On Oct. 17, the Longmont Museum welcomed the community back to its exhibition galleries after they had been closed for more than a year during a major expansion and renovation. The City of Longmont’s museum homepage now says the galleries have reopened, marking the return of a cultural space that continued offering classes, films, camps, concerts and talks while its exhibition rooms were closed. The project expands what visitors can explore in one trip, from a new hands-on area for children to exhibitions focused on art and artists.
The nearly $10 million project added 70 percent more public gallery space, according to the city’s Sept. 28 announcement. The scale matters because the museum has long served people with different interests and ages. Its regular program includes performances, classes, films, talks and local-history experiences. The added gallery area gives the museum more room for exhibitions and interactive experiences alongside its existing auditorium and program spaces.
One of the most family-focused additions is DreamLab, a permanent hands-on children’s gallery inside Lila’s Children’s Gallery. The city described play spaces that include a dragon castle and a calming crystal cave. The museum’s exhibit page describes DreamLab as a permanent, hands-on space for children, with play intended to encourage exploration, imagination and learning. It creates another place for families to spend time together without making the museum’s broader art and history offerings feel separate from children’s learning.
The reopening also gives visitors a chance to encounter a wide range of art. “Women Artists: Four Centuries of Creativity” brings together work by artists including Rosa Bonheur, Sonia Delaunay, Käthe Kollwitz, Louise Nevelson and Françoise Gilot. The museum lists the exhibition as on view starting Oct. 17 and describes it as original works on paper across four centuries, including prints, drawings, watercolors and photographs. For a regional museum, that breadth can make a visit feel connected to a larger art history while giving visitors works they may not often see close to home.
Another exhibition centers on Frida Kahlo. The museum lists “Frida Kahlo: An Intimate Portrait” as on view starting Oct. 17 in the new Bill Stewart Feature Gallery. It includes 98 photographs, personal letters and notes from Kahlo’s private collection, according to the museum. The materials offer a way to encounter an artist through both her work and the records of her life. The museum’s expanded feature gallery is designed to host changing exhibitions, giving future shows more room and visitors a reason to return as the program changes.
The museum also maintains a substantial collection tied to Longmont and the St. Vrain Valley. Its homepage lists more than 17,000 objects, 10,000 photographs and thousands of documents; its online historic photo collection includes more than 80,000 images. While the galleries were closed, the museum said it continued to offer classes, concerts, films, talks, camps and other programs. That meant the institution’s work with local history and the arts continued even as visitors waited for the exhibition rooms to reopen.
The opening day was planned as a free, all-day celebration, with a ribbon-cutting, activities, talks, art classes, crafts, films and tours. Those details came from the city’s advance schedule; the confirmed outcome is that the galleries reopened on Oct. 17. More than 450 individuals, foundations and corporations contributed to the museum’s capital campaign, which surpassed its original fundraising goal, the city said. The Stewart Family Foundation donated more than $6 million toward the expansion.
Visitors can now return during the museum’s regular hours: Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. The museum lists admission at $12 for adults and $8 for students and seniors, with free admission for members and children age two and younger. A qualifying SNAP or EBT card brings admission to $1. Those options give families several ways to plan a visit as the expanded galleries begin their next chapter.
The galleries’ reopening restores the museum’s exhibition spaces after a long closure, while its classes, concerts, films, talks and camps continue alongside the new displays.
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