The Alabama Contemporary Art Center in Mobile has announced plans to radically transform how it presents art, conducting exhibitions and programs across the state as it renovates its facilities – including development of the long-vacant Press-Register building on Government St.

According to an ACAC announcement, the museum’s 2025 schedule will include exhibitions in York, Tuscaloosa and Troy as well as a “vacant site” in Mobile. Meanwhile, renovations will begin at the institution’s current home at 301 Conti St., with plans to develop the property at 304 Government St. as well.

Prior to 2002, 304 Government St., at the southwest corner of the block, housed the newsroom and business offices of the Mobile Press and Register. 301 Conti Street, at the northeast corner, housed the press. When Press-Register operations shifted to a new facility on Beauregard St. in 2002, the Conti Street property became an art center that was known as Space 301 before eventually becoming the ACAC. There has been speculation over the years that 304 Government St. might be developed as condos or mixed-use space, but aside from temporary governmental use it has remained largely unused.

ACAC’s announcement says that big things are in store for the Government Street property, without spelling out what they might be: “Over the last 3 years ACAC has been working with Farris Properties to collaborate on a development plan that leverages and builds on ACAC’s organizational success to even greater impact for the City of Mobile,” it said. “Although the full scale and details of the development are not yet public, this will include a major renovation to build out the long unoccupied 304 Government Street, as well as upgrade key spaces within the contemporary art museum at 301 Conti Street. In order to facilitate this plan, ACAC will move our programming out of the building.”

On Thursday, June 20, ACAC will hold a public information session at 6 p.m. at 301 Conti St. At that event, “the entire staff will be available to answer questions.”

According to information provided by the art center, partner organizations taking part in its upcoming “transient model” include “the Wiregrass Museum of Art in Dothan, The International Art Center’s Huo Bao Zhu Gallery at Troy University, The Wallace Center for Art and Reconciliation in Harpersville, The Paul R. Jones Museum at University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, and Coleman Center for the Arts in York, AL.”

Furthermore, it said, “Each year will bring new institutional partners on board over the next 3 years, in tandem with the critical work of refining a Museum space built to support the front line of contemporary practice.”

“The most powerful thing we do as a museum is to support creative practice directly, and facilitate new work that drives Alabama’s cultural identity forward,” ACAC Executive Director elizabet elliott said in a release. “By partnering with other organizations, big and small, we can leverage what we are best at — seeding growth in the creative economy, being good stewards of risk, and creating healthy spaces for dialogue — to extend and build on the mission of partner organizations.”

Details of the ACAC 2025 program plan can be found at www.alabamacontemporary.org.