DENVER, COLORADO.-The Denver Art Museum is currently undergoing a major expansion that will nearly double the size of the existing Museum and provide valuable space for permanent collections and traveling exhibitions when it opens next year in the fall of 2006. Designed by renowned architect Daniel Libeskind, the 146,000-square-foot Frederic C. Hamilton Building spans the length of a city block and is an explosion of angular forms clad in titanium. It will be situated directly south of the existing North Building; the two structures are connected by a bridge that extends from the new building's unique prow over 13th Avenue. The Hamilton Building will house three changing exhibition spaces and feature new galleries for modern and contemporary, African, Oceanic, and Western American art.

During the opening year, the Museum will utilize the Hamilton Building's three changing exhibition spaces (totaling more than 20,000 square feet) to showcase more of its permanent collection that it currently doesn't have the space to display. The first-floor changing exhibition space, named the Gallagher Family Gallery, will feature works from the Japanese art collection of Kimiko and John Powers. The second-floor Anschutz Gallery will host a modern and contemporary art installation, Radar: Selections from the Logan Collection. The Martin & McCormick Gallery, also on the second floor, will showcase a collection of contemporary Native American ceramics and other art objects donated in December 2003 by Virginia Vogel Mattern.

Construction for the Hamilton Building has progressed rapidly to allow for the fall 2006 public opening; the exterior is slated to be completed during fall 2005, revealing Libeskind's visionary design of titanium-clad protruding angles. Construction has begun on the interior spaces, such as installing drywall, putting in place mechanical and electrical duct work, establishing the elevators, and more. Activity is also increasing in the existing North Building, where a new 6,300-square-foot pavilion that will connect to the new building is being built atop Palettes Restaurant and Schlessman Hall.

Because of the impact of construction, some floors in the current Museum building may close between now and the opening of the new museum complex. Currently, the second floor galleries of Northwest Coast Indian art and 20th century architecture, design and graphics are closed to accommodate the pavilion work, and the seventh floor Western American art galleries are closed to provide staff with space to prepare for the new building gallery installation. These collections will return to view in the fall of 2006 when the expanded complex opens. During this transition period, every Wednesday evening from 5 to 9 p.m. all available floors in the current building will be open. Detailed information about the construction, including current construction photos and web cams, is available at www.denverartmuseum.org/expansion.