Iconic Broad Museum at MSU marks 10th anniversary

It's the spaceship on Michigan State University's campus.

Or the cheese grater. Or the shark popping out of the ground. Or maybe, and this is the personal favorite of museum spokeswoman Zoe Kissel, a grilled cheese sandwich with the grill marks matching the lines in the stainless steel.

Whatever it is, it's impossible to see the shapes and forms of the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum all at once. Its unique architecture stands out among the classic campus buildings that surround it on the west side of Grand River Avenue and the shopping district across the street.

The museum turns 10 years old today and its amorphous shape − the bold, angular building is clad in stainless steel and features concrete and glass − has become a fixture on campus.

The design was so exacting − each tilted wall at a different angle − that a flaw of a fraction of an inch would have meant the pieces wouldn't have fit, builders told the State Journal during construction.

Designed by late architect and Pritzker Prize-winner Zaha Hadid, some area residents felt the style did not fit with the traditional red-brick of MSU’s north campus, while others were inspired by the museum's audacity.

The museum has never lived up to the rosy attendance projections set at its opening, expectations of 120,000 to 150,000 visitors a year. Throughout most of its life, the museum brought about half that, generally around 65,000 visitors. As with other museums, it cratered during the pandemic with about 20,000 visitors in 2020.

Attendance isbeginning to rise and access has largely been restored with visits to K-12 classrooms and other outreach efforts ramping up again, said Steven Bridges, the museum's curator and interim director.

He said attendance is important but the ultimate measure of the museum is how it reaches people, and the Broad is now involved in a lot of virtual access as well as classrooms and business outreach.

The next 10 years, Bridges said, will see the museum look at larger issues like climate change, water access and social justice.

In 2026, the 250th anniversary of the United States will call for a dive into the museum's archives. While the museum is intended largely as a contemporary home for art, the collection is not mostly contemporary. Instead, it's fueled by the collection of its predecessor, the Kresge Art Center, and leans heavily on an eclectic set of historical works ranging from 3,000-year-old Grecian works to a mural commissioned this year.

Two of the key people behind the building - lead donor Eli Broad, an MSU alum and business owner who gave more than $30 million for the effort, and Hadid - have since died.

Craig Kiner, from London-based Zaha Hadid Architects, was one of the lead architects during the project and will be giving a lecture Nov. 16, looking at the design and construction of the building.

The museum is hosting one of the largest exhibitions ever to focus on Zaha Hadid's design work, which ranges from furniture and fashion to jewelry and an electric car prototype in addition to architecture.

The museum is planning to embrace its shark, or spaceship, vibes with artwork based on its unique shape that will likely soon pop up in gift shop items, Bridges said.

"Even that, in my mind, signals a shift for us," he said. "In years prior there may have been a sensitivity in embracing the interpretations of the museum."

"Now we're saying, yeah, that’s great," Bridges said, "and however you see us and want to describe us, we want to hear it and lean into it further."

Contact Mike Ellis at mellis@lsj.com or on Twitter @MikeEllis_AIM

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Iconic Broad Museum marks 10th anniversary on Michigan State's campus