Chazen groundbreaking ceremony planned for May 1

The Chazen Museum of Art at the University of Wisconsin–Madison will celebrate the beginning of construction on its expansion with a groundbreaking ceremony at noon on Friday, May 1, on the building site at 750 University Ave.

Attendees should enter the site from University Avenue, across from University Square.

Speakers will include UW–Madison Chancellor Biddy Martin; Lt. Gov. Barbara Lawton; Gary Sandefur, dean of the College of Letters and Science; Chazen Museum of Art council chair Tim Erdman; alumni Simona and Jerome Chazen; and Chazen Museum director Russell Panczenko.

The $43 million expansion is made possible by a $25 million lead gift from Simona and Jerome Chazen, as well as generous gifts from many private donors. The world-class design by Machado and Silvetti Associates and Continuum Architects + Planners adds approximately 81,000 square feet to the museum, nearly doubling gallery space for the permanent collection and temporary exhibitions. New object study rooms, storage for artwork, a 160-seat auditorium for lectures and films, and a larger Museum Shop are also planned. The museum is expected to open in the fall of 2011.

The expanded museum will be centrally located for campus and community visitors alike at the intersection of the future East Campus Mall and University Avenue. The new museum will be built on the idea that art should be accessible and is designed to be an open and inviting public space. With its dynamic outdoor plaza, glass-walled main lobby and third-floor gallery plan that unites both buildings with a dramatic bridge, the museum will be a centerpiece of the UW–Madison campus and a greatly enriched cultural resource for the city of Madison and the state of Wisconsin.