Museum reopens for anniversary

By John Caldwell
Daily Forty-Niner
 
Celebrating the completion of a one-year renovation in conjunction with its 50th anniversary, the Long Beach Museum of Art will open its doors Saturday for a special dedication ceremony and ribbon cutting.

Long Beach Mayor Beverly O'Neill is scheduled to attend the event, which will feature live music, refreshments and speeches by local artists and officials. Immediately following the one-hour dedication ceremony, the museum will open its doors for a special sneak preview and tour.

"I think one of the most wonderful things is the restoration of the historic buildings," said Jerri Vaughn, marketing manager for the museum. "They really have been brought back to life."

The museum has inhabited a 1912 Craftsman style home on East Ocean Boulevard for 40 years. As part of the renovation, the home's original carriage house, which is part of the museum's exhibition space, has been moved to a different location on the site to make way for a new building.

The new structure sits on a bluff overlooking the ocean. It has been designed to compliment the historic buildings with the use of brick and classic architecture.

"The museum has been toying with the idea of larger quarters for 40 years," Vaughn said. "Most people aren't aware that the museum has a very large permanent collection we weren't able to show before."

The museum will open its doors to the general public Sunday with free admission all day. The Long Beach community will get its first look at over 200 works from the museum's permanent collection, never before displayed together in Long Beach.