A northern Illinois museum announced the site of its new home. The location complements another art project that the institution is working on.
Jessica Modica is the executive director of the Freeport Art Museum. She said scouting for a new location took time because there were certain requirements for the new site.
“So we, we do a number of programs every year,” she said. “And so, we need classroom space, we certainly have a variety of exhibitions every year, so we needed a space that was going to be able to exhibit those.”
She mentioned two reasons why the chosen future home made sense to for the museum.
“The first and primary reason would be for its location,” she explained. “We are about 75% complete on our Arts Plaza project which is located just adjacent to the building that we just purchased.”
She said the inside of the building also suits the needs by offering adequate storage space and room for art classes and exhibitions.
The future site was once home to Kunz Brothers Automotive Parts.
Modica mentioned that the structure is in great condition, but she thinks it will take a few years to complete renovations. Once it is, the museum will then occupy the new space.
She said when the entire Arts Plaza project is completed, it will be used to host performing arts, display outdoor art exhibits and be a civic space for the community.
- Yvonne Boose is a current corps member for Report for America, an initiative of the GroundTruth Project. It's a national service program that places talented journalists in local newsrooms like WNIJ. You can learn more about Report for America at wnij.org.
