“[The museum] has one of the best collections of South Asian sculpture in the world, outside of India,” said art history professor William Hood of the Cleveland Museum of Art to students in his intro art history course. What Hood did not mention is that the window of opportunity for Obies to view CMA’s permanent collection gets smaller by the day, due to the museum’s vast renovation and addition plans.

CMA’s permanent collection, world-renowned and spanning 6,000 years, is gradually closing down this year and will not reopen in entirety until 2011. CMA has already closed several galleries: portions of 20th century American and European art, galleries on the Renaissance and Later Europe, 20th century American and European art (including Picasso) and all of 19th century European and American art (including Impressionism). Obies who have been dreaming of making the short trip to Cleveland to check out a Monet or a Picasso — dream on.

This Sunday, April 10, is the last day to view the “Art of the Americas” galleries and the “Japanese Visions” special exhibition. The Armor court is open through Memorial Day weekend and galleries that hold Egyptian art, African art and the art of Ancient Greece and Rome will be open through Fourth of July weekend.

At the beginning of March, CMA’s board of trustees approved the first construction phase of a vast renovation and expansion project set to break ground in September. The building project, which museum director Katharine Lee Reid anticipates will be “one of the most ambitious in the city’s history,” is estimated to cost $258 million.

“Not only does this exciting endeavor serve to promote and enhance a world-class treasure,” Reid said, “it also will positively impact the local and regional economy and help to reinvigorate the local marketplace.” The construction work alone may pump as much as $80 million into Cleveland’s ailing economy.

The new museum, designed by architect Rafael Viñoly, will include completely renovated versions of CMA’s two historic buildings (the 1916 Beaux Arts building and the 1971 Breuer building) and the addition of east and west wings with a glass-ceiling piazza unifying the structure. CMA will gain an additional 36,000 square feet of gallery space and more extensive parking.

Though the renovation and expansion means the permanent collection will not be on display, CMA is not closing down completely. The museum will be closed for construction for six months, beginning in January 2006. After this period, some galleries will be reinstalled and the museum’s exhibit schedule will continue.

Oberlin professors in many departments have long been utilizing the Cleveland Museum of Art as an educational resource. Now, works referred to in class are artifacts that students will not be able to experience first-hand until Oberlin welcomes the class of 2011. If nothing else, CMA’s renovation project will give current Obies an incentive to attend alumni reunions.