Washington State Magazine reports on the status of the new museum of art at the Washington State University‘s Pullman Campus. The project, now in the conceptual phase, has been taken on by Seattle architecture firm Olson Kundig. WSU Museum of Art Director Chris Bruce hopes the new building will be a “beacon of the arts” that “reinforces the public quality” of the University’s Terrell Mall.
Fundraising for the project was launched last fall with a $5 million gift from Portland art collector and philanthropist, Jordan D. Schnitzer, and has currently raised $9 million toward its $15 million goal. Mr. Schnitzer hopes the new museum will encourage an increase in student visits. “If we can train young people on the Washington State University campus to be world leaders, and also help them to be cultural leaders, then we’ve succeeded,” he says. “We want students to realize that to build successful communities they need jobs. But they also need to nourish their hearts and souls. That nourishment comes from the arts.”
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