Funds will support Museum operations, expansion
The Mint Museum has received a gift of $100,000 from Wachovia, A Wells Fargo Company. This operating support gift is part of a $6 million “Spirit of Caring” series of one-time grants to 15 Charlotte-area non-profits announced December 8.
“We are grateful to Wachovia for this generous gift benefiting our organization,” said Executive Director Phil Kline. “These funds will not only help us continue to provide quality art and education experiences to our visitors, but also underscores Wells Fargo’s commitment to the arts.”
“We announced plans to build the Wells Fargo Cultural Campus nearly five years ago to enhance Charlotte’s economic and cultural vibrancy, and we are so proud to see this visionary development come to fruition with wonderful institutions, like The Mint Museum,” said Kendall Alley, Charlotte Regional President for Wachovia, A Wells Fargo Company. “The Mint Museum has been inspiring and educating the Charlotte community with their memorable exhibits and programs for over 70 years, and we are proud to have them as a part of the Wells Fargo Cultural Campus and to support their expansion efforts.”
The Mint Museum expansion includes the construction of a five-story, 145,000-square-foot facility in uptown Charlotte and the reinstallation of the historic U.S. Mint facility on Randolph Road. When the expansion is complete, The Mint Museum’s total combined square footage will grow by more than 60 percent, allowing opportunities to showcase more works from the permanent collection and better accommodate significant traveling exhibitions.
The Mint Museum Uptown will be part of the new Wells Fargo Cultural Campus, located in the heart of Charlotte’s business district. In addition to the Mint, the cultural campus will include the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture, the Knight Theater (housing the North Carolina Dance Theatre) and the Duke Energy Center.
The Mint Museum Uptown is scheduled to open in October 2010, just one year prior to the Mint’s 75th anniversary. Designed by Machado and Silvetti Associates of Boston (design architect), Clark Patterson Lee Design Professionals of Charlotte (architect of record), and George Sexton Associates of Washington, D.C. (museum consultant), the new facility will combine inspiring architecture with groundbreaking exhibitions to provide unparalleled art experiences for its visitors. The Museum expansion will provide larger and more flexible exhibition space and unique galleries to showcase the collections. The new facility will also house a Family Gallery to reinforce the Museum’s dual priorities of art and education.