Envisioning Committee
UI President Sally Mason announced the formation of the Envisioning Committee for the UIMA on August 25, 2009, charging the committee to look forward to the future and "imagine all of the possibilities for the University of Iowa Museum of Art."
Carroll Reasoner, UI interim vice president of legal affairs and general counsel, chaired the UIMA Envisioning Committee, which met once a month from August 2009 to January 2010. The group consulted UIMA staff, museum experts, and other UI and community talents as resources in order to develop comprehensive and informed recommendations for the UIMA's future. The Envisioning Committee delivered its report to Mason over the Spring 2010 semester; the report was announced by the University in a press release on April 1.
Follow this link to read the report: http://uima.uiowa.edu/assets/UIMA-Final-Report.pdf.
In its report, the committee said the new museum building must serve multiple purposes: as classroom, research facility, gathering space, event center, and, most importantly, a place to experience art. Specifically, the committee calls for:
- Expanded permanent exhibition space to allow for expansion of the museum's permanent collection through acquisitions and donor contributions
- Expanded space for temporary exhibitions that could "significantly enhance" the teaching and research mission of the university
- At least two large classrooms available for general university use, two smaller classrooms near the storage areas for demonstrations of hands-on objects for K-12 visitors, and a print study room for safe viewing of the museum's world-class print collection
- A state-of-the-art auditorium with a seating capacity of 150 for exhibit-related lectures, films, concerts and other events
- A shop and coffee bar to enhance visitors' experience
The committee also recommends that the new facility be located where it will best serve the needs of the academic community as well as patrons in Iowa City and across the state of Iowa. Its preference is for the facility to be closer to the main campus in the Old Capitol district.
Search for Director of the University of Iowa Museum of Art
With the release of the Envisioning Committee's report, the University also announced that a national search was under way for a Museum of Art director who would help plan and begin major fundraising for the new facility. For more information about the search for a UIMA director, visit http://provost.uiowa.edu/search/uima/.
Conversation about the Future of the UIMA
On April 18, 2009, almost one year after the June 2008 flood devastated the museum building, the UIMA invited donors and interested members of the public and UI community to attend a "Conversation about the Future of the UI Museum of Art" with UI President Sally Mason, Executive Vice President and Provost Wallace Loh, Senior Vice President and University Treasurer Doug True, and UI Foundation President and CEO Lynette Marshall. At the "Conversation," President Mason announced her plans to form an Envisioning Committee that would review options for the future of the UIMA.
