Explore COMU:
Columbus Museum’s Reimagined Space –
Since 1953 The Columbus Museum has opened its doors to the community, offering an array of artifacts relevant to American art and regional history. One of the largest museums in the Southeast, the Columbus Museum showcases both permanent collections and temporary exhibits, and is always free and open to the public.
For the past eighteen months, renovation work to the museum has been underway along with a rebranding campaign. Large-scale updates to modernize the museum and broaden its appeal to the community can be glimpsed in the new, colorful logo, and will be realized in a vibrant new space when the doors reopen.
Plans to rebrand and renovate began in 2018 with a vision for the future of the museum. The planning stage led to a $25 million capital campaign to raise funds which then led to the commencement of construction. While no square footage was added to the original building, improvements have enabled the space to be used more efficiently, and the building will feel more open and spacious.
The Columbus Museum, affectionately called COMU by the marketing team, is a place for everyone. From children to art enthusiasts to history buffs, the space offers an experience that is both familiar and new with each visit. The rebranding and renovation campaign has been accomplished with the mission of appealing to everyone in Columbus’ diverse community. “”Our goal with the rebranding initiative was to create a visual identity that truly represents the essence of the Museum and resonates with our diverse audience,” COMU director Marianna Richter said in a press release.
New features will include redesigned and reconfigured children’s and history galleries. The children’s gallery will be more accessible and will include a tree house with a slide, a mini museum, fort building, an outdoors children’s play garden, and interactive displays designed to engage the five senses and encourage creative play.
The history gallery will consist of three interconnecting spaces to integrate each room and enable guests to move freely amongst the exhibits.
An open courtyard with seating at the new entrance to the museum will invite guests to sit and stay for a while, and a grab-and-go cafe will offer coffee, sandwiches, and snacks. All aspects of the museum’s redesign are intended to be inviting, accessible, and encourage a leisurely day of exploration and immersion in the museum’s new space.
The massive renovation project that COMU has undertaken has been made possible for the benefit of our community thanks to generous donations and support from local organizations and donors. AFLAC, WC Bradley, the CSU art department, Bo Barlett, the Do Good Fund, Columbus Botanical Gardens, and the Columbus Public Library have all supported the museum’s progress and partnered with them to ensure a successful future.
Open, spacious, and full of natural light, the new COMU building is designed to offer visitors an interactive and engaging experience. Five exhibitions will be on view: “Our Own Work Our Own Way,” which will feature Southern female artists from the 20th century, Andy Warhol’s “Silver Clouds and Cow Wallpaper,” an interactive display which will feature floating pillow shaped balloons, “Crossroads: Chattahoochee Valley Blues and Folk Music” will showcase well-known local figures of the 20th century, “A Decade of Drawings” highlighting the museum’s drawing collections from the last ten years, and a “History of the Museum” exhibition which will spotlight the many phases the Columbus Museum has seen over the past 71 years of its history.
While the Columbus Museum’s visual representation and physical space have undergone a major refresh, the mission and vision of COMU remain the same. The museum remains “Visitor-centric,” director of marketing Kristen Hudson says. “We felt a lot of responsibility to the community to represent everyone who walks through our doors.” While art galleries were once chronologically arranged, they’re now set up to be experienced thematically, “So the artwork can talk to each other like never before, and provide interesting conversation starters,” Kristen says.
As renovation work on the Columbus Museum nears completion, dates have been set to reopen its doors, with a ticketed reopening gala set for April 26. The public reopening will take place on May 4 and 5, and normal operating hours will resume at that time. COMU will be open to the public Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays from 10:00 am – 5:00 pm, Thursdays from 10:00 am – 8:00 pm, and Sundays from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm.
The Columbus Museum is located at 1251 Wynnton Road.
By Natalie Downey