West Bend, WI May 20, 2010 —For Immediate Release—The design for the new home of
the Museum of Wisconsin Art will be unveiled Sunday, May 23rd at 12:30pm during
a presentation to be given just prior to the 7th annual Wisconsin Visual Art Lifetime
Achievement awards ceremony. Architect James W. Shields of HGA Architects of Milwaukee,
whose body of work includes Discovery World at Pier Wisconsin and the Butterfly
Vivarium at the Milwaukee Public Museum, will be presenting his design for the new
MWA location, which will be situated on Veterans Avenue on the Milwaukee River in
the heart of downtown West Bend.
Shields has been an Associate Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
for the past two decades. He has received numerous awards for his work, including
being named as a fellow by the American Institute of Architects, a recognition not
given to another Wisconsin architect since 1995.
The MWA has been at its current downtown West Bend location since it was founded
in 1961. In order to further develop the MWA’s ability to fulfill its mission and
serve the community, the current structure has been expanded four times and remodeled
once since its acquisition from West Bend Mutual Insurance Company. Moving to the
new location will allow for further expansion and updating of operations to contemporary
museum standards while preserving the current building as a much-beloved landmark
of West Bend’s cultural district. The move will also require only minimal disruption
in the day-to-day operations of the museum.
The new museum facility’s 32,000 square feet of contemporary dynamic space will
provide for a comprehensive display of Wisconsin art that spans 1200 years and other
amenities such as state of the art classrooms. Additional amenities common in most
contemporary museums will also make space available for rentals and other public
uses.
While multiple locations for the new facility were considered for the new art museum,
the Veterans Avenue site was ultimately deemed the most cost-effective solution
to the MWA’s expanding needs despite the constricting resources available in non-profit
sector. It is expected that the new location will also help spur development in
the riverfront area adjacent to downtown West Bend. Construction of the new facility
is set to start within the year.