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Broad Art Museum expansion to open April 14 following MSUFCU grant

February 27, 2018
<p>The Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum opened to the public on Sunday, Nov.11, 2012. Photo by The State News</p>

The Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum opened to the public on Sunday, Nov.11, 2012. Photo by The State News

This spring, the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum will expand because of a $1 million grant out of the $5.5 million that Michigan State University Federal Credit Union, or MSUFCU, gave the university.

The B2 Art Lab is anticipated to open April 14 and will showcase about 35 pieces, Whitney Stoepel, director of public relations and marketing at the Broad, said.

The expansion for the B2 Art Lab will be set in a new location, 565 Grand River Ave., directly across from the existing museum, Stoepel said. The museum will lease a space that is already built, but there will be elements that tie into the museum's branding.

“We wanted to have another space to be able to show more of the collection, especially in a place that the community had more access to, so we wanted to reach across the street and make sure more people were able to see the collection, not just in the museum, but in the community as well," Stoepel said.

MSUFCU also gave grants to other areas at MSU, including the Wharton Center, WKAR, Media Sandbox in the College of Communication Arts and Sciences, the Residential College in the Arts and Humanities, the College of Arts and Letters, the College of Music, Science Gallery Lab Detroit, the Eli Broad College of Business and the College of Social Science, according to April Clobes, president and CEO of MSUFCU.

“The donation was part of a five year commitment gift to MSU,” Clobes said in an email. “We received over 25 grant applications and worked with a committee at the university to identify 10 colleges/departments to receive the funds."

Stoepel said part of the mission of the new space is to work with students and faculty to experiment with how the exhibits are shown.

“For example, writing exhibition labels — working really closely with students to experiment on how we write exhibition labels, which is something they're not able to do in the museum," Stoepel said. "So giving space for a lot more flexibility when it comes to researching exhibitions and working with other community members and students.”

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