Media Contact
Karen Denne, 310-954-5058, kdenne@broadfoundation.org

Broad Art Museum welcomes nearly 6,000 opening weekend; meets $40 million fundraising goal

EAST LANSING, MICH., Nov. 13, 2012—Nearly 6,000 people visited the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum at Michigan State University during the Nov. 9-11 dedication weekend. Grand opening festivities included museum tours, a public talk with Eli Broad and the museum’s Pritzker Prize-winning architect Zaha Hadid, live concerts, discussions with Broad museum staff, art-making activities and more.

“We were enormously gratified by the amazing number of people who attended our opening weekend festivities in the museum,” said Michael Rush, founding director of the museum. “We had hoped that 3,000 would come. To have had double that amount is a clear sign that the community is fully ready for us. We now look forward to fulfilling our goal of presenting the finest in international art to the community.”

A highlight of the weekend was the announcement made by MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon at a Nov. 9 dinner that the museum officially met its fundraising goal of $40 million. William and Linda Demmer and Julie and Edward J. Minskoff added to their original gifts to cover the $1.2 million needed to reach the original fundraising goal.

“That we could carry out such an ambitious project in a difficult economy and execute such a bold design with extraordinary ingenuity and craftsmanship say a lot about Michigan State University and the people who contributed to building the Broad Art Museum,” Simon said. “I’m very pleased it has been so well received by the community as well as by those whose vision it realizes.”

“We are so proud and grateful that our capital campaign has been fulfilled,” Rush said. “The Minskoffs and Demmers really came through, expanding what they had already given us.” Fundraising continues for the museum to support ongoing and future programs and exhibitions. Individuals and organizations who commit at least $25,000 by Dec. 31 will have the opportunity to be listed on the founders’ wall in the main lobby of the museum.

Dedicated to exploring global contemporary culture and ideas through art, the Broad Art Museum at MSU will serve as both an educational resource for the campus community and a cultural hub for the mid-Michigan region. The museum will present contemporary works within a historical context through access to a study collection of more than 7,500 objects, ranging from the Greek and Roman periods to modern art.

The museum is named in honor of MSU alumnus Eli Broad and his wife, Edythe, longtime supporters of the university who provided the lead gift of $28 million for the museum. Located on 547 East Circle Drive, the museum’s regular hours are: Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Tuesday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Friday from noon to 9 p.m.; closed Monday. Admission is free. For more information, visit broadmuseum.msu.edu.

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