Nation’s Museums Undertake Major Building Efforts

The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art will next year become one of the latest museums to unveil a major expansion, part of a building boom among museums of all sizes, reports the Chicago Tribune.

The nation’s museum directors and other experts say no single factor accounts for the building spree. Some institutions need more room to accommodate larger crowds and add extra exhibit space. Others want to update their image with food courts, sprawling gift shops, and glittering lobbies as a way to stay competitive with other forms of entertainment.

“Most of them really need the space,” said Marc Wilson, the Nelson-Atkins director. “But the Bilbao effect has certainly made these projects more visible,” he said, referring to the Guggenheim Museum, in Bilbao, Spain, which has attracted 8 million visitors since it opened in 1997, pumping millions of euros into that industrial city’s economy.

According to a survey by the Association of Art Museum Directors, 86 of its 175 members report that they are planning or have begun expansions.