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Bellevue Arts Museum Set to Reopen in Late SpringBellevue Arts Museum officials say they are on track to reopen the museum in late spring, after an 18-month closure and a makeover of both the building and its artistic mission.
But a date has not been set and all the necessary funding is not in place, said Michael Monroe, the museum's executive director and chief curator.
So far, about $1.8 million has been raised, but Monroe says an additional $1 million is needed in order to open the doors. "We're out looking for more funding in order to secure the opening," he said. "We're anticipating an announcement soon."
The museum received an anonymous challenge grant of $500,000 three weeks ago, Monroe said. If officials raise $1 million, they'll get the money.
The reopening already has been delayed twice because of a lack of funding, once last summer and then again in October.
The museum's doors were closed in September 2003 amid a financial and artistic crisis: The museum was running out of money and faced low attendance after moving to a new $23 million building in downtown Bellevue in 2001. The closure angered some patrons and former donors and bred public distrust about the museum's financial management.
Since then, Monroe, who started in July and is the former curator-in-charge at the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Renwick Gallery, has been working to repair
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12/4/2005 | Viewed 9,625 time(s)
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