The work goes on and the end is in sight. While the installation of new climate control systems has mandated the closure of the galleries through January 18, 2011, we're alive and well!—and exercising our creativity in thinking outside the box.

To bridge the art gap, we've filled the fall calendar with a variety of programs to educate and entertain you—art walks, art films, art talks, day trips, and photography and drawing workshops. A selection of works from our collection is now on exhibition at the New Britain Museum of American Art. As well, we anticipate being able to make some of our works available for classroom use.

When the Benton reopens, the University will have what is, in essence, a new, state-of-the-art museum. These recent environmental improvements, while unseen, are critical to meeting museum standards and preserving the valuable works of art on exhibition and in storage. These improvements will make it possible for us to borrow objects and exhibitions from other institutions.

The spring exhibition of 20th-century Russian posters on loan from Brown University will be an immediate testament to the benefits of the upgrades. Also in the spring, we'll be drawing from our own collections to present a contemporary photography exhibition that addresses identity issues. For the spring and the rest of 2011, The Center Gallery will become an informal theatre, showing a changing series of videos by contemporary artists from around the globe.

Late spring will be a time for music in art at the Benton as we present a private, New England collection of 17th, 18th and 19th-century etched and engraved portraits of composers, performers and amateur musicians. The prints will give face to the famous and not so famous of Western European music. A catalogue and wall labels will enhance the exhibition and bring to life the history and accomplishments of these significant figures. Musical performances will further support and enrich the theme.

Finally, we will be exhibiting a selection of works in observation of the 150th anniversary of the beginning of the American Civil War with the attack on Fort Sumter that began on April 12, 1861. The imagery of battles and home life during the war will be portrayed in an exhibition of mass-produced and illustrated newspapers and journals as well as early photographs.

We eagerly anticipate the advent of 2011 and all that comes with it—new exhibitions, new programs, and a "new" building that befits the official state art museum.

Thomas Bruhn

Interim Director