On Oct. 21, the Miami Art Museum (MAM) unveiled Herzog & de Meuron’s design for the institution’s new home. Part of the Museum Park Master Plan, a revitalization of Bicentennial Park being led by Cooper, Robertson & Partners, the 120,000-square-foot building will offer three times the space of the museum’s current digs. It is expected to be completed by 2013, at a cost of $220 million.
Within days, MAM director Terence Riley had news of his own: He was stepping down after nearly four years at the helm. Riley—who will return to his firm, Keenen/Riley Architects, and also serve as a building consultant for MAM—stressed in an interview with The New York Times that his departure had nothing to do with funding difficulties. Only $100 million of the new museum’s construction costs will be covered by a bond; the rest will come through fundraising. And as anyone in the nonprofit business can tell you, it’s tough to come by dollars these days.
