BRUNSWICK, ME.- Bowdoin College announced today that the Bowdoin College Museum of Art will re-open on October 14, 2007, following a renovation and expansion project that showcases the Museum’s historic Walker Art Building and its position as the cornerstone of the arts and culture at Bowdoin. Established in 1811, with collections now spanning from the ancient world to the 21st century, and housed in a building designed by Charles Follen McKim of McKim, Mead and White, the newly restored Bowdoin College Museum of Art will be a vital resource for the campus and community.

The design, by architects Machado and Silvetti Associates of Boston, creatively combines a preservationist’s techniques with new architecture that respectfully enhances the old. It integrates the Museum’s traditional features with a dramatic new entry pavilion, an inviting glass curtain wall, and a complete renovation of the entire interior of the building. This includes an underground expansion, which provides 63 percent more space than the original building while preserving the landmark structure, and increases the number of galleries from seven to fourteen.

The $20.8 million Bowdoin College Museum of Art renovation and expansion – part of the ongoing $250 million Bowdoin Campaign – will enhance the Museum’s role as a central component in campus life and the leading edge of arts and culture at Bowdoin. The arts and culture initiative also includes the College’s new 290-seat Recital Hall, built inside the College’s 1928 McKim, Mead and White-designed Curtis Pool building, which will open in May 2007; the renovation of Pickard Theater inside Memorial Hall; and the construction of Wish Theater in 2000. With the Museum’s expansion, access will be significantly increased with the creation of a seminar room, dedicated gallery space for changing exhibitions tied directly to class curricula, and public events in the Museum, providing in-depth engagement for all members of the Bowdoin campus and the Maine community.

The Museum is planning an ambitious roster of exhibitions and programming for its inaugural year focusing on the permanent collection and underscoring the fruitful juxtaposition of the old and the new. Planned exhibitions include the reinstallation of the Museum’s famed Assyrian reliefs; Contemporary and Ancient Chinese Art, bringing together works from Bowdoin’s Asian collection with contemporary Chinese art; The American Scene, reflecting America’s move from European precedents to its own identity through portraits and landscapes; Ancient Art: Ancient Passions, featuring highlights and treasured bronzes, marbles, ceramics and coins; and Modern Times, showcasing alumni collections with works by artists such as Andy Warhol, Kiki Smith, Betye Saar and Glenn Ligon.

“The opening of the restored and expanded Bowdoin College Museum of Art celebrates our role as a leader in college art museums and our mission to broaden knowledge and inspire all our visitors,” said Katy Kline, director of the Bowdoin College Museum of Art. “The historic Walker Art Building and the signature entrance pavilion, restored galleries, and new program spaces, will offer audiences enhanced opportunities to view and learn from our rich collections, and allow us to expand our holdings and programs in the coming century.”

Architecture and Design - The Bowdoin College Museum of Art’s landmark Walker Art Building was commissioned for the College by Harriet and Sophia Walker in honor of their uncle Theophilus Wheeler Walker, a Boston entrepreneur and businessman. The Walker sisters, encyclopedic collectors and supporters of art education, stipulated that the building be used exclusively for art. Designed by Charles Follen McKim of McKim, Mead and White, the building was completed in 1894 and is on the National Register of Historic Places.