Construction continues in phase 1 of the Springfield Art Museum renovation.
Much has been done including demolishing the old education wing and turning the old auditorium into a high-ceilinged gallery, but there’s still plenty of work left to do.
During a hard hat tour of the museum, the museum's executive director Nick Nelson talked about seeing his dream come to fruition.
"It's really gratifying. It's really exciting because it's been a project that, you know, that's been in the works for a very long time," he said. "And...it'll have a long-term impact on our community and (a) positive impact for years to come."
Nelson said this is a project that’s needed. As the community grows, so does demand for their services. He believes the project will contribute to the community’s economy as tourists come to visit. But it’s mostly for those who live here and those who will in the future.
"The thing that I go back to, and I'm kind of a little sentimental, I guess, but, yeah, this museum has been in the community for 100 years, going on 100 years — in 2028 it'll be 100 years — And so we really have an opportunity to continue the legacy of this place for the future," he said. "And so I've been, everybody involved in this project has been really focused on this idea that, you know, we're building something for future generations."
As we walked into what was once the auditorium, the space was mostly unrecognizable. The once sloping floor is now level – filled in with concrete repurposed from other parts of the building (the project is LEED silver certified). The tall ceilings will allow the museum to exhibit art on a scale it couldn’t before.
"There's not a gallery of this scale in southwest Missouri," said Nelson, "and you'd have to travel to Tulsa or Bentonville or Kansas City or a place like that to see art at that scale. So what you're looking at here is the full scope of this space. So these walls that you see being framed out, that is the wall of the gallery, this is the west wall of the gallery, that's the east wall of the gallery, and this is the full space going all the way up to the ceiling. So, I mean, they are over 20-foot so there won't be a lot that we won't be able to exhibit...in this space with just the size of it."
And what once was a dimly-lit space, is now filled with lots of natural light.
The final completion of Phase 1 is expected next year by the end of September. That phase includes the new 20-foot-tall special exhibition gallery space; new HVAC and climate-control to preserve the collection; accessibility features; an improved loading dock and art receiving areas; and the naturalized Fassnight Creek and trail. It will also include a collection study room for expanded higher education partnerships.
"This will be a whole new way for us to...connect our community with our collection while training the next generation of creatives, artists and museum professionals," he said, "so it's going to be really fun to see that work."
He pointed out a new courtyard space and said that, when the museum reopens, visitors will be able to move more easily through the building.
"One of the challenges with the museum before was the sort of flow of visitors or how people move through the space," Nelson said. "If people came to the museum in the past probably remember you had to go all the way to the back, and you had to backtrack. You had to go through certain galleries to get to other parts of the building. This will provide access to any point in the building through this walking path."
There will be lots of glass throughout the new space. That will not only let in natural light but will allow visitors to look out onto the naturalized Fassnight Creek, which is attracting wildlife such as mallards and yellow-crowned night herons. The idea is to open up the museum and connect it to nature.
"All of these areas where you see these pillars, that's all glass, so looking out into the creek," he said. "So there'll be lots of daylight, lots of transparency."
Nelson said, while they could move back to the museum after phase 1 and open it up to the public sooner, they’re working hard to raise money so they can go directly into Phase 2.
That phase will include an expanded multi-level lobby; expanded greenspace connecting the museum to Phelps Grove Park; more education classrooms and community gathering spaces, additional refreshed gallery spaces; and an exterior transformation of the museum. The existing parking lot would become greenspace that would extend all the way to the front of the museum. And more outdoor sculptures will be added. Parking space would be extended on the north side all the way down to the museum.
You can donate to phase 2 by contacting the museum affairs officer for fundraising and development Kate Francis.
As we walked outside into the green space to the west of the museum, Nelson said he loves to imagine what this space can be.
"You have the creek on the south, and, I mean, this is just like an enormous outdoor room," he said. "You're really kind of nestled between this creek, this beautiful creek and then this lovely landscaping and the parking lot," he said. "And then you imagine, you can imagine that facade of the building and just kind of welcoming you...it's really kind of like I've been saying, it's like the community's backyard. I mean, it really is."
When they first learned the museum was going to be put into a floodplain and they began talking about whether they’d need to relocate, he said, he knew that was not an option.
"This is just too special a place to leave beyond just the connection to the Greenway trail and its central location in the city," he said. "It's also just, you know, a place where people are putting in their energy and their time and, you know, standing out here in this beautiful day with these beautiful trees, the fall color...who wouldn't want to be here?"
The history of the area and items associated with it, he points out, go back to prehistoric times – there are worm fossils on rock that tops the walls of the amphitheatre. And the surrounding neighborhoods are more than 100-years-old. It’s a place he knew they couldn’t leave.
You can find out more about the museum project here.
