MIAMI, FL.- Miami Art Museum unveiled the design concepts for its new 120,000-square-foot home in downtown Miami which will open in 2011. Designed by Herzog & de Meuron, the new facility is as an organic response to the site and the distinctive needs of a rapidly emerging Museum. The new building will allow MAM to better serve diverse audiences and will also enhance the Museum's role as a bridge between continents and cultures.

In conjunction with the design unveiling, MAM has organized an exhibition, Work in Progress: Herzog & de Meuron's Miami Art Museum, which provides an opportunity to review the evolution of the design concepts. The exhibition opens December 1, 2007 and will remain on view through April 6, 2008.

The new MAM will be a resource commensurate with Miami's position as a hemispheric hub and creative capital, one whose impact will extend nationally and beyond. Miami-Dade is the only major metropolitan area in the United States that does not have a major art museum serving the full spectrum of the community. MAM's current building, originally designed to serve solely as an exhibition hall, lacks the facilities and space to maintain a collection and educational facilities.

Since the current building opened in 1984, Miami-Dade's population has grown to 2.4 million and Miami has been transformed from vacation destination to a global cultural center with a vibrant arts scene.