Last year the Springfield Museum of Art looked to its members for suggestions on how to deal with a budget shortfall. Now a new collaboration with Wittenberg University will provide new opportunities for students and more financial sustainability for the museum.
Wittenberg will purchase the museum facility and lease part of the space back to the Springfield Museum of Art.
Museum Director Angus Randolph says that this will help put the focus back on the art.
"Now instead of having to deal with operating a facility and paying for a facility and the upkeep, we can better use our funds for the programs and the collection - adding to the collection," says Randolph.
The collection will remain the property of the Museum. Wittenberg will keep the galleries and vaults up to standard so that the museum can continue to be accredited by the American Association of Museums.
The university plans to convert one of the large meeting rooms into a black box theatre for its students, and further plans for the shared space are being discussed.
Randolph says he's looking forward to working with Wittenberg staff and students, but the museum remains a separate entity that depends on its membership for support.
"The more members, and the more variety of members we have, the more vibrant the museum will be," says Randolph
The Springfield Museum of Art in located on the edge of Wittenberg's campus in downtown Springfield.