The rotating exhibition schedule allows for frequent new shows to be on view. The museum's curatorial focus is a global focus on emerging to mid-career artists. Exhibitions consist largely of contemporary artists, including those achieving their Master of Fine Arts degree at Michigan State University, as well as shows of selected works from the collection. The MSU Broad organizes a few hundred programs for various ages, open to all at no charge. Admission to the galleries and all community events and programs is free for all visitors.[citation needed]
The leading gift to the MSU Broad's collection was provided by Eli and Edythe Broad upon its establishment. The museum, although contemporary, has a large collection of historical works that were inherited from the Kresge Art Museum, MSU's former art museum, when it closed. This collection includes over 10,000 works and growing and represents a wide array of artistic production from the ancient to the present, across the world, in a variety of media. Significant holdings include Ancient Greek and Roman antiquities; pre-Colombian sculptures and vessels; Medieval and Renaissance illuminations; Old Master paintings; 19th-century American paintings; 20th-century sculpture by artists such as Alexander Calder and Jenny Holzer; and works by contemporary artists such as Chuck Close and Ann Hamilton. Their focus in collection growth and new acquisitions is on modern and contemporary works (post-1945).[citation needed]
Nameplate on the northeast sideSouth side of the museum
Designed by architect Zaha Hadid, the Broad Art Museum's iconic design is constructed of steel and concrete with a pleated stainless steel and glass exterior. The structural system combines steel framing, concrete shear, and bearing walls. The floors are structural concrete, finished as polished concrete and wood in the galleries. The exterior is a rain-screen system consisting of sheathed steel framing clad with folding and pleated stainless steel panels. There is a high-performance glazing for the windows, doors, and skylights. 70% of the 46,000 square feet (4,300 m2) is dedicated to exhibition space including non-traditional spaces such as the Education Wing and the Benefactor's Gallery.[5] Public movement and circulation areas of the building are marked through the use of architectural concrete. The movement within and between the gallery spaces is fluid and designed to be affected by other visitors. The MSU Broad is composed of three levels: lower, ground (main), and second with its highest point at approximately 38 feet on the west side (Minskoff Gallery), sloping to about 24 feet on the east side (Education Wing). Its layout is centered around the floating staircase with the galleries branching out from it. The second-level spaces provide dramatic views of both campus and downtown East Lansing. It is adjoined by an outdoor sculpture garden as an extension of the east entrance courtyard and by a pedestrian plaza at the west entrance. Other spaces include administration offices and a gift shop.
The Broad's design is largely community-focused. The internal galleries and public spaces are positioned to create an intentional exchange between the city, its inhabitants, the museum visitor and the art. A dialog is formed with the town and Grand River Avenue, East Lansing's downtown area, through a visual connectivity between the galleries, plaza, and city. It functions as a gateway between the East Lansing community and campus with its parallel doors connecting campus to the downtown area. The floating staircase echoes the exchange with Grand River Avenue via the two-story glazed window opening. All openings located in the building envelope (the exterior stainless steel pleating) reinforce the physical and visual connectivity and interface between the museum, its visitors, and its context (i.e., the surrounding environment).[citation needed]
Sustainability
Ecological sustainable features enabled LEED certification in 2013. The floor-to-ceiling windows throughout the building maximize the use of natural light throughout the day to save energy. The solar control utilizes the sun's energy for lighting as well as heat, both increasing occupant comfort. The energy-efficient heating, ventilating, and cooling system reduces energy use and further maximizes occupant comfort. The HVAC system and lighting contain occupancy sensors to control selected features. The plumbing system minimizes freshwater waste. Additionally, the museum has recycling stations to minimize the amount of waste products entering the waste stream.[citation needed]
History
Kresge Art Center
Kresge Art Museum
Before the BAM, art collections were housed by the Kresge Art Museum, located within Michigan State University's art department building, the Kresge Art Center. The Kresge Art Museum traces its roots to the 1930s when the university's art department first started displaying its official art collection in various locations on campus. In 1959 the Kresge Art Center was built, and a space called "the Gallery" was set aside to house the art. This was renamed the Kresge Art Museum in 1984.[6] Susan Bandes was its director 1986-2010.[7]
When the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum was completed, the Kresge Art Museum closed permanently. Several thousand art objects went into storage. Many items from this Kresge collection would not be exhibited until The Broad opened its Center for Object Research and Engagement in 2023.[8]
A committee known as Better Art Museum was formed in 1999 with the goal of creating a new bigger museum.[6]
On June 1, 2007, Michigan State received a $33 million donation from Michigan State alumnus and Fortune 500 businessman Eli Broad and his wife, philanthropist and art collector Edythe Broad, and The Broad Art Foundation in Los Angeles for the construction of a larger art museum and an exhibition endowment. At their June 15 meeting, the MSU Board of Trustees approved the construction of the museum with initial plans to demolish and replace the Kresge Art Center, before plans changed to instead demolish a former part of the MSU School of Home Economics known as the Paolucci Building.[9] This building had been vacated since 2001 since its floorplan made it very inaccessible to persons with disabilities. It had been built in 1946 and was renamed after faculty member Beatrice Paolucci following her death in 1983.[10][11] It was demolished in 2008 to make room for the new museum.
The building design was chosen through a competition awarding the project to the winning architect, Zaha Hadid. The final cost of the project, including site fees, etc., totaled $40–$45 million. Michael Rush was named as the founding director in December 2010. Michael Rush died of pancreatic cancer on March 27, 2015.[12]Marc-Olivier Wahler was named the director on March 9, 2016.[13]
The angular design of the coat roomThe Minskoff GalleryBerding Gallery
Design competition
Following the approval of the museum there were initially 10 semifinalist firms identified from a field of approximately 30 firms.[14] From the list of semifinalists, five architectural firms were selected to submit competition proposals. The proposed building was to include a minimum of 26,000 square feet (2,400 m2) of gallery space and would accommodate both permanent and temporary exhibitions. The new facilities would allow MSU’s art museum to offer educational opportunities and programming such as lectures by visiting scholars, curators, artists and faculty; seminars, docent training; and special activities for families and school groups.[9] The five finalists[15] were:
The selection committee announced on January 15, 2008, that Zaha Hadid had been selected.[citation needed]
Broad Art Museum from East Circle Drive
Construction and opening
Construction on the museum began on March 16, 2010, at a groundbreaking ceremony attended by Eli Broad and Zaha Hadid. Originally scheduled to open April 21, 2012, the official dedication was delayed until its public opening on November 10, 2012, due to "a combination of material supply delays and the priority placed on involving students in opening activities".[21]
Barton Malow Company from Southfield, MI provided construction management services, using atypical building techniques to ensure constructability given the unique design.[22] The Executive Architect of the building is Integrated Design Solutions from Troy, MI.
The angular facade is composed of pleated stainless steel and glass and was conceived to give the building "an ever-changing appearance that arouses curiosity yet never quite reveals its content." (Zaha Hadid Architects).[23]
Economic impact forecast
According to an economic study published by the Anderson Economic Group,[24] the museum was projected to generate approximately $5.75 million per year in new spending into the regional economy. Specifically, the study predicted that visitors would spend:
$2 million in shopping, entertainment, and other retail
$1.4 million in food and drink
$1.1 million in transportation-related expenses
$1.1 million in overnight accommodations
"We fully expect to be a significant contributor to our local economic engine", said Michael Rush, founding director of the Broad Museum. The museum "will generate new opportunities for existing businesses and potentially new businesses", the report noted, adding that it "is likely to attract visitors with relatively high incomes, high levels of education, and tastes and preferences..."[1]
