Tacoma Art Museum celebrated a groundbreaking ceremony in September with 300 supporters to kick off the museum’s transformative building expansion project. Construction began this fall on the 16,000-square-foot new wing and building renovation. The new wing will provide a home for the Haub Family Collection of Western American Art and will double the museum’s gallery space.
“This is a remarkable moment for the museum,” said Stephanie A. Stebich, director of Tacoma Art Museum. “We are taking a historic step toward connecting our region’s past and present through art. This extraordinary project is proof of our community’s dedication to the arts, and we are honored to be able to create a gathering space where we can all meet and share art moments for generations to come.”
Design for the $15.5 million project is led by award-winning architects Olson Kundig, with expected completion in fall 2014. This expansion is made possible by the Haub family’s donation of about 280 works of Western American art and endowment funds that will transform Tacoma Art Museum into one of the leading museums in the country featuring Western American art.
In finding a home at Tacoma Art Museum, the Haub Family Collection will establish the only major museum collection of Western American art in the Northwest. It will enable the museum to fully explore the art history of the West and also integrate the Western and Northwest collections. Together these collections will offer a comprehensive understanding of the Northwest region as part of the expanded history of the West and will illuminate how that broad history has shaped regional artistic responses, said Stebich.
Showcasing the Haub Family Collection of Western American art is a chance for the museum to share an integral piece of American art history with the Puget Sound region. “The vision is to provide a rich legacy and link to our history through art,” said Christian Haub of the Haub family.
ROBIN LUCAS
For updates on the expansion, visit:
tacomaartmuseum.org