Jessica Bendzick/ Winonan

Throughout the month of September, all Winona State University staff members can view works of Paul Signac, William Bradford and even Pablo Picasso for free.

This past April, Winona State became a MMAM admiral level organizational member. One benefit with the membership is all employees of the organization receive free admission throughout a chosen month.

Winona State selected September, because it is the first month of the school year. Every Tuesday students are recognized at the museum by receiving free admission.

College of Liberal Arts dean Ralph Townsend helped to establish the corporate membership. Townsend, and many others, longed for Winona State to develop a closer relationship with the museum since it is an important community institution.

Townsend said, “I certainly hope that our staff will take advantage of this opportunity. The museum has a wonderful collection, is a great resource to have in our town and is continuing to grow.”

MMAM assistant operations manager Dave Casey said they partnered with Winona State for various reasons. The museum has Winona State interns, volunteers and some faculty members who serve on the board of directors.

Casey said they have been able to utilize Winona State because it has much more space than the museum.

“I don’t know if an institution like this would exist in a town that didn’t have such a big university presence like Winona State or St. Mary’s,” Casey said.

A new gallery at the museum, the Hudson River Schools of Art collection, will be opening to the public on Sunday, Sept. 28. Made possible with a donation by Richard and Jane Manoogian of the Detroit Institute of Arts, the gallery will be around 5,000 square feet.

This new edition, along with the one added last year, more than doubled the museum’s gallery space in a one-year span.

The museum has three galleries of temporary exhibitions, each changing every three to four months.

Casey said in a one-year span they have 10 different exhibitions, meaning the public can come almost every month and see something new.

“Our focus, art inspired by water, is narrow, but it’s a focus that affects everyone. People live here for a reason; they enjoy the river and the natural beauty. And that’s a big part of why the museum is here,” Casey said.