The Block Museum of Art will close for repairs and improvements through Fall Quarter after sustaining water damage in several parts of the building, the University announced Tuesday. The museum will reopen in January.
Last week, a fire suppression water pipe burst in the building, damaging the museum’s main gallery and study room. The art collection was not damaged but has been moved to storage while the building is reviewed and repaired, the University said.
While it is closed, the museum is planning a redesign of the building’s lobby, among other improvements. Block Museum director Lisa Graziose Corrin said the changes will include “a vibrant, redesigned lobby and the special energy that distinguishes a museum located on the campus of a great research university.”
“These improvements will ensure the Block continues to maintain the standards expected of all great museums so we can provide dynamic programming and audience engagement in a welcoming, well-maintained environment,” Corrin said in a news release.
The construction will affect the museum’s fall program. A photography exhibit comparing the work of artists Edward Steichen and Andy Warhol has been rescheduled to open in January. A Polaroid photography exhibit has been canceled.
Lectures and Block Cinema films are expected to continue inside the museum’s auditorium, the University said.
— Ciara McCarthy