After rebranding the Arkansas Arts Center the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts in January of 2021, the plan was to raise $142 million for a new arts facility and open it in 2022. But plans for the new arts center have proved a moving target, and a series of missteps with archived pieces of art and with the Terry House entrusted to its care have left the museum in defense mode during its multi-million dollar renovation.
The museum announced yesterday that it would open in spring of 2023 with funding that includes a “$31,245,000 contribution from the City of Little Rock, generated through a hotel tax revenue bond approved by Little Rock voters” and funding from the Windgate Foundation, Harriet and Warren Stephens, Terri and Chuck Erwin, the State of Arkansas and Winthrop Rockefeller Charitable Trust.
Here’s the full release:
“We look forward to opening our doors this spring,” said AMFA Executive Director Dr. Victoria Ramirez. “The new building will offer a fresh look at how the public engages with and experiences art. Central to the re-envisioning of programming will be the installation of the AMFA Foundation’s permanent collection and a series of innovative temporary exhibitions. Select works featured in the galleries are recently acquired and have never been seen by the public.” Dr. Ramirez noted, “All of this was made possible by a combination of generous private philanthropy and public funding.”
Since the groundbreaking for the new building, the AMFA Foundation has acquired a total of 811 new works of art including important pieces by celebrated artists Hans Hoffman and Andrew Wyeth. “These new acquisitions, and 500 enamel works gifted by the Enamel Arts Foundation, were made possible thanks to the generosity of local and national donors whose support of the AMFA has been essential to its rebirth and future,” said Warren Stephens, AMFA Foundation Chair and Capital Campaign Co-Chair.
“At the grand opening, we will not only celebrate AMFA as a significant architectural and artistic landmark for the region, but also the outpouring of private support and public funding that has made this project possible. This has been an incredible civic undertaking, enabled by the great success of our capital campaign, which continues to bring so many generous people together,” said Harriet Stephens, Building Committee Chair, Capital Campaign Co-Chair, and AMFA Foundation Board Member.
The capital campaign, Reimagining the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts, includes a $31,245,000 contribution from the City of Little Rock, generated through a hotel tax revenue bond approved by Little Rock voters. Overwhelming private support has more than quadrupled the public contribution to the project. Lead donors include Windgate Foundation, Harriet and Warren Stephens, Terri and Chuck Erwin, the State of Arkansas, and Winthrop Rockefeller Charitable Trust.
The campaign has 29 donors at the 21st Century Founders level who have contributed gifts between $1 million and $35 million. The campaign also has 92 donors at the Leadership level, contributing between $100,000 and $999,999, as well as 93 contributors at the Major Donor level, giving between $25,000 and $99,999. Numerous other individuals, families, businesses, and foundations have made generous donations at every gift level.
“Since the 2019 groundbreaking, we have been focused on constructing the new museum facility and grounds and planning inaugural exhibitions and programs that will excite and engage the community. We look forward to unveiling our plans in the upcoming months leading to the grand opening,” said Ramirez. “We and Studio Gang, the project’s lead architect, are proud AMFA was the only American building recognized this year by ICON magazine as being among the most anticipated architectural sites to be opened in the US. We look forward to sharing this incredible new museum and grounds with the public.”