UIMA@IMU: University of Iowa Museum of Art’s temporary, renovated new digs
In the continuing saga of the University of Iowa Museum’s recovery from the devastating June 2008 flood, its new “visual classroom” elsewhere on campus, displaying more than 500 works (including about 250 works on paper), will open for student previews this Saturday. On Sept. 8, it will begin its schedule of regular visiting hours for the public. Other spaces on campus have been repurposed for African art and temporary exhibitions from the museum’s collection.
According to the museum’s chief curator, Kathleen Edwards (as quoted in the university’s press release), the works in the new display were selected “with potential teaching use in mind….It’s clear students and faculty have missed the experience original works of art can provide.”
Some 90% of the $1 million needed to renovate the 4,000-square-foot Richey Ballroom in the historic Iowa Memorial Union came in the form of flood relief from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA); the rest was funded by the university and the National Endowment for the Humanities.
The bulk of the museum’s collection, including its precious and celebrated Pollock, will remain displayed or stored at the Figge
Art Museum, Davenport (see the first two links in this post), until a new permanent home in Iowa City (the university’s location) becomes a reality.
When exactly will that be? Your guess is as good as mine. I’ve got a query pending with the museum about the status of its relocation plans. If there’s been any substantial progress, I’ll append an update to this post.