A brief power failure early Tuesday afternoon hit portions of the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, cutting electricity to the Weisman Art Museum and forcing backup systems to crank up at the U's medical center.

The power was out from 12:45 to about 2:15 p.m. south of Washington Avenue, stretching from the museum on the west to the medical center on the east, said U spokesman Preston Smith.

"We were on generator power for about an hour, and patient care was not affected," hospital spokeswoman Jennifer Amundson said.

The museum has been closed to the public for renovations, which have been completed, said Weisman spokeswoman Erin Lauderman.

Curators hanging artwork ahead of the Oct. 2 reopening continued with that task Tuesday afternoon thanks to "lots of new skylights," Lauderman said.

Classes at the U for the fall semester start Sept. 6.

PAUL WALSH