The ground-breaking ceremony for the new Utah State University Wanlass Center for Art Education and Research took place Tuesday at the university's Logan campus.
USU President Noelle E. Cockett, Logan City mayor Holly Daines and museum Executive Director and Chief Curator Katie Lee-Koven all gave remarks during the ceremony located at the Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art.
President Cockett praised the museum’s continuing contributions to the university’s land grant mission.
“Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art is absolutely perfect for a land grant because it does all three of the things that are so important to our mission: research, education and outreach,” Cockett said.
Mayor Daines said the museum has really made an effort to belong to the community as a whole and gave examples such as outreach to senior centers and especially schools.
“For example every Logan or Cache County school either came to the museum or received a visit from the mobile art truck this year. They provide art curriculum that integrates with core standards for that grade," Daines said.
In addition to the galleries, museums and exhibitions, Katie Lee-Koven said the center will have a more interactive environment with studio classrooms for art-making, visible behind-the-scenes collection storage to show artworks, and a research library.
“They can get a more intimate experience with art. They can have us pull an object that they are interested in seeing," Lee-Koven said. "It's just a very different kind of experience that is trying to accommodate the ways in which museums should evolve so that we meet the needs of the people we serve."
Lee-Koven announced the center is expected to open in about one year.
