Drizzle did nothing to dispel the high spirits in a tent on the north lawn of the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, May 16, where guests celebrated the groundbreaking for the museum's long-awaited, 16,000-square-foot wing. Some guests sported yellow faux construction hats and nibbled elegant hors d'oeuvres.

"This is an exciting moment, and one made possible by an extraordinary number of people," said Frank Robinson, the Richard J. Schwartz Director of the museum, citing the efforts of architects, museum staff, Ithaca city government officials and alumni.

"The success of the Johnson's mission has made this expansion necessary," said Ira Drukier '66, M.Eng. '67, chair of the museum's advisory council and a noted art collector. "Our educational programs, targeting not only Cornell but the entire region, have grown, and the new addition will allow us to serve that mission more fully."

Additional gallery space will put more of the Johnson's collection on display, and offices located in the current building will move to the new wing, freeing up still more space, said Drukier. He characterized the museum as a sanctuary. "It's a place to come and just look at great works of art in an environment that is itself a great work."

Ithaca Mayor Carolyn Peterson offered her congratulations on the groundbreaking and called the museum "an educational resource for us all." She said museum events create "a uniquely positive town-gown experience."

Cornell President David Skorton wrote a haiku for the occasion; the first line refers to Robinson:

yellow hat on gray
new building rising today
new era for art

"We literally live within architecture. Our buildings shape us, consciously and unconsciously, for better or for worse," Skorton said. "The result of this total immersion can be, and will be, transformative ... The Johnson Museum is a place where everyone can learn and enjoy art and culture, gain perspective on the wider world and connect with nature itself -- something confirmed by our upwards of 88,000 visitors a year."

Skorton said the addition is in line with architect I.M. Pei's original vision for the museum. Galleries and other facilities will be located largely underground and extend north from the original structure, "thus complementing and completing the original structure," Skorton said.

The ceremony ended with a champagne toast, Robinson said, to "the Johnson Museum, and to Cornell, and to Ithaca, and to our future together."