Allentown Art Museum set to reopen in October

FROM THE EXPRESS TIMES

After being closed for almost a year, the Allentown Art Museum of the Lehigh Valley is on track to reopen in two months with a new look, more space and a special collection on loan.

The $15.4 million remodel and expansion increases the museum’s gallery, classroom and storage spaces by 7,900 square feet. Work started in November, and the reopening date is Oct. 16.

It features a new entrance through the existing portico of the original 1901 church building, where the museum was from 1959 until 1975, and a renovated lobby. A new window-covered modern facade runs along Fifth Street aligned with the church’s portico.

The original 1970s concrete floors from a prior expansion have been exposed and bold color choices dominate gallery walls. Windows outfitted with screens to protect the art flood light into some galleries.

“Part of the history is still on these floors,” said Brooks Joyner, the museum's Priscilla Payne Hurd president and CEO.

The work is not finished. Painters were rolling the walls as media toured the empty spaces today. Come September, the reinstallation of art will begin to ready the museum for its Oct. 14 and 15 preview of exhibits, said Jennifer Gora, museum marketing and public relations manager.

The reopening celebration kicks off with an exhibit featuring 40 pieces from the museum's own Kress collection, along with more than 30 other Kress pieces borrowed from prestigious museums like the National Gallery of Art, Joyner said.

It shows that the Allentown Art Museum has been recognized as part of the “fraternity” of great museum collections, he said.

When it was gifted its Kress Collection, the museum in 1959 moved from its original site in the Rose Garden to the former Presbyterian church at Fifth and Court streets, Joyner said. The renovations highlight the church while updating the 1970s addition to the museum, he said.

When the museum reopens, it will feature a public café, something patrons have requested for years, said Sandy Beldon, chair of the board.

The museum’s auditorium has been closed in recent years to house collections that aren't on display. The renovations convert that space into an area where receptions can be held for about 200 people, Joyner said.

Joyner acknowledged work is on a tight schedule but he’s confident it will be met.

"I think the public will be impressed," he said.

http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/allentown/index.ssf/2011/08/allentown_art_museum_set_to_re.html