EUGENE–David Robertson, University of Oregon Museum of Art director, will present an update on the museum’s plans for a major expansion on Wednesday evening, April 26, during the free weekly MusEvenings! program at the UO Museum of Art, 1430 Johnson Lane.

In a 6 p.m. talk titled "Museum Without Walls: An Update on the UOMA Capital Project," he will present the building plans and give an overview of activities and educational outreach that will be implemented while the building is closed. Exhibits are currently planned through Sept. 9.

"This event is designed to update our community on the $12 million expansion of the museum," Robertson says. "This is a great opportunity for members of the community to ask questions and become involved in the building campaign."

The Museum of Art announced its renovation plans in November of 1999. The renovation includes an addition of 38,290 square feet to the current building, nearly doubling the museum’s current space to 63,180 square feet.

The addition will provide more gallery space to display the museum’s extensive collections of Northwest and Asian art. In addition, it will enable the museum to bring in more exciting traveling exhibits by increasing gallery space, installing a climate control system and adding a loading dock.

Robertson says the project also will enhance the museum’s ability to educate UO students, Oregon schoolchildren and the public by adding an auditorium for lectures, films and performances; improve museum traffic circulation and access for handicapped visitors; and make the windowless building more open and inviting to the public through possible features such as an outdoor sculpture garden, a café and a larger museum store.

The University of Oregon Museum of Art is a nonprofit state institution supported by the generosity of its members and by grants from the Oregon Arts commission and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. Horton, Museum of Art, Culp, Krause and Autzen endowments provide operating funds.

Accessible to people with disabilities, the Museum of Art is open from noon to 8 p.m. Wednesday and from noon to 5 p.m. Thursday through Sunday. Suggested admission is $3, except on Wednesday evenings when the MusEvenings! program offers free extended viewing hours from 5 to 8 p.m. Museum members, students, UO employees and children are admitted free.

For information, browse http://uoma.uoregon.edu or call (541) 346-3027.

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