What a gem in the West Bend community and the state.

Construction has started on the Museum of Wisconsin Art’s Cultural Campus, which hopes to open in late summer or early fall.

Located south of the main building at 205 Veterans Ave., West Bend, the 2-acre campus aims to offer an outdoor experience for local artists and its fans, as well as expand MOWA’s program offerings.

But the campus also symbolizes an importantcornerstone in MOWA’s history.

In April, MOWA celebrated five years at its location east of the Milwaukee River in a plot of land once home to Field’s Furniture building and outlet mall that was demolished in 2007. MOWA moved to the location after a run in a small building on South Sixth Avenue in West Bend that started in the 1960s.

The campus also puts a cap of the first five years of the museum in its state-ofthe- art facility and a starting point for the next five years and beyond.

“It’s pretty big,” said Laurie Winters, MOWA’s executive director about the milestone.