MSU President Says $40 Million Museum Could Create Regional Art Corridor

Michigan State University (MSU) President Lou Anna Simon says the $40 to $45 million art museum now under construction on the corner of Grand River and Farm Lane will not only connect East Lansing and Lansing, but also jump start a regional art corridor.

According to excerpts from the article:

Over the next two years, an empty space at MSU will transform into what project organizers say will be a world-class art museum. It will draw new visitors to the Mid-Michigan area. Museum Donor Eli Broad says, "Art tourists travel a long ways and spend lots of money so they're going to keep MSU and the area green!"

The three-level 46,000-square-foot facility is strategically placed at the corner of Grand River Avenue and the Farm Lane campus entrance. MSU President Lou Anna Simon says, "Part of the reason that we put the art museum where it is is to connect to East Lansing and have it be an engine for economic development and change on the other side of the avenue."

Simon hopes that the project will spur development on parts of Grand River with new businesses and art galleries. Simon says, "If you can imagine the other side of Grand River developing an arts culture ... galleries that compliment those that are already in East Lansing ... more galleries, more art oriented activities, coffee shops, things that essentially help the economy to be vibrant year-round, not simply dependent on students."

Read the entire article here.