TAM will contain 50,000 sf, with more than 12,000 sf of galleries wrapped around a 2,000-sf Mist Moss Garden. Museum executive director Janeanne Upp tells GlobeSt other public areas will total about 4,000 sf, including a café, store and space for hands-on arts activities and educational programs, including the Bill and Melinda Gates Resource Center. The remainder of the museum's space is earmarked for storage, operations and administration.

Nearly $23 million of a targeted $25 million has been raised, says Upp. While an exact estimate for the construction cost has not been announced, Upp says the museum expects to release that figure soon. The general contractor is Hoffman Construction of Seattle, and the architect is Antoine Predock of Albuquerque and Los Angeles.

Upp believes the shadow stainless steel and glass exterior will make for a spectacular building. "The museum will have wonderful views all around because of the way Antoine has oriented the building," says Upp. Predock also designed the Spencer Theater for the Performing Arts in Alto NM and the Tang Art Museum and Teaching Gallery in Saratoga Springs NY.