Done . . . Mostly!

By Kathy Kelsey Foley, Director

Who said that completing a 9,000-square-foot building addition couldn’t be done in less than a year?

Not quite like building Rome, but a feat of considerable magnitude, to be sure.

Serendipity is one of my favorite themes; I love when the best of all possibilities comes together. You just never know how certain things will play out, so being open to possibilities can be not only exciting but also yield phenomenal results.

With BMO Harris Bank’s generous gift of forty-three Owen J. Gromme paintings last fall, the wheels were put in motion for the Museum to step into high gear to realize a long-held dream to add much-needed gallery space, purpose-built collections storage, a larger elevator, and appropriately accessible bathrooms.

Fast forward to this week and the debut of the Woodson Art Museum’s building addition.

Remarkable!

We broke ground on Monday, January 9.

Thanks to hundreds of dedicated workers, designers, engineers, contractors, inspectors, and others, in just eight months we’re able to debut the Marshall & Ilsley Collection of Owen Gromme paintings.

Yes, there are things still to be done – most notably, landscaping and the re-creation of the Museum’s beloved pond, where Rosetta’s Mountain Lion and Walter Matia’s Heron again will reside – and there is Phase Two work to be undertaken in our existing facility.

With great pride, the vast majority of the project has been completed and we couldn’t be more appreciative of the generosity of the project’s donors; The Samuels Group, our design/build partner; and the cooperation of Mother Nature.

Be among the first to check it out: 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, September 8.

Be there . . . and let us know what you think!

PS. This blog marks the fourth anniversary of weekly posts to Woodson Wanderings. Without exception, one staff blogger or another has posted each and every Wednesday. Hooray for us and Woodson Wanderings followers, too.