(Host) The Shelburne Museum has announced plans to open a new center for art and education on the museum campus.
The new building, which will be open year-round, will include galleries to showcase special exhibitions, and will include auditorium and classroom space. Currently, the museum is open for six months of the year.
Museum Chairman James Pizzagalli says the 16,000 square foot space will allow the Shelburne to fulfill its long-term educational mission.
(Pizzagalli) "We have 39 buildings, and yet most of them are very small buildings, and of course we have 150,000 objects in the collection – about 90 percent are on display – so our buildings are packed full, and there’s very little space for educational programs for example, and there’s no space for special exhibitions, without removing the contents of one of those buildings."
(Host) Construction is planned to start next fall, and will be completed in 2013, but the project must first go through state and local permitting reviews.