MSU announced, after a delay, an opening date for the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum of Nov. 9, when it will host an opening ceremony. Following the ceremony, the museum will be open on Nov. 10 for people to enter the building and experience the art.
The museum was originally set to open April 21, but because of issues obtaining glass panels for the outside of the museum, the opening was delayed. Museum Director Michael Rush said in a previous State News article the project costs between $40 million to $45 million. It still has to undergo more construction before the opening, but he hopes there are no further complications with the project, Rush said.
“It has had its challenges,” Rush said. “I think anything that can be great has challenges.”
The 46,000-square-foot museum was designed by Zaha Hadid, an architect whose company has worked on projects in 44 countries.
The museum will display a large medium of art, from sculptures to paintings.
Rush said when the museum opens, entry will be free, except for a few featured collections. He hopes it will be a place students want to visit, and he is considering hosting a special viewing party or bringing in a band for students, Rush said.
“We want the students at MSU to feel this is their museum,” he said.
In a press release, MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon said the museum is a powerful architectural statement, symbolizing the 21st-century dynamic global position of MSU.
“The museum will provide opportunities for students and faculty across disciplines to explore contemporary issues through art and for the university to engage with local, regional, national and international communities,” Simon said.
Studio art senior Kevin Martin said he is excited for the museum to open, and he plans to visit the museum every month or so, depending on the artwork displayed.
Martin said as an art student, he has an interest in architecture and would probably visit the building even if it didn’t house art because the design of the overall structure is so unique.
“It is different than the rest of campus, but I feel that art is always changing, so why can’t the art museum itself change?” Martin said.
But Martin said he is very aware that some people think the museum is an eyesore on campus and doesn’t fit in with the old architecture that surrounds MSU.
Martin said he suspects the unique design might draw curious people into the museum to further investigate the building, hopefully ensuring that it won’t be overlooked as much as the Kresge Art Museum.
“When riding the bus down Grand River (Avenue), I have overheard people saying it was a space ship or ruining the beauty of campus; I don’t feel that way at all,” Martin said. “If the building is an art museum, then why can’t the building itself be considered art?”
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