Most things are free — We don’t charge for most events unless it’s something really special,” Shapiro said. “We support ourselves mainly by renting out the museum for special events and, of course, we have a lot of private donors. There’s a misconception that the Broad (family) paid for everything, but really they only helped build the museum.”

The museum originated from a $26 million donation from art patrons Eli and Edythe Broad — the largest individual cash gift in the history of MSU.

The museum also has been a student job creator, said marketing junior Amanda LaPres, who has spent the last two months working as a gallery guide.

They hire students from a variety of majors, not just the arts, she said.

“When I first started working here, I expected less people to be around, but it’s rarely slow,” LaPres said. “You see both students and locals. Students often come in for academic reasons … but you really see a lot of couples in here. ”

Burnside said she felt the museum has brought new culture to the area.

“I love that there’s finally a local museum,” Burnside said. “Art is always a positive addition to a community.”