TACOMA, WA.- The first big moment of Tacoma Art Museum’s next expansion has arrived. TAM announced the selection of JTM Construction (JTM) as general contractor for the Benaroya Wing, a 6,850 gross square-foot addition. The new wing includes 4,380 net square feet to view artworks, a 23% increase in the museum’s gallery space. The addition will house restroom facilities, utilities and support functions. It will bring the museum’s total gross square footage to nearly 80,000.

The project is funded through arts patron Rebecca Benaroya’s generous promised gift to TAM, which was announced on her 93rd birthday─January 14, 2016. The gift includes 225 major works of art and $14 million in funds for gallery construction, a dedicated curator and the care of the collection. TAM plans to break ground on July 11, 2017, commemorating her husband Jack Benaroya’s birthday. Construction is planned for completion by the end of 2018.

Seattle-based JTM is a leading full-service general contracting firm in the Puget Sound region. Founded with a vision to be positively engaged in building the neighborhoods, work places, and infrastructure support systems of the Pacific Northwest, the firm specializes in the development of performing arts centers, medical facilities, office, hotel, retail, parking structures and warehouses.

“This is a major opportunity for TAM to work with a general contractor whose cultural projects are notable in our region,” said Stephanie Stebich, Executive Director at TAM. “JTM and its team have built the Frye Art Museum, McCaw Hall, and Benaroya Hall, along with our local Tacoma neighbors, Museum of Glass and Lemay – America’s Car Museum. They really know how to work with the unique needs of cultural institutions.”

JTM is equally pleased. “We’re excited about this opportunity to work with Tacoma Art Museum,” said John Hayduk, President of JTM Construction. “We’re also excited to engage in another culturally-vibrant project in Tacoma. Partnering with Tacoma Art Museum and the Benaroya family on the new wing provides an extra special reward for our company by helping to create a place for the community to enjoy the Benaroya Collection for years to come.”

Award-winning architect Tom Kundig, principal and owner of Olson Kundig in Seattle, will design the expansion. He stated “It is such an honor to work with Rebecca Benaroya and our friends at TAM on the new Benaroya Wing. This is a once in a lifetime moment for all of us and an incredible opportunity to share this impressive collection of studio art glass and artwork from Northwestern artists.” Kundig was recently included in the 2016 class of National Academician Members. The National Academy is dedicated to creating and preserving a living history of American art. Inductees are chosen in recognition of their exceptional contributions to American art and architecture, and for pushing creative boundaries.

Kundig designed TAM’s 16,000 square-foot Haub Family Galleries, which opened in November, 2014 and houses the most significant collection of western American art in the region. The Haub addition was completed on time and on budget, within a similar construction timeline as planned for the Benaroya wing. As with the Haub expansion, TAM will prioritize sustainability, diversity, and inclusion of local contractors and suppliers in the project.

Dave Bonewitz is another returning construction team member. He was TAM’s project manager for the Haub wing and is pleased to step back into that role for the Benaroya expansion. He commented, “The Haub Family Galleries project was a great experience and success by all measures. The team is excited to come back together to do it again for TAM, for the Benaroyas, and for their wonderful collection. What a great opportunity.”

It is unusual for a mid-sized art museum to secure two major expansions and significant collection gifts within such a brief timeframe. This is testimony to the regional and national regard for TAM and the museum’s position. “It’s an extraordinary gift for TAM and for the entire community. With this gift, TAM will hold one of the top five museum collections of studio art glass in the country. It brings additional focus to Tacoma as an epicenter for glass art and artistic innovation,” Stebich added.

Among the 225 works of art in the promised Benaroya gift, 150 are iconic examples of studio art glass by Northwestern and internationally renowned artists primarily associated with the Pilchuck School of Glass. The remaining 50 are major works by Northwestern artists, including paintings, sculpture, and works on paper. Take a look at 65 of those works today in the preview exhibition The Beauty of a Shared Passion: Highlights from the Rebecca and Jack Benaroya Collection, on view at TAM through April 23, 2017.