Indiana University art museum to close for renovations

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) - Indiana University's art museum will close temporarily next spring to allow for major renovations.

The Eskenazi Museum of Art will close in May with plans to reopen in the spring of 2020, the Herald Times (http://bit.ly/2eW2m2I ) reported. The university's board of trustees approved the project earlier this month.

Museum director David Brenneman said the museum is still working on final designs for the renovation, which includes taking over the space currently used for the Fine Arts Library. The building's climate-control system will be updated, and new classroom space will be added.

"Now we're in the more intensive design phase, and we're beginning to really look closely at the various moves we want to make inside the building," Brenneman said.

Brenneman said expansion isn't currently part of the project but that it's a future possibility.

Museum staff will keep busy while the renovations are underway.

"The idea is that during this period, instead of students coming to us, we're going to go to the students. So we're devising a plan that will involve our professional staff talking with docents on how we can reach out," Brenneman said.

Brenneman previously led planning and execution at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, where he was director of collections and exhibitions.

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Information from: The Herald Times, http://www.heraldtimesonline.com