Opening May, 2007

JACKSON, Miss., -- The Mississippi Museum of Art (MMA) in Jackson, Mississippi, is pleased to announce the design for the renovation of the Mississippi Arts Pavilion. The architectural renderings of the new Mississippi Museum of Art are being shown to the public for the first time.

The Mississippi Arts Pavilion has been re-designed by Glavé and Holmes, Assoc. based in Richmond, Virginia, and by Dale & Associates locally. Construction is set to begin this June, and work will be completed by May of 2007.

Although the move is small geographically, amounting to no more than a city block, it will push the Museum light years ahead in terms of capabilities, technology, and the overall philosophy of what an art museum means to the community. The facility’s brilliant architectural makeover will reflect the museum’s mission to become a symbolic “museum without walls”—an inviting public space that will offer relevant and meaningful cultural experiences to both the Jackson community and the state of Mississippi. The Architects have adopted a sleek, open design for the now rectangular building. The museum will be filled with light through the use of a large amount of glass and by raising the roof of the entryway, while wood brings warmth throughout. A front porch is added to create a welcoming and comfortable space that will be, literally, the front porch of the downtown cultural district. A vibrant café with wireless Internet will encourage visitors to sit and relax.

The 54,000 square foot facility will almost double the space the Museum occupies at present. It will, for the first time ever, allow MMA to display some of the more than 4,000 works of art from its permanent collection in an ongoing exhibition known as The Mississippi Story. This exhibition will portray the history and culture of Mississippi through art, reflecting the national and international context of that story as well. At the same time, the museum will have sufficient space to display traveling exhibitions of international acclaim.

There are also plans in the works for a community plaza to join the new Museum facility with Thalia Mara Hall, the Telcom Center, and the future Convention Center. This outdoor plaza will be a civic green space for downtown Jackson and allow the community to come together in a safe and inviting cultural space.

The Museum is in the silent phase of a capital capmpaign to raise the funds for this project, and an announcement on the progress is expected soon.

For more information, call the Mississippi Museum of Art at 601-960-1515 or toll-free at 1-866.VIEW ART or visit the web at www.msmuseumart.org.