(upbeat music) - Hi friends, I'm Liz.

And this is my friend Flurffy.

(Flurffy barks) And we're here at the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts.

The museum is undergoing renovation and is about to open.

And we're here today to see what's going on and how the renovation's coming along.

(laughs) The Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts has been part of the Arkansas community since 1937.

It has galleries to see visual art.

It has a theater for performing arts.

An art school so you can make art.

It has something new and different in every room of the building.

Today, me and Flurffy are gonna give you a sneak peek of how we're making it bigger and better for you.

(Flurffy barks) (dynamic music) Every big project starts with an idea.

So for this project, the architect started-- (Flurffy barking) Oh, well the architect is the person who designs the buildings.

So the architect starts by making drawings or sketches of what she wants the building to look like.

So this is our new north entrance.

Look how the artist even included pictures of people so that you could see how the place is gonna be used.

This is our new south entrance that opens up into MacArthur Park.

The cool thing about this one is that it's drawn from a bird's-eye view.

So if you were a bird flying through the park, this is what it would look like.

But how do you go from the drawings to reality?

That's where blueprints come in.

(upbeat music) So behind me are the blueprints.

(Flurffy barking) Well, blueprints are very detailed instructions for the builders to use when constructing the building.

(Flurffy slurping) (Liz laughs) Then it's the construction team's turn.

With a huge building like this, there are over 200 people working on the building every day.

There's a team that pours concrete, a team that installs steel beams and glass, brick layers, plumbers, electricians.

All sorts of really cool machinery like cement mixers, and lifts, and cranes, and diggers.

There's always so much going on at a construction site.

(Flurffy barking) (dynamic music) I know, isn't it cool?

This is called a scale model.

Architects make it so that you can see what the building is gonna look like when it's finished.

Look at all the tiny little people!

That's the Cultural Living Room.

And the north entrance and courtyard.

Oh, and over there is the top of the theater.

I know, it's like an itty-bitty dollhouse.

Flurffy, it's gonna be so much fun.

I can't wait!

(Flurffy barks) (upbeat music) Come on, Flurffy.

Let's go take a look.

This is our new north entrance.

And the first thing you'll probably notice is the big glass room at the top.

That's our Cultural Living Room.

Look at all that glass!

See how it's leaning out more on top than the bottom?

That's to help protect the birds so they won't fly into it and hurt themselves.

(Flurffy barks) Oh hey, Flurffy.

You found our cool columns.

Columns hold up a structure above them.

Usually when you see a column they're vertical, up and down.

And they hold up the structure above 'em, which is horizontal.

But our columns are cool because they are diagonal.

(upbeat music) We're in the courtyard right in front of the original facade.

(Flurffy barks) Oh, well a facade is the front facing side of a building.

And this one was built in 1937.

Now a courtyard is a gathering place for your friends and family to meet before going into the museum.

(Flurffy barks) That's right.

And you may even get to meet Flurffy, if you come to the courtyard.

So we hope to see you and your friends here at the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts.

Bye, friends.