The UCA Art Museum’s name changed to the Gregory Allicar Museum of Art after a $2 million gift for a renovation project. The museum had a grand opening on Sept. 10 for the renovation, which added 6,000 sq. feet of space.

The ribbon cutting ceremony began at 1 p.m. and was shortly followed by a large crowd of people pooling into the museum.

The $2 million gift was donated for the renovation project, and was inspired by the immense collection of art that was gifted to the museum.

Fort Collins Mayor Wade Troxell stepped up to speak about the new addition to the art museum and how it will give members of the community better resources.

“Fort Collins is featured in an exhibit in Washington D.C. at the U.S. museum of American history,” Troxell said.

Speakers said that the exhibit is meant to send a message about building a better community.

“This is really an extraordinary resource for our community, our schools and everyone that enjoys our community,” Troxell said.

The mayor cut the ribbon and welcomed the public into the museum.

The new exhibit contains art from over 60 countries, and more than 200 pieces of art came from the Harford-Tandstad collection.

The museum additions portray three themes: Global Encounters, Approaching Nature and Dialogues With Power.

The renovation also provided a permanent showcase for the African and Native American collections, and space for temporary exhibits and collections to be rotated.

The educational programs in the Robert W. Hoffert Learning Center will receive an updated space as a result of the expansion.

People of all ages gathered outside of the Visual Arts Building waiting for the ribbon cutting ceremony to begin. The community event was free to the public. Food trucks were open for business outside the front doors to the building. Rebel Popcorn, Nitro Coffee, Austin Taco, Koby’s East Coast Snowball Stand and La Piadina provided food and refreshments for the crowd.

Linny Frickman, director of the Gregory Allicar Museum of Art, said the renovations would not have been possible without donors and the work of volunteers.

“This new cultural treasure is the result of the hard work of so many – our small but mighty staff, our dedicated volunteers and board members, and all of the donors who believed in this project and made it possible,” said Frickman.

Collegian reporter Hailey Deaver can be reached at news@collegian.com or on Twitter @autumn_hail.