There has always been great demand for the exhibition of contemporary art and design on the SJSU campus, but existing facilities have not been sufficiently expansive to host the numbers and kinds of displays necessary to meet this need.

In mid-2002 we moved a step closer to the dream of building a new Museum of Art and Design when the Natalie and James Thompson Art Gallery was awarded a coveted New Public Works grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency, to partially underwrite expenses associated with the organization of an architectural design competition. Responding to our international call, an astonishing 169 architectural teams from all over the world submitted designs.

Five finalists were chosen from this field of entrants. The ultimate winner of the competition was WW from Somerville, Massachusetts. WW has provided us with a design for an elegant, provocative, inspiring, and functional new home. Now that we have the conceptual designs for the new museum, our $25 million fundraising campaign can begin in earnest.