LOUISVILLE, KY (WDRB) -- The Speed Art Museum closed its doors Sunday afternoon with a brief announcement over its rarely used public announcement system:
"attention guests, please make your way to the exit..." It's a phrased that won't be uttered again for three years as the museum closes.
Museum officials say the long three-year closure is necessary to protect the art while preservation and then construction begins on a new $50 million expansion. The new building, which will include an outdoor walkway, water space, three floors of modern and contemporary art, will take three years to complete.
"There's going to be a lot of vibrations. We are going to be drilling down into the earth because of the structure of the building. The art needs to be safe at all times," said Lisa Resnik, the museum's chief operating officer.
The museum will be forced to close its doors for three years. It means something different to everyone. For John Martin, the museum's former curator, his visit Sunday meant a stroll down memory lane.
"I was a curator here in the 1970s when the old building was expanding," said Martin.
The museum's expansion, Resnik said, underscores the need for more space to showcase modern and contemporary art. For an artist like Braylyn Stewart, the closing means the acceptance of a new medium.
"I think as the comtemporary art world changes, it's going to accept more of graffiti into it," said Stewart, who was invited to spray paint a section of the museum slated for demolition.
For Lynn Kumar, whose worked in the museum for 12 years, the closing means completing a legacy. Her mother worked here, as did her brother. She wanted to close the doors at 5 o'clock. And be the one to turn the keys.
Speed officials plan to partner with other musuems and take art into area schools during the closure.
