The Barry Art Museum at Old Dominion University will close on Friday for an expansion that will nearly double its gallery space.
The $25 million project will add a 25,200-square-foot, three-story wing that will include a multiuse event space, community gallery, media video gallery, an educational laboratory and expanded art storage. Funding will also establish an endowment for operations, according to an article on odu.edu.
Museum co-founders Carolyn and Dick Barry, the family of Leah and Richard Waitzer, and Joan Brock have gifted works for the expansion.
Plans for the project came to fruition in 2022, following the Waitzer family's donation of 165 works, including 20th-century and contemporary glass sculptures.
The Barry was founded in 2016 and is known for its extensive collection of historic dolls and automata.
Guests have through Thursday to explore the exhibitions “Carved Couture: 18th-Century British Wooden Fashion Dolls” and “Out of the Box: A Barbie Doll Retrospective.”
The museum is expected to reopen in early 2027.
