The Arkansas Arts Center has rebranded as the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts, a callback to its original name from more than 80 years ago, as construction teams continue to revamp the downtown Little Rock museum.
Museum officials paired the new name's debut with an announcement that project fundraisers have eclipsed their initial goal to pay for ongoing renovation and expansion — raising roughly $136 million in pledges to date — and have now set a loftier target of $142 million.
Officials staged Monday's ceremony atop freshly laid gravel in the museum's courtyard-to-be — in front of the original 1937 Art Deco façade that says "Museum of Fine Arts" — as scaffolding and other signs of work-in-progress idled nearby.
Over the course of previous renovations, the façade was incorporated indoors as part of gallery space. The excavation of that entrance, which will be one of two key entryways, is among several hallmarks of the museum's new design.
"This name reflects our future, but it was carefully chosen with great pride and respect for our past," said Van Tilbury, president of the museum's board of trustees, in announcing the change.