Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum

Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum
The Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum (MSU Broad or BAM) is a nonprofit, contemporary art museum designed by Zaha Hadid located on the campus of Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan. It opened on November 10, 2012.
The rotating exhibition schedule allows for frequent new shows to be on view. The museum's curatorial focus is a global focus on emerging to mid-career artists. Exhibitions consist largely of contemporary artists, including those achieving their Master of Fine Arts degree at Michigan State University, as well as shows of selected works from the collection. The MSU Broad organizes a few hundred programs for various ages, open to all at no charge. Admission for the galleries and all community events and programs is free for all visitors.
The leading gift to the MSU Broad's collection was provided by Eli and Edythe Broad upon its establishment. The museum, although contemporary, has a large collection of historical works that were inherited from the Kresge Art Museum, MSU's former art museum, when it closed. This collection includes over 10,000 works and growing and represents a wide array of artistic production from the ancient to the present, across the world, in a variety of media. Significant holdings include Ancient Greek and Roman antiquities; pre-Colombian sculptures and vessels; Medieval and Renaissance illuminations; Old Master paintings; 19th-century American paintings; 20th-century sculpture by artists such as Alexander Calder and Jenny Holzer; and works by contemporary artists such as Chuck Close and Ann Hamilton. Their focus in collection growth and new acquisitions is on modern and contemporary works (post 1945).
The MSU Broad Art Museum was a location for filming portions of the movie Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice in October 2016.
Architecture
Architecture
Designed by architect Zaha Hadid, the Broad Art Museum's iconic design is constructed of steel and concrete with a pleated stainless steel and glass exterior. The structural system is a combination of steel framing and concrete shear and bearing walls. the floors are structural concrete, finished as polished concrete and wood in the galleries. The exterior is a rainscreen system consisting of sheathed steel framing clad with folding and pleated stainless teel panels. Therre is a High Performance glazing for the windows, doors, and skylights. Seventy percent of the is dedicated to exhibition space including non-traditional spaces such as the Education Wing and the Benefactor's Gallery. Public movement and circulation areas of the building are marked through the use of architectural concrete. The movement within and between the gallery spaces is fluid and designed to be affected by other visitors. The MSU Broad is composed of three levels: lower, ground (main), and second with its highest point at approximately 38 feet on the west side (Minskoff Gallery), sloping to about 24 ft on the east side (Education Wing). Its layout is centered around the floating staircase with the galleries branching out from. The second level spaces provide dramatic views of both campus and downtown East Lansing. It is adjoined by an expansive outdoor sculpture garden as an extension of the east entrance courtyard and by a large pedestrian plaza at the west entrance. Other spaces include administration offices and a gift shop.
The Broad's design is largely community focused. The internal galleries and public spaces are positioned to create an intentional exchange between the city, its inhabitants, the museum visitor and the art. A dialog is formed with the town and Grand River Avenue, East Lansing's downtown area, through a visual connectivity between the galleries, plaza, and city. It functions as a gateway between the East Lansing community and campus with its parallel doors connecting campus to the downtown area. The floating staircase echoes the exchange with Grand River Avenue via the two-story glazed window opening. All openings located in the building envelope (the exterior stainless steel pleating) reinforce the physical and visual connectivity and interface between the museum, its visitors, and context (i.e., surrounding environment).
Sustainability
Ecological sustainable features enabled LEED certification in 2013. The expansive floor to ceiling windows throughout the building maximize the use of natural light throughout the day to save energy. The solar control utilizes the sun's energy for lighting as well as heat, both increasing occupant comfort. The energy efficient heating, ventilating, and cooling system reduces energy use and further maximizes occupant comfort. The HVAC system and lighting contain occupancy sensors to control selected features. The plumbing system minimizes freshwater waste. Additionally, the museum has recycling stations to minimize the amount of waste products entering the waste stream.
History
On June 1, 2007, Michigan State received a $33 million donation from Michigan State alumnus and Fortune 500 businessman Eli Broad and his wife, philanthropist and art collector Edythe Broad, and The Broad Art Foundation in Los Angeles for the construction of a larger art museum and an exhibition endowment. The new museum would adopt the collection of the previous museum, the Kresge Art Museum, located within Michigan State University's art department building, the Kresge Art Center. At their June 15 meeting, the MSU Board of Trustees approved the construction of the museum with initial plans to demolish the former museum, but was relocated to another site, the Paolucci Building, a former part of the MSU School of Home Economics. The building design was chosen through a competition awarding the project to the winning architect, Zaha Hadid. The final cost of the project, including site fees, etc., totaled to $40-$45 million. Michael Rush was named as the founding director in December 2010. Michael Rush died of pancreatic cancer on March 27, 2015. Marc-Olivier Wahler was named the director on March 9, 2016.
Design competition
Following the approval of the museum there were initially 10 semifinalist firms identified from a field of approximately 30 firms. From the list of semifinalists, five architectural firms were selected to submit competition proposals. The proposed building was to include a minimum of of gallery space and would accommodate both permanent and temporary exhibitions. The new facilities would allow MSU’s art museum to offer educational opportunities and programming such as lectures by visiting scholars, curators, artists and faculty; seminars, docent training; and special activities for families and school groups. The five finalists were:
Zaha Hadid – London
Coop Himmelb(l)au – Vienna/Los Angeles
Morphosis – Santa Monica
Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates, PC – New York
Randall Stout Architects, Inc. – Los Angeles
The selection committee announced on January 15, 2008, that Zaha Hadid had been selected.
Construction and opening
Construction on the museum began March 16, 2010, at a groundbreaking ceremony attended by Eli Broad and Zaha Hadid. Originally scheduled to open April 21, 2012, the official dedication was delayed until its public opening on November 10, 2012, due to "a combination of material supply delays and the priority placed on involving students in opening activities".
Barton Malow Company from Southfield, MI provided construction management services, using atypical building techniques to ensure constructability given the unique design. The Executive Architect of the building is Integrated Design Solutions from Troy, MI.
The angular facade is composed of pleated stainless steel and glass and was conceived to give the building "an ever-changing appearance that arouses curiosity yet never quite reveals its content." (Zaha Hadid Architects).
Economic impact forecast
According to an economic study published by the Anderson Economic Group, the museum was projected to generate approximately $5.75 million per year in new spending into the regional economy. Specifically, the study predicted that visitors would spend:
$2 million in shopping, entertainment, and other retail
$1.4 million in food and drink
$1.1 million in transportation-related expenses
$1.1 million in overnight accommodations
"We fully expect to be a significant contributor to our local economic engine", said Michael Rush, founding director of the Broad Museum. The museum "will generate new opportunities for existing businesses and potentially new businesses", the report noted, adding that it "is likely to attract visitors with relatively high incomes, high levels of education, and tastes and preferences..."
References
External links
Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum at Michigan State University
Zaha Hadid Architects
Art museums and galleries in Michigan
Contemporary art galleries in the United States
Michigan State University campus
Museums in East Lansing, Michigan
Modern art museums in the United States
University museums in Michigan
Art museums established in 2012
2012 establishments in Michigan
Michigan State University
Zaha Hadid buildings
Postmodern architecture in the United States
Neo-futurist architecture