SAGINAW, MI — Behind closed doors at the Saginaw Art Museum, pockets of activity give a hint at what's kept crews busy for the last few months.

The museum has been closed since June 9 for renovations. Oct. 1, it is poised to re-open, revealing building work that's part of righting the museum that a year ago listed toward relocation, facing more bills than revenue.

Like a proud mother, Executive Director Stacey Gannon points out changes already in progress and others ahead, such as the replacement of windows with historically accurate but energy-friendly replicas.

“The main entrance will be in front again,” she said, and the doors will have windows as originally designed.

There’s an electric sense of excitement in the air as the museum steps into a new era, “the beginning of a great journey,” as Gannon puts it, “with the museum strategically on solid ground.”

A year from the brink

August marked a year since the art museum inside a historic lumber mansion at 1126 N. Michigan in Saginaw nearly closed for good because of financial distress.

Its board was scouting new locations when investors stepped forward with a strategic plan and the money needed to put the Saginaw Art Museum back on its feet.

The museum grew with $7.25 million in expansion in 2003 and 2004, with wings on each side increasing it to more than 16,000 square feet.

The recession led to the loss of grant money used to pay the $450,000 mortgage, and utility bills were running near $100,000 annually.

“We closed out our fiscal year this summer well in the black,” Gannon said. “As the museum grows and evolves, we’ll identify our strengths and continue to move forward in a responsible way, as we promised our members and our community.”

Long-needed maintenance on the Ring mansion, including the heating and cooling plants, will lower utility bills.

'Empty canvas'



The few events offered in the last few months have put the museum administration on track with a full schedule of coming exhibits and programs.

Administrators are temporarily tucked into the Susan A. Pumford Visionarea Gallery as others assess the permanent collection and revitalize galleries.

Consultant Jim Tottis, director of collections at the Museum of the City of New York, is working with Saginaw Art Museum Deputy Director and Assistant Curator Ryan Kaltenbach on the project.

Nearby, artist Edwina Jaques pores over 100 portraits as she assembles the book accompanying the Great Lakes Bay Women exhibit opening Tuesday, Oct. 1. In a back studio, assorted orbs and pipes tease at the sculpture artist Scott R. Lurain is creating for the front grounds.

Master gardener Beth Walker wanders through, making her way to the Italianate gardens that on Thursday, Sept. 19, will host “Take Part in the Art: Music & Dance” from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Part of Macy’s new After-Hours Series, the free concert features music by the Robert Lee Revue and the Carolanne Killmer School of Dance in an original performance honoring the museum.

If it rains, the concert will take place Sept. 26.

The renovations could run to more than a million dollars if they complete everything on their wish list, Gannon said. But it’s a work in progress, flowing through phases in coming months, she added.

“We are celebrating who we are,” she said, “and working from an empty canvas, we’re taking all that is good and doing it better, creating new ways to meet our community’s needs.”

An expanded 25-member advisory board led by Stacie Rose will brainstorm, freed from fiduciary concerns now handled by Gannon and the Board of Directors. Also at their disposal are resources offered by its accreditation by the American Alliance of Museums.

The alliance is using the museum’s rebirth as a case study, Gannon said, which should help when it comes up for accreditation in 2014.

“Now we’re preparing for the white glove test from a peer review in a year from now,” she said.

Upcoming events

Public response indicates that they’re on the right path.

An upcoming watermedia workshop sold out in 48 hours. The Great Lakes Women exhibit is a collaboration with the Castle Museum of Saginaw County History, and another featuring the solar art of Del Jackson ties in with the upcoming Fall In … Art and Sol festival.

“To me, sustainability means increasing the number of people who consider the Saginaw Art Museum a place they want to be,” Gannon said. “My goal is to reach 1,000 members. I want to get more people involved and build on the excitement.”

Memberships range from $25 for students and seniors and $40 for individuals to $1,000 for Ring Society, and offer free admission to the museum and other privileges through the year.



That means a focus on the museum’s permanent collection, augmented with local and featured art. With Macy’s renewed support, Gannon has big plans for Thursday nights, too.

The Sept. 19 concert is a taste of what she says next fall will become a three-week concert series. Cheeseburgers in Margaritaville, Arty Soil and the antique appraisals are back, along with Art Goes to School and Art Across the Curriculum.

At 7:30 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 3, a bus will leave the museum for the ArtPrize in Grand Rapids, returning around 10 p.m. The cost is $40 or $30 for museum members.

“I’m so excited, it’s hard to hold back,” said Gannon, who worked at Citizens Bank and PNC Bank before taking her current position.

“One thing I learned in the banking industry is that if you do the right thing, customers will come," she said. "As we develop new ideas and revisit old ones like the art auction dinners, we’ll see what works, and if we can’t make it better, we’ll move on to something else.”

The new brand is “Take Part in the Art,” and when the Saginaw Art Museum opens its doors again Oct. 1, Gannon said, people will find plenty of ways to do just that.

“It’s an exciting time to join in,” she said.