'Scaling up,' Arlington Museum of Art relocating to city's entertainment district
ARLINGTON (CBSNewsTexas) - After three decades, the Arlington Museum of Art is relocating.
It's moving out of downtown to Esports Stadium Arlington and Expo Center at 1200 Ballpark Way through an agreement approved by the city council on April 11.
"In the last few years, the Arlington Museum of Art has honed its skills as a museum that never stands still," said Chris Hightower, President and CEO of the Arlington Museum of Art. "Every three to four months, we transform our entire space with completely new art exhibitions. Now we have an opportunity to scale way up."
The museum agreed to pay $2.9 million to remodel space for large-scale and immersive exhibits. The city will shell out $1.9 million for improvements to the outside of the building and a shared corridor.
Additionally, the special use agreement will provide the museum with 48,000 square feet of flexible space inside the Expo Center. That's compared to the 5,500 square feet available in its current home; a repurposed store built in the 1950s.
"The new AMA footprint will be eight times larger than our current one," Hightower said, "allowing us to blend traditional, immersive, interactive and evolving art forms in ways that will inspire, entertain, engage and reflect our community and our world."
In a news release, a spokesperson for the museum said the move aims to attract more art lovers and higher-profile exhibitions, including immersive exhibits. The larger, more flexible space will allow it to accommodate a wider variety of exhibits and educational offerings, officials said.
"The momentum we have seen in Arlington's Entertainment District over the last five years has been incredible, which is one of the primary reasons this is such a great fit for the Arlington Museum of Art," said Jay Warren, board chair for the museum. "There is a great synergy here. The museum will be in a higher visibility location to attract more visitors which will enable us to bring in higher caliber exhibits. At the same time, the Museum's programming will offer Arlington's visitors with another option, expanding The District's offerings."
The museum's relocation is slated for completion in early 2024.
