Students and staff expressed their support of the UA Museum of Art's move to a new larger location, but were hesitant because it is unclear how the project will be funded.

The museum, 949 E. Second St., is housed in a facility with 12,000 square feet of gallery space. This space only allows about 3 percent of its 5,000 pieces to be displayed at any given time. These limitations also dictate what the museum is able to collect, said Charles Guerin, director of the museum.

Several months ago, the Arizona Historical Society proposed an idea to President Peter Likins looking to break ground on a new facility by 2009, which means their current building will be empty and available, Guerin said.

This facility has been offered to the UA and is being appraised before an offer to purchase is made, Guerin said.

The museum conducted preliminary estimates on constructing a new building that would better suit their growing needs, but the cost is too steep, Guerin said.

"Fifty million dollars just does not seem feasible due to the states financial situation," Guerin said.

However, renovations on the AHS building will run approximately $10 to $15 million, most of which will be obtained from private donors and fundraising in a collaborative effort with the UA, Guerin said.

Guerin said the ideas for renovations include about four times the amount of gallery space, archive and library rooms, basement storage, viewing rooms, an auditorium, shops and a café with outdoor seating. Classrooms will be included to make the museum easier for educational research.

A forum conducted by the museum was held yesterday to gather student, faculty, staff and community opinion about the project, who were supportive of the proposed site and thought it would be a benefit to the campus overall.

"This new museum would be a jewel in promoting the campus as a tourist attraction," said Kate Jensen, UA marketing director.

Linda Heffernan, director of consulting services in human resources who facilitated the forum, tried to evoke the audience to comment on the situation of the museum.

"We need to think about the Arizona Historical Society's possibilities, not as it is now," Heffernan said.

The museum will have another forum today at 5:30 p.m. in the Architecture building, Room 103.