Schneider Museum at Southern Oregon University loses funding for at least three years * Oregon ArtsWatch

"The nonprofit museum affiliated with the university had already hired a local architect to design the rebuild, which museum Executive Director Scott Malbaurn called "ultimately a new museum," and would have included a basement for storage, four new galleries, a second floor with room for more exhibitions, a classroom to hold events, space for the museum's permanent collection, new expanded restrooms, a loading dock, and a rooftop deck with views of Grizzly Peak."

""Last year, we were working towards ... the possibility of a new museum, and now a complete 180," Malbaurn said. "These dollars that we've raised and saved for exhibitions and programming to possibly go toward these renovations are now being re-earmarked to be put towards salaries and benefits. "By lowering the bar of what we're able to do ultimately ... it's just us going backwards," he added."

Southern Oregon University removed all funding for the Schneider Museum of Art under its Resiliency Plan for at least three years, possibly indefinitely. The planned $8 million redesign and rebuild has been shelved after the museum hired a local architect and planned to more than double its 4,000-square-foot footprint. Planned features included a basement for storage, four new galleries, a second floor for exhibitions, a classroom, permanent collection space, expanded restrooms, a loading dock, and a rooftop deck. Funding had been anticipated from four $2 million gallery naming rights. Raised exhibition funds are being re-earmarked for salaries and benefits, and museum leadership scheduled meetings with SOU administrators to discuss next steps.

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