PLANS UNDERWAY FOR NEW UNIVERSITY OF IOWA MUSEUM OF ART

A committee envisioning a future University of Iowa Museum of Art wrapped up its final meeting Friday with plans to submit a final report to UI president Sally Mason on Tuesday, reports B. A. Morelli for the Iowa City Press-Citizen.

Strong interaction with students and a central location were top priorities for the committee. The previous museum was destroyed by the 2008 flood. Most of the art collection has been housed at the Figge Museum in Davenport. “Kids are going to have a relationship with art like they haven’t had before,” said Susan White, a UI art associate professor who served on the committee. Based on a similarly sized design and current market and standards, a new museum building could cost forty million to fifty million dollars, said Rod Lehnertz, director of UI planning, design, and construction, who served as a committee adviser.

The collection can’t return to the old building for insurance reasons, and a new building isn’t eligible for federal disaster money. Private contributions are expected to be a large part of a new museum, committee members said. “I am excited. This went pretty quickly. Now we have to get fund-raising and get this thing going,” White said.

The envisioning committee has recommended the project be built near the Old Capitol, where it is more accessible to non-art students. “The president has the objective to advance this as quickly as would be responsible,” Lehnertz said. “We won’t let any moss grow on the stone.”