Buffalo, NY – The Albright-Knox Art Gallery announced today that it has scheduled an additional public conversation about the museum’s growth and development, as the recent series of meetings in which community members were invited to share their thoughts and ideas for the future of the museum was disrupted by November’s severe snowstorm. The additional meeting will take place on Monday, January 12, 2015, from 6 to 8 pm, at the museum. 

Director of Communications Maria Scully-Morreale noted, “November’s inclement weather may have prevented some community members from attending one of our meetings. We want to make sure that as many people as possible have the opportunity to add their voices to the ongoing conversation.”

In a series of presentations to AK Members and the public, Peggy Pierce Elfvin Director Dr. Janne Sirén has highlighted the museum’s urgent need for restoration and renovation of its existing buildings and the addition of more space to exhibit a Collection that has grown significantly in recent years and now contains more than 6,700 works. Sirén has said, “At this point, we know we are in dire need of more space to accommodate a Collection that is a national treasure. In fact, the AK has not added prime exhibition space in more than fifty years. We also need to invest in the renovation of the buildings we have. We cannot allow them to fall into disrepair.” Regarding the ongoing public conversations, Sirén has noted, “The purpose of these meetings is to have meaningful dialogue with our constituents about the future of our museum to get their ideas and insights on what the AK of tomorrow should be. Essentially, we are asking the question, ‘what does the public want from its museum?’ These conversations will help round out our understanding of how much and what type of additional space we need.”

Following the conversations, the AK will hold a series of focus groups to explore the ideas raised in these early meetings in more depth. The museum plans to share outcomes with the community early in 2015.

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