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Indianapolis Museum of Art
INDIANAPOLIS - With lots of curved glass and steel, and some straight lines, the renovated and expanded Indianapolis Museum of Art offers not only a new entrance that faces the city but also space to more involve visitors, said the chief architect on the project, Jonathan Hess, a University of Illinois alumnus.
The expansion, to be shown off to the public during open house events next weekend, doubled the gallery space and added three new pavilions, a Wolfgang Puck restaurant, new spaces for educational programs, an underground parking garage and a larger museum shop.
People who visited before the construction started a few years ago might remember the Sutton Fountain in a circular drive at the front of the museum. The fountain has remained but is situated close to the building; the circular drive was removed.
"Sutton Fountain became really central to the architecture, landscape and building solutions," Hess said. "It's inextricably tied to the building, and one works off the other. Sutton Fountain became a garden. It moves out into the landscape and connects with the city in a new way."
The building expansion and renovation, which cost $74 million, are part of a larger strategic plan that will cost $220 million. With the initiative, the museum - one of the 10 largest general-art museums in the country with 50,000 pieces spanning all eras - hopes to acquire more art and sponsor more creative and inclusive outreach programs. The museum also wants to attract more visitors, with more diverse backgrounds.
Simply put, museum officials want the museum and its 150 acres of grounds to become a destination.
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