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Baltimore Museum of Art reopens Merrick Entrance

The Baltimore Museum of Art announced the reopening of the Merrick Entrance for visitors beginning on November 23, 2014, in celebration of the Museum’s 100th anniversary. This landmark event also heralds the reopening of the renovated Dorothy McIlvain Scott American Wing and a new presentation of the BMA’s outstanding collection of American paintings, sculpture, and decorative arts, considered one of the finest on the East Coast. A dramatically redesigned East Wing Lobby and Zamoiski Entrance will reopen in fall 2014 as well.

Baltimore Museum of Art Merrick Entry Rendering  Ziger/Snead Architects
Baltimore Museum of Art Merrick Entry Rendering Ziger/Snead Architects

The grand reopening is a significant milestone in the BMA’s $28 million renovation to provide visitors with a more welcoming environment and more imaginative and inspiring encounters with art. The first phase of the BMA’s ambitious multi-year renovation was realized when the Contemporary Wing reopened in November 2012. Since then, more than 92,000 people have visited the wing to see the museum’s significant collection of contemporary art and a series of focus exhibitions, installations, and programs highlighting works by Sarah Oppenheimer, Raqs Media Collective, Jimmy Joe Roche, An-My Lê, and others.

The grand entrance to the building designed by the great American architect John Russell Pope ushered generations of visitors into the museum from 1929 to 1982, and the reopening of this historic threshold reflects the BMA’s goal to foster more welcoming and memorable art experiences. The terrace steps leading up to the entrance will serve as a vibrant gathering place for visitors and the Baltimore community. The elegant façade is being conserved and will have improved lighting. The existing doors and vestibule will remain unchanged. A special $1 million gift from the France- Merrick Foundation is supporting this area of the renovation.

www.artbma.org