UF's Harn Museum will be able to more than double its Asian art on display thanks to a $10 million gift announced Wednesday that will fund building a new wing of the museum.
The 22,000-square-foot, two-story addition will be built on the northwest side of the museum, near the corner of Southwest 34th Street and Hull Road.
A large Asian gallery, a multi-purpose suite for discussing art purchases and housing events for donors and students, a storage area and an Asian garden will be built in the new wing, said Jason Steuber, the Harn's Asian art curator.
Steuber said the wing would allow visitors to see the depth of the museum's collection.
He said the museum's Asian art collection includes almost 1,300 pieces including jades, ceramics, screens, sculptures and a 7-foot-tall stone stupa - a fixture in Buddhist temples.
Only 130, or 10 percent, of the museum's Asian art collection can be on display in the present facility, Steuber said, and the addition could potentially triple that display capacity.
"Works that have never been seen before will be able to come out," Steuber said.
He said the new wing would make the Harn one of the largest university-based collectors of Asian art.
"I think very few will be able to compete with 22,000 feet," he said.
Rebecca Nagy, the museum's director, said the museum hopes to continue to ride the momentum it has experienced since the 2005 opening of the Mary Ann Harn Cofrin Pavilion, which houses contemporary art.
Cofrin is the daughter of the late Samuel P. Harn, for whom the museum is named, according to a UF news release. The Cofrin family has contributed significantly to the museum since its initial construction in 1990, said Christine Hale, director of marketing and public relations.
UF President Bernie Machen announced the most recent gift from the Cofrins on Wednesday.
"We look forward to a similar surge in interest in our collections when we open the Asian wing," Nagy said.
She said the museum is excited to work with students and professors as part of the UF Asian Studies Program once the expansion is done.
"They can enhance their learning experience through studying art at the Harn," Nagy said.
Construction could begin as early as next fall, states the release. The new wing will be Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design-certified by the U.S. Green Building Council, Hale said.
The gift is part of Florida Tomorrow, UF's seven-year capital campaign to generate $1.5 million to support UF programs, states the release.
"We just see all kinds of possibilities with this new wing," Nagy said.
