For You Art Lovers (and that most definitely includes me!)

Art museum gets $3.1 million
The Business Journal of Phoenix - June 26, 2006

Phoenix Art Museum received a $3.1 million gift from Ellen and Howard C. Katz for the new Ellen and Howard C. Katz Wing for Modern Art.

The project is one of the five major components of the museum's $41 million expansion project.

Previously, the museum has been able to place only about 5 percent of its 17,000 works of art on view at one time. The four-level wing will add more than 25,000 square feet of gallery space.

"This is an historic time for Phoenix Art Museum," said Ellen Katz, vice president of the museum's board of trustees and chair of the grand opening celebrations. "The strong support of the community for this significant expansion will enable the museum to grow and mature among the nation's leading art museums. ... My husband and I are thrilled to be able to play a role in the museum's exciting future."

Other major components of the expansion include a new lobby and entry plaza, a sculpture garden/urban oasis, more space for The Museum Store, and growth of the museum's endowment.

A Nov. 4 gala is will kick off a week of grand opening activities with the museum opened to the public Nov. 11-12.