Long Beach Museum of Art reopens

By John Caldwell
Daily Forty-Niner

Under blue skies dotted with clouds that extended far beyond a crystal-clear view of Catalina Island, the Long Beach Museum of Art reopened its doors with a dedication and ribbon-cutting ceremony.

The museum celebrated its 50th anniversary and the completion of a one-year redevelopment project Saturday. The project included the construction of a large new building and the restoration of the museum's original structures: a 1912 Craftsman style home and carriage house on East Ocean Boulevard. California State Assemblyman Alan Lowenthal and Long Beach City Councilman Frank Colonna were among the public officials who secured large state and local grants for the renovation and took part in the dedication.

"So many people have put their hearts and souls into this," Colonna said. "I'm just a very small part."

As the ceremony began on the grounds outside the new building, the Long Beach Polytechnic High School singers appeared on the balcony and sang the National Anthem. Museum Director Hal Nelson then took the podium to speak about the renovation and the creation of a much-anticipated new building.

"For the longest while we thought it was about the building," Nelson said. "But our goal had become the museum and its capacity to serve the community."

The two-story structure, designed by award-winning Los Angeles architect Frederick Fisher, has some classic architectural features that blend with those of the older house. The new building's inaugural exhibition includes more than 150 works from the museum's permanent collection, many of which have never been shown together in Long Beach. The exhibition includes works ranging from 17th century furniture to paintings by internationally renowned artist Vasily Kandinsky and California artist John McLaughlin.

Linda McCullough, a Cal State Long Beach alumna, volunteered to head the capital campaign and took part in the ribbon cutting. She has so far raised $5.3 million out of a $6.5 million goal for the renovation and new construction. McCullough, who has volunteered for the museum for 15 years, said the project took a long time to get off the ground. The Museum Foundation had to overcome many tedious hurdles, she said.

"After about seven attempts to build something, we have a beautiful building," McCullough said. "Hal Nelson used to put himself to sleep at night reading about the different attempts to build a new building."

Part of the redevelopment included moving the 120-ton carriage house from one side of the lot to the other to make way for the new building, which sits on a bluff overlooking the ocean. The carriage house will act as an educational facility and the main house features a new museum store and a garden café, surrounded by newly landscaped grounds.

"As construction projects go, this has been very smooth," said Jerri Vaughn, marketing manager for the museum. "I think we even exceeded our own expectations."

At the end of the ceremony, 100 Monarch butterflies were released in a spectacular display. The ribbon was then cut and the museum officially opened.