The Mary and Bruce Stevenson Wing Will Add 25,500 Square Feet of Space to Columbia Gorge Icon
Maryhill Museum of Art’s first expansion in its 97-year history is on pace for completion in spring 2012. The 25,500 square foot Mary and Bruce Stevenson Wing, a LEED-rated building designed by GBD Architects of Portland, will feature a dedicated art education center, centralized collections storage suite, an outdoor plaza and a new café with terrace seating and stunning views of the Columbia River Gorge.
To date, Maryhill Museum’s capital campaign has raised $9 million in cash gifts, bequests and pledges; another $500,000 remains to be raised. The campaign was jumpstarted with a $2.6 million gift from Maryhill Museum of Art benefactor Mary Hoyt Stevenson and further enriched with a $1.5 million award from the Washington State Building for the Arts fund. The museum also received a 2:1 matching grant of $400,000 from the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust; for every $2 the museum raises, the Trust will award the museum with $1, up to a total of $400,000. Maryhill Museum of Art is half way toward meeting the match.
Additional campaign funds have come from the museum’s trustees, members and friends, as well as regional foundations such as Rose Tucker Charitable Trust, Hugh and Jane Ferguson Foundation, Mary Hoyt Stevenson Foundation and BNSF Foundation. Regional businesses such as Cannon Power Group, GBD Architects, Google, Gunkel Construction, Insitu, Inc., Schommer & Sons, and SDS Lumber have also contributed to the campaign.
“Regional businesses who have donated to the expansion project know how important it is to bring hands-on arts and culture experiences to Columbia Gorge residents, including the thousands of schoolchildren who visit Maryhill Museum of Art each year,” says executive director Colleen Schafroth. “Participating in the campaign and helping make the expansion a reality will enhance education and provide a crucial enrichment opportunity for Gorge residents. It’s an investment in tomorrow’s business and community leaders.”
The museum has launched an online portal at www.maryhillmuseum.org/expansion/ where donors can contribute directly to the campaign and to the Murdock Trust match.
“Gifts of any amount make a difference,” said Schafroth. “We have received donations of all sizes from museum friends who are eager to see this dream become a reality. We’re going to reach our goal, one step at a time.”
Maryhill Museum of Art Expansion Project Highlights:
Designed by GBD Architects of Portland, the 25,500 square foot Mary and Bruce Stevenson Wing will allow Maryhill to meet a number of strategic objectives as it serves growing audiences from throughout Oregon, Washington and around the globe.
Key features of the new wing include: a dedicated art education center to accommodate Maryhill’s wide range of public programming; a centralized collections suite for improved storage and to give curators and researchers more efficient access to the museum’s world-class collections; an outdoor plaza where visitors can better enjoy Maryhill’s extraordinary setting and growing collection of large-scale sculpture; and, a new café with terrace seating and stunning views of the Columbia River Gorge.
The expansion is managed by Milt Ketchum of Sherman County, Oregon and constructed by Schommer and Sons Construction of Portland.