EAST LANSING, MI.- The 7th annual Twilight in the Garden fundraiser for the Kresge Art Museum is Sunday, September 17, from 4:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the James B. Henry Center for Executive Development. Tickets start at $100.

Proceeds from this annual event, organized by a committee of over 20 volunteers, led by Steve Horne, will benefit the Kresge Art Museum Facilities Fund for an expanded art museum. The building will more than triple the size of the existing museum, providing spaces for educational and social programs and activities, as well as a sculpture garden.

Kresge Art Museum Director, Susan J. Bandes is excited about the expansion, “This will enhance the capabilities of the museum to meet the needs of the community. Kresge Art Museum already serves as the capitol area’s art museum with a national reputation and is recognized within the museum profession. Our collection and community deserve a handsome facility for entertainment and education of all.”

The only accredited art museum in mid-Michigan, Kresge Art Museum has raised $4.2 million of the targeted $23.9 million entirely from private donations. The collection, which has doubled since 1982, houses 7,000 art works that span over a thousand years of human history from ancient Cycladic figures to examples by famous modern artists such as Salvador Dali, Alexander Calder, Joseph Cornell, and Duane Hanson. The expansion is slated to coincide with the museum’s 50th anniversary in 2009.

Twilight will start in the late afternoon in the atrium overlooking the Forest Akers golf course. The work of featured artists James L. Lawton and James E. Fagan will be on display. The Lansing Symphony Orchestra String Quartet will provide entertainment followed by the gourmet dinner and silent and live auctions. Local celebrity Matt Ottinger, host of WKAR’s QuizBusters, will be the celebrity auctioneer.

Honorary chairs are Lou Anna K. Simon, President, MSU and Dr. Roy J. Simon, Director, Telecommunications Systems, MSU; Dr. Kim A. Wilcox, Provost, MSU, and Diane Del Buono; Dolores Cook, Board of Trustees, MSU, and Byron Cook; Randy Thayer, Plant Manager, Lansing Delta Township, General Motors, and Cindy Thayer.

General Motors and Jackson National Life Insurance Company lead a host of sponsors underwriting the event. For more information about Twilight and the expansion visit www.artmuseum.msu.edu, or call 517-353-9834.