After over 14 months of reconstruction, the Milwaukee Art Museum, or MAM, reopened many of its contemporary and classical galleries. On November 24th, 2015, the museum uncrated over 2,500 art pieces. Many new pieces that were previously in storage because of lack of space are now visible to the public. Now, not only are there more pieces on display, the general layout of the museum has changed as well. There are more walkways, innovative lighting, painted walls that complement the pieces, and a simpler building layout created so that certain areas are more accessible.

While walking through the gallery, these changes are very noticeable. The museum has a more completed look and the artwork seems fitting with the design of the museum. As for new additions, MAM now features two “viewing areas”. These rooms look out onto lake michigan and feature aesthetically-pleasing sculptures that tie the area together. Although connected to the rest of the museum, these rooms offer a quiet, separate area to relax and enjoy the lakefront view.

Not only were there changes and additions to the interior design, but new exhibits and pieces were added as well. As always, there is a feature exhibit that switches every once in awhile; however, the majority of the newer exhibits will be permanently displayed at MAM. As for feature exhibits, the museum currently has five, including prints, photography, and works from Wisconsin high school students. Each of these exhibits will stay until March, April, or May, depending on the specific exhibit.

Many of the new pieces MAM has uncrated in their renovation are modern and contemporary. These new pieces are scattered about the contemporary art gallery, which allows viewers to see the old and new pieces together. Along with this, there are two new interactive rooms in the museum. Since the 70s, the museum has housed only one popular room, the “Infinity Room,” which allows guests to see art in a more unique and unconventional way. The room is its own piece, and viewers can walk around the small space and take everything in. Two new additions have a similar layout but different presentations; one room has been deemed the “Fog Room,” and the other the “Numbers Room.” Both rooms use light and movement to let viewers interact with the composition.

Although the exhibits have changed, the Quadracci Pavilion, the lobby area, has remained pretty much the same. This area works well with the actual exhibits and contrasts with them. Overall, MAM’s new renovations and exhibits have brought in new viewers over the course of the past few weeks and continue to engage interest. The museum has convenient hours and offers many free days, which can be found on their website, http://mam.org/.