Barry Art Museum Expansion

Divisions, Daniel Clayman (American, b. 1957), 1995, Gift of the Leah and Richard Waitzer Foundation

Barry Art Museum to Double its Gallery Space with New Expansion

The “Waitzer Wing” will extend to the south of the existing Museum and encompass three stories of new facilities.

The Barry Art Museum at Old Dominion University will double its gallery space by adding a three-story wing that will include a multiuse event space, a community gallery, an educational laboratory and more. The announcement comes on the fifth anniversary of the museum’s public opening in 2018. 

Founded by art collectors Carolyn and Richard Barry, the Barry Art Museum houses a significant collection of contemporary glass, American and Marine paintings and historic dolls and automata. With the gift of the Waitzer Glass Collection in 2022, featuring 165 works of 20th-century and contemporary glass sculpture, the museum collection has expanded beyond the capacity of its current space.

“Embarking on this major expansion within just five years is a testament to the transformative power of art,” said Lewis Webb, Barry Art Museum board president. “Whether you’re a student, faculty member or simply a lover of art within our community, the Barry Art Museum showcases the remarkable achievements born from the fusion of our visionary founders and a thriving University.”

The lead gift for this project is from the family of Leah and Richard Waitzer, art collecting mentors of the Barrys. The new “Waitzer Wing” will extend along Hampton Blvd. off the existing building and encompass three stories of new facilities. The addition will add 25,200 square feet to the museum, and construction will begin in fall 2024. The museum has raised $20 million of its $25 million goal to fund the project and support expanded operational costs. Additional funding for the expansion comes from approximately a dozen other museum supporters. As with the existing facility, the new addition will be designed by local architect Burrell Saunders and owned and built by the ODU Real Estate Foundation.

 

“As the gateway to the ODU Arts District, the Barry Art Museum is an artistic and educational destination for students, faculty, staff, and community members,” said ODU President Brian O. Hemphill, Ph.D. ”In the past five years, the Barry Art Museum has brought a great deal of excitement and intrigue to the region.  And, with this expansion, the Waitzer Wing will provide new possibilities and limitless opportunities for the Barry Art Museum, our institution, and our region!”

The “Waitzer Wing” will introduce a range of new amenities to enrich the museum experience for all visitors, including:

“The ‘Waitzer Wing’ marks an exhilarating step for our institution,” said Charlotte Potter Kasic, Barry Art Museum executive director. “The expansion will not only house the past but also provides a window into the future, where new media and interdisciplinary artworks will bridge the gap between our rich history and modernity, leaving an indelible mark on our broader community and inspiring generations to come.”

 

Matching funds with the
MARY MORTON PARSONS FOUNDATION GIFT

The Barry Art Museum received a $250,000 gift from The Mary Morton Parsons Foundation to support the expansion of the Museum to expand our community’s access to the arts. A component of this gift is the creation of a challenge grant to raise an additional $250,000 to support this expansion and to provide an opportunity to bring the arts and art programming to new audiences. Your contribution towards this challenge grant can be pledged over a period of 3-5 years and will have a lasting impact on our Museum. Your support would propel the Museum into a hub for showcasing extraordinary works, while also facilitating educational and interpretative materials to enrich visitor experiences.

 

IMAGE CAPTIONS: 

Architectural rendering of the expansion project done by Saunders + Crouse Architects.