Welcome to a new day in the Miami art scene. The Miami Art Museum (MAM) officially broke ground on its new building in Museum Park this week (Nov 30). The building, designed by Herzog & de Meuron, is scheduled to open to the public in 2013 and MAM’s chairman of the board of trustees, Aaron Podhurst, promises that it will fill many roles, including as a repository for artwork, a resource for learning, an economic engine and a gathering place.

The new MAM will include over 32,000 square feet of gallery space, making it more than three times the size of its current space. It will also serve as an anchor for the new 29-acre Museum Park overlooking Biscayne Bay.

Joining MAM at its new home will be a $10 million Knight School Education Program. Part of a larger Knight initiative to support performing and visual arts programs throughout South Florida, the endowment will bring an estimated 40,000 school children to the new MAM campus every year. Specifically, the Knight School Education Program will provide:

• At least one visit to the new museum for every elementary school student during his primary years;
• At least one visit to the new museum for every junior high school student during her middle school years;
• A collaboration program with three high schools sponsoring an in-depth magnet or honor program focused on art, design and/or technology.

This week’s groundbreaking ceremony featured remarks by Podhurst, Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Alvarez, Vice Chairwoman-Elect of the Miami-Dade County Commission Audrey M. Edmonson, Miami-Dade County Manager George M. Burgess and MAM Director Thom Collins.

For more information about Miami Art Museum, visit miamiartmuseum.org