|
| |||||
 |
| ||||
|
| |||||
|
|
Follow Lord Cultural on  twitter,  facebook,  YouTube and  LinkedIn | ||||
|
| |||||
|
Washington's National Mall to undergo $2bn revamp over two decades The Guardian, 15 November 2014
WASHINGTON, D.C. — " The Smithsonian Institution, the world’s biggest museum complex, unveiled a $2bn plan on Thursday to revamp the south side of the National Mall, a favorite draw for Washington’s millions of tourists. The proposed master plan for the half-mile (800-meter) strip of museums, gardens and buildings along the US capital’s Independence Avenue will be carried out over 10 to 20 years starting in 2016, the Institution said in a statement. The blueprint “provides the first-ever integrative vision for the South Mall”, said Wayne Clough, secretary of the Smithsonian Institution." [see also: BIG releases designs for redevelopment of Smithsonian South Mall Campus, World Architecture News, 14 November 2014]
Lord Cultural Resources worked for the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of African American History and Culture leading the national public engagement process, the establishment of general museum and facility requirements, the development of a functional strategy, collections analysis, preparation for collections storage and operations planning. The firm also provided content development and communications services as part of the winning team of Ralph Appelbaum Associates for the exhibition design for the new museum. Moreover, the firm was engaged for concept development for the Resource Library. Lord Cultural Resources was also contracted to complete interpretive planning and concept design services for the new exhibition for the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian.
New State Museum at the North Dakota Heritage Center Is Open to the Public Yahoo, 5 November 2014
BISMARCK, NORTH DAKOTA — "The North Dakota Heritage Center's 97,000-square-foot expansion is now complete with all four new galleries open to the public. The official public opening in Bismarck, ND, was held on November 2, which was North Dakota's 125th birthday. The award-winning museum is also home to a 67-million-year-old hadrosaurnamed Dakota found near Marmarth, ND, a NASA experimental space suit for Mars travel built by the team at the University of North Dakota, and one of the premier displays of Northern Plains Indians artifacts." [see also: Heritage Center grand opening draws a crowd, The Bismarck Tribune, 3 November 2014]
Lord Cultural Resources, in partnership with Xibitz and Taylor Studios, was engaged to lead the transformation of the North Dakota Heritage Center’s permanent exhibition. Lord Cultural Resources is proud to have supported the Center’s staff to achieve its vision by providing project management, interpretive planning, design and content development, interpreting more than 500 million years of North Dakota’s history over for 33,000 square feet of new exhibitions.
| |||||
|
| |||||
|
Cultural News, a monthly global round-up of what’s happening in culture, is a free service of Lord Cultural Resources. Excerpts are directly quoted from the articles – please click on the links to read the full articles on the original news sites. To receive it in your inbox rain or shine, please press the subscribe button above - it will take less than 30 seconds to become a subscriber. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for the latest digest of cultural news.
| |||||
Our Clients and Lord Cultural Resources in the News
UWIMUSEUM, 19 November 2014
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS — "Synergies are everywhere! I’ve been taking an online Museum Studies course offered by Northwestern University in Chicago, USA, and the recent focus has been on local history and art museums and issues of access and community/visitor participation – especially youth participation. Then, this week, the UWI Museum and the UWI Geology Museum at Mona joined in hosting colleagues from across the Caribbean as the Museums Association of the Caribbean (MAC) had its 25th anniversary conference and AGM here at the University of the West Indies’ (UWI) Mona campus. And of course a major thread in the multi-layered conversations related to engaging with audiences, be they traditional museum-goers or the far greater number of persons who are not sure that these repositories have any relevance to or welcome for them."
Yvonne Tang, Director, Exhibitions and Events, Lord Cultural Resources, presented on "Encouraging and Planning for Visitor Participation in Museum Exhibitions" at the 25th Museums Association of the Caribbean Conference and AGM hosted by UWI Geology Museum and the UWI Museum on November 16-19, 2014 in Kingston, Jamaica. Yvonne Tang and Nicole Dawkins, Consultant, Lord Cultural Resources, also facilitated a full-day Post Conference Workshop on "Interpretive Planning – At the Heart of Every Great Exhibition" on November 20, 2014.
Canada Science and Technology Museum gets an $80 million facelift CTV News, 17 November 2014
OTTAWA, ONTARIO — "Canada's Science and Technology Museum will reopen in 2017 after an $80 million renovation and repair job. The Harper government announced the new funding at a late afternoon news conference on Monday, Nov. 17, 2014. Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird says upgrading the museum is the proper fiscal decision for the federal government. The money will be used to install a new roof and update the exhibit space. The museum has been closed since September 2014 after mould was discovered in the roof and walls."
In 2007, Working in collaboration with designer James Bruer, Lord Cultural Resources was engaged to develop and design the exhibition experience for a new exhibition about Medical Imaging, with our team leading the interpretive planning and concept design process. Additionally, Lord’s Cultural Resources’ Creative Services Studio provided graphic design services to create a Sponsorship Proposal for Medical Imaging.
VIDEO: Human rights museum now ready with all galleries. MSN, 12 November 2014
WINNIPEG, MANITOBA — "All galleries at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights will finally be open for viewing starting today."
Lord Cultural Resources has been working with the Canadian Museum for Human Rights since 2000 when the idea was first imagined by the late Izzy Asper. A multi-disciplinary Lord Cultural Resources team led by Co-President Gail Lord helped The Asper Foundation to develop the concept and to craft the three-volume Master Plan and business plan that went to the Prime Minister. We provided the space program and assisted with the international architectural competition that selected Antoine Predock to design the building. In 2009-10, Lord Cultural Resources organized and facilitated the cross Canada consultation process that gathered human rights stories from thousands of Canadians in 19 cities. We have continued to provide advisory services to Board and senior management on all aspects of implementation, content and the inauguration.
Designers chosen for Louvre’s €60m storage outpost The Art Newspaper, 10 November 2014
PARIS, FRANCE —"Five architectural firms are on the shortlist to design the Louvre’s new storage facility, planned to open near the museum’s satellite in Lens, northern France. Corinne Vezzoni & Assoc and Zig Zag architecture, both from France, Neutelings Riedijk Architecten from the Netherlands, Roger Stirk Harbour + Partners from the UK and Estudio Arquitectura Baeza from Spain were chosen from 173 applicants. In September 2013, then-minister of culture Aurélie Filippetti announced that the Louvre would move works held in a basement storage area on the banks of the River Seine due to the risk of flooding. The new 20,000 sq. m facility in Lieven will hold around 250,000 objects from the Paris museum’s reserve collection. The cost of the project, estimated at €60m, will be split between the region (49%) and the Louvre (51%). The final selection is due to be revealed in April 2015 and the facility is planned to open in 2017."
Lordculture, the European office of Lord Cultural Resources, was commissioned by the Région Nord-Pas de Calais to work with regional authorities and the Louvre to provide functional and museological planning for this 28,000 sq. m. (300,000 sq. ft.) museum. Lordculture also provided advice on the technical commission for architect selection, which was won by Tokyo-based firm Sanaa. We also advised on capital cost projections.
Speaker outlines World War II Museum expansion Daily Comet, 10 November 2014
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA — "Watson said the World War II Museum is in the midst of a $325 million project to raise money to complete its expansion. The museum has raised $225 million. Another major addition, the Liberty Pavilion, will focus on the cost of war, the Holocaust and the war’s aftermath. Watson said he hopes the pavilion will open before the end of 2017. The museum is working on the Hall of Democracy, including a rare artifact room and a media center featuring magazines and radio programs, he said. Digital Archives Research Services will make all of the collections the museum features accessible on its website for free.
The Museum is undergoing a $300 Million expansion, comprising seven buildings on five acres that will be completed by 2015. Lord Cultural Resources first developed a Concept Plan as the blueprint for the integration of existing facilities, exhibitions and programs into a short- and long-term expansion plan on a greatly enlarged campus. We were further commissioned to plan, design and manage through to production the prototype of a new series of interactive multi-media exhibits on the home front in World War II. Our firm teamed with Mystus Interactus to plan, design and develop the software for the stand-alone multimedia kiosks titled “We’re all in this Together”. The team prepared a CD-ROM set to be distributed to schools throughout the nation, providing an exceptional educational tool for the study of WWII. Lord Cultural Resources then produced a detailed Functional Program, and was further commissioned to plan and advise on the nation-wide competitions for an architect and an exhibition designer to implement the Concept Plan.
Energy, Art and Cultural Engagement: Barry Lord and 34 Percent Voter Turnout Raise the Hammer, 7 November 2014
TORONTO, ONTARIO — "Barry Lord, visionary founder of Lord Cultural Resources, has come a long way from the backstreets of Barton and Kenilworth in Hamilton. After studying philosophy at McMaster University he won a Woodrow Wilson Scholarship to further study at Harvard. Following that, he began working at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa. Through dogged determination and a 'non-institutional' McLuhanesque mindset, he soon launched an enviable international career as a museum consultant, high profile cultural planner and public arts provocateur with business offices in New York, London and Toronto."
The latest book by Barry Lord, Art & Energy, traces how the development of each new source of energy, from the prehistoric mastery of fire to renewable energy today, becomes a powerful engine of cultural change. For more information, visit the book webpage.
New competition launched for National Gallery and Ludwig Museum in Budapest The Art Newspaper, 5 November 2014
BUDAPEST, HUNGARY — "The international jury choosing an architect to design a new National Gallery, which will also provide a new home for the Ludwig Museum in the Hungarian capital, has invited seven leading practices to take part in a new competition after a first competition did not produce a winning design. The seven architects invited to compete for the high-profile commission are: Jean Nouvel, David Chipperfield, Mecanoo, Nieto Sobejano, Renzo Piano, Sanaa and Snøhetta. Launched last week, the competition’s winner is due to be announced next April. The president of the jury is Lázló Baán, the director of the Szépművészeti (Museum of Fine Arts) in Budapest's Heroes’ Square, which is near the proposed site of the museum complex on the edge of Városliget, one of the city’s main parks. Known as the Liget Project, fellow jury members include Wim Pijbes, the director of the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, and Henri Loyrette, the former director of the Louvre in Paris."
Lordculture has been assisting Varosliget in planning of the Museum of Ethnography and the New National Gallery & Ludwig Museum – Museum of Contemporary Art. In November 2013, Laure Colliex, Carolyne Krummenacker and Aline Mandai from Lordculture presented at the international workshop on Budapest's Liget cultural quarter planned for the City Park.
The Gardiner Expressway: Give It a Rest Fife & Drum, November 2014
TORONTO, ONTARIO — "In the New Year's Day edition of the Globe and Mail, 2010, architecture critic Lisa Rochon said of the newly-chosen design for the Fort York Visitor Centre, “Once Torontonians accept that the Gardiner Expressway is here to stay for years (perhaps decades), the possibilities for its reinvention are endless. That's why the winning scheme for the new visitor centre at Fort York National Historic Site, designed by Patkau Architects Inc. of Vancouver with Kearns Mancini Architects Inc. of Toronto, is worth celebrating.” And now that this impressive and exceedingly handsome building has opened in the shadow of the Gardiner, infusing the fort's nemesis from the 1950s with new relevance, The Friends of Fort York call upon Torontonians to set aside their criticisms of the portion of the expressway between the north side of Exhibition Place and Lakeshore Blvd. Accept that the new Visitor Centre has given it purpose as an arcade over the front of the building and the adjacent parking areas. Concede that the vistas formed by the structure's piers have opened the possibilities of acres of sheltered walks along Fort York Blvd., warmed year-round by the sun because of its inclination. And allow that this section of the Gardiner has become a shining example of something Torontonians do well: self renewal. As the Star’s Chris Hume remarked recently, “It has never been shown to better advantage than here in the shadow of the Gardiner Expressway."
Lord Cultural Resources was commissioned to develop a Facilities Plan to serve as the foundation for the design and construction of the Visitor Centre, and a Business Plan. Fort York Visitor Centre will be hosting Magna Carta exhibition designed and developed by Lord Cultural Resources in the fall of 2015.
Museums
Press Republican, 21 November 2014
PLATTSBURGH, NEW YORK — " Imaginarium Children's Museum of the North Country will soon be merging with the Champlain Valley Transportation Museum Kids Station. The Transportation Museum's new building, which will be used to house its children's museum, has been in the works since 2007 and broke ground back in September after receiving a $1 million grant from the Department of Transportation. The museum building is an updated Army stable, which the Air Force had used as storage. >Transportation Museum President Bruce Carlin said the grant will pay to update about half of the building.
Tacoma Art Museum opens new $16M wing Daily Journal of Commerce 19 November 2014
TACOMA, WASHINGTON — "Tacoma Art Museum's new wing is open, with four galleries that have doubled the size of TAM's exhibit space. >Museum officials said the $15.5 million expansion added 16,000 square feet. The cafe was renovated, sheltered outdoor spaces were added and there is a new community art studio, space for a new store and an elevator that is bigger and faster." [see also: Tacoma Art Museum opens new wing, The Olympian, 12 November 2014]
Tubman museum in final stretch of work The Telegraph, 19 November 2014
MACON, GEORGIA — "The new home of the Tubman African American Museum is finally taking shape after nearly 15 years of planning, fundraising, building -- and roadblocks. A 74-foot-tall circular atrium will welcome visitors in the spring for the museum’s soft opening, but for now the downtown building is filled with echoing voices and the sound of construction workers as they make final touches. David Thompson, a founder of the Piedmont Construction Group, said the museum is by far the longest project he has ever worked on."
Mid-America Science Museum Renovation on Schedule, Re-opening Set for March Arkansas Business, 19 November 2014
HOT SPRINGS, ARKANSAS — "Renovations are underway and on schedule toward a planned March 1 reopening of the Mid-America Science Museum in Hot Springs. The museum closed in August to remodel and add exhibits and new features, funded through a $7.8 million grant from the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation that required $1.6 million in matching funds. Wittenberg Delony & Davidson Architects of Little Rock is the project's architect, and Nabholz Construction Services of Little Rock is the general contractor."
Aga Khan Foundation to built at former war museum site Ottawa Sun, 19 November 2014
OTTAWA, ONTARIO — "The building that once housed the Canadian war museum will be turned into a new international diversity research and educational centre. The NCC approved the site plan and design at its Board of Directors meeting Wednesday, a project that comes to no cost of the NCC in its development stages. The centre is a part of the Aga Khan Foundation Canada, a registered Canadian charity and group of agencies that address social, economic and cultural aspects of development."
Scottsdale's Museum of the West prepares to open AZ Central, 18 November 2014
SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA — "Scottsdale Mayor Jim Lane and council members got their first look at the new Museum of the West this month and heard how its mission stretches beyond art and even Scottsdale. Sidestepping scaffolding and yellow tape, the group took a hard-hat tour of the under-construction building at First Street and Marshall Way on Nov. 12. Amid the clang of construction, museum President Mike Fox shared the features of the landscaping, building, and the works and artists it would exhibit. >The galleries will house the work of well-known artists such as Charles M. Russell, Georgia O'Keeffe, Fritz Scholder and Allen Houser, in addition to showcasing artifacts such as John Wayne's signed business card, Navajo chiefs' blankets and objects associated with the legendary man of the West, Kit Carson."
Former President Viktor Yanukovych's Palatial Residence in Mezhyhirya Opens as Museum IBT Times, 17 November 2014
NOVI PETRIVTSI, UKRAINE — "Ordinary Ukrainians looked on in wide-eyed wonder and disbelief at the shameless display of kitsch opulence and excess in the ousted president's home. Now the estate has been returned to public ownership and opened to the public as a museum. Hidden away in Mezhyhirya, an hour's drive from Kiev, the private retreat had been closed off to the public for nearly a decade during Yanukovych's presidency. Set in 140 hectares of forest, it includes a golf course, helicopter pad, summer houses and exotic gardens, with ostriches, a private zoo, a garage filled with classic sports cars worth millions and a full scale ship converted into a restaurant."
PR Web, 17 November 2014
SARASOTA, FLORIDA — "Ringling College of Art and Design president Dr. Larry R. Thompson and Wendy G. Surkis, president of the Sarasota Museum of Art/SMOA, a division of Ringling College, today announced that major renovation work has begun today on Ringling College’s Sarasota Museum of Art (SMOA) in the historic Sarasota High School building. In addition to approving the renovation plan, the SMOA Board has initiated an extensive search for an executive director for the museum with a recruiting firm with proven experience in the art museum leadership field. SMOA’s historic Sarasota High School building has been undergoing an adaptive re-use engineering assessment by structural preservationists over the past two months in preparation for beginning renovations on Monday, November 17th. The SMOA Board intends to preserve the architectural integrity of the iconic high school building and anticipates completion and the museum opening in the first quarter of 2016."
Railroad museum chugging along The Morehead News, 11 November 2014
ROWAN COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA — "It's full steam ahead for Rowan County’s new railroad and history museum. Members of the Morehead and North Fork Railroad group have been working on renovating the old freight station on First Street since March. They now have the front room complete with new floors and repaired walls. New displays are been added continually. Steve Young, Sam Estes, and Jim Mullins are members of the group who have been working to bring the building back to life. 'We have had a lot of progress on the exterior doing paint removal and cleaning up areas,” said Mullins. “We have hired a contractor to paint the roof but that is dependent on the weather. Through the winter we will be focusing on the interior.'"
Burleson Crowley Connection, 9 November 2014
BIG BEAR, CALIFORNIA — "Nearly two years of fundraising, construction and alterations to appease pesky FEMA regulations finally come to fruition Saturday with the opening of the Big Bear Museum on the grounds of the Chisholm Trail Outdoor Museum. “This is a whole new ball game out here that completely changes the dynamic for us,” JCHF Chairman David Murdoch said. The museum is operated by the Johnson County Heritage Foundation. Robert McMinn of Terry’s Texas Rangers Camp 1937 agreed, predicting that the addition of the Big Bear Museum will soon make the CTOM Johnson County’s premiere attraction and tourist destination."
Expansion of Railway Museum to put visitors on board and in role The Asahi Shimnbun, 6 November 2014
SAITAMA, JAPAN — "East Japan Railway Co. said it will build a five-story annex south of the main building at its Railway Museum here to provide visitors with a deeper understanding of how railways work. Construction of the building, with a total floor space of 8,500 square meters, will start next summer at a cost of 8 billion yen ($70 million). It is scheduled to open in autumn 2017 to coincide with the 10th anniversary of the opening of the museum, which is located in the city’s Omiya Ward. With the expansion, the total exhibition area will be 1.5 times that of the museum’s main building, JR East said. The new venue will include many hands-on attractions, including a simulation and an area where visitors can dress up as railway employees and experience various aspects of train operations."
Construction begins on China's national maritime museum Xinhuanet, 28 October 2014
TIANJIN, CHINA — "Work began on China's national maritime museum on Tuesday in the northern port city of Tianjin. The museum, in the Binhai New Area of Tianjin, covers an area of 30 hectares and will cost 2.2 billion yuan (358 million U.S. dollars), according to Chen Xianjie, an official in charge of the project. The museum will be built on a piece of reclaimed land. It will be set in a 100 hectare cultural park. The whole project is expected to be completed by the end of 2016 and open to visitors in the first half of 2017."
Architecture
Chipperfield’s Milan art museum nears completion Architects Journal Jobs, 21 November 2014
MILAN, ITALY — "David Chipperfield’s ‘City of Culture’ museum complex in Ansaldo, Milan is nearing completion. The RIBA Gold Medallist won a contest to transform the former steel works almost fourteen years ago. The project will create a new home for Milan’s Centre for Advanced Studies of Visual Art and the Centre of Non-European Cultures. A puppet workshop and archaeological museum will also be included. Due to open next year, the scheme features a number of zinc-clad buildings arranged around a central curved glass ‘lantern’."
New contemporary pavilion at the Corning Museum of Glass nears completion World Architecture News, 20 November 2014
CORNING, NEW YORK — "If you want to see a stunning collection of art in glass go to Corning, New York. There you will find the Corning Museum of Glass, which boasts the largest collection of glass in art in the world. While there take in the architecture, a collection of glass buildings from the 1950s to the present, which themselves are notable works of art. Corning’s grounds includes a corporate headquarters building designed by Kevin Roche that dissolves into the mountainside, reflecting in its glass facade the beauty of the natural landscape that surrounds it; a factory building designed by Wallace Harrison of UN fame that employs black glass and patterned glass block that are no longer made today; a newish, glassy entrance pavilion by Smith-Miller Hawkinson; and a library by Bohlin Powell Cywinski that has an interior glass staircase that presages the now iconic ones the architect designed for Apple. The latest building to grace Corning’s campus is the North Wing, a 100,000 sq ft pavilion designed by New York architect Thomas Phifer and Partners that will house the museum’s growing collection of contemporary art in glass.
After 17 Years, Piano’s Overhauled Harvard Art Museums Open Architectural Record, 19 November 2014
CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS — "From Quincy Street, you would never know that the overhauled Harvard University Art Museums, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, lurks behind the puritanically aloof facade of the neo-Georgian Fogg Museum. Even the long boxy volume of Renzo Piano’s addition, which hoists itself one-story above Prescott Street, behind the rear of the Fogg, doesn’t fully disclose its size, even with showy glass cubes poking out at either end. The Fogg is now just one of three merged collections that opened November 16. To accommodate a daunting array of competing programmatic agendas on a too-small site and survive a tortured history, Piano (working with local architect Payette) designed defensively, producing a design that is variously elusive, alluring, and insistent. Piano was originally hired in 1997 to design a contemporary art branch for the Fogg Museum on a site along the Charles River. It succumbed to neighborhood opposition. Then planning began to upgrade the Fogg next to Harvard Yard, which the museum’s Director Thomas Lentz says “was a much beloved building nearing the end of its life.” The university also hoped to build new museum space in its planned expanded campus in Allston, and hired the Los Angeles architect Daly Genik to design it." [see also: Renzo Piano reconfigures Harvard Art Museums around a grand courtyard atrium, dezeen magazine, 18 November 2014] [see also: Harvard Art Museums Renovation and Expansion / Renzo Piano + Payette, Arch Daily, 18 November 2014] [see also: Renzo Piano reboot of Harvard art museums largely triumphs, The Guardian, 14 November 2014] [see also: Harvard Art Museums renovation and expansion, Renzo Piano Building Workshop, 2014] [see also: Expansion unveiled at Harvard Art Museums, Boston Globe, 1 November 2014]
Media and fashion duo to fund elevated park in the Hudson River by Heatherwick Studio World Architecture News, 18 November 2014
NEW YORK, NEW YORK — "Pier 55, an elevated park designed by Heatherwick Studio and landscape architect Mathews Nielsen has been unveiled as part of an initiative by The Hudson River Park Trust (HRPT) and The Diller-von Furstenberg Family Foundation. Destined to replace the ageing Pier 54 on Manhattan’s lower west side, the project has been released for a 60-day public comment and review period."
Herzog & de Meuron unveil National Library of Israel designs Leisure Management, 18 November 2014
JERUSALEM, ISRAEL — "After years in the pipeline, designs have finally been released for the National Library of Israel, Jerusalem, by architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron. The Swiss company was appointed to
design the library in early 2013, shortly after New York-based designer Rafi
Segal was dropped from the job. The National Library will be a redevelopment of its 120-year-old predecessor.
Hopkins Architects to design new £4.5m visitor attraction for Holkham Hall Association of Leading Visitor Attractions, 18 November 2014
NORFOLK, UNITED KINGDOM — "Holkham Hall on the Holkham Estate in Norfolk has announced plans for a new £4.5m visitor attraction which will focus on agricultural evolution and sustainable food production. The privately-owned, 18th century estate is well respected for its environmentally responsible approach to farming and its 'inseparable links’ with the local community. The project will have a strong educational bias and will focus on how Holkham has evolved its farming practices over the centuries and how it intends to further develop the efficiency of its food production."
New Architecture & Design Center opens in Palm Springs courtesy of Marmol Radziner World Architecture News, 10 November 2014
PALM SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA — "The new Architecture and Design Center at the Palm Springs Art Museum in downtown Palm Springs, California opened on 9 November. Known as the Edwards Harris Pavilion, the new wing will be the hub of the museum’s exploration of architecture and design. The mid-century modernist building originally designed in 1961 by E. Stewart Williams architect as a bank building, was restored and transformed to museum space by Marmol Radziner to showcase the architecture and design of the region, which has the world’s largest concentration per capita of mid-century modern buildings. Marmol Radziner, which restored the famed Kauffman House among other notable mid-century buildings, based their restoration on existing black and white photographs of the building taken by Julius Shulman as well as Williams’ original drawings. Formerly home to the Santa Fe Federal Savings and Loan, the 13,000 sq ft glass and steel building features floor to ceiling windows that frame the cityscape and the surrounding San Jacinto Mountains."
Marks Barfield named for Seychelles eco-heritage project Leisure Management, 7 November 2014
ALDABRA, SEYCHELLES — "London-based Marks Barfield Architects has won an international design competition for a eco-heritage project based on the Aldabra Atoll in the Seychelles. The firm is working with exhibition designers Real Studios and environmental engineer Ritchie Daffin to build a visitor centre on nearby Mahe, providing an experience for one of the most unique coral reef ecosystems anywhere in the world."
World Architecture News, 7 November 2014
ODENSE, DENMARK — "In September 2013 the Hans Christian Andersen Museum in Odense, Denmark embarked upon an expansion project for a new House of Fairytales and Fairytale Garden. The proposal pictured here, designed by Index Architecture, is just one of many projects that is vying for recognition in the annual ArchiTeam Awards. The ArchiTeam Awards are held each year to celebrate the best of architecture and design in Victoria, Australia, focusing on small, medium and emerging firms. The results will be announced on 13 November but for now, here’s a little more information about Index Architecture’s entry..."
Centre Pompidou president wants new architecture and design gallery 'as soon as possible' The Art Newspaper, 5 November 2014
PARIS, FRANCE — "Alain Seban, the president of the Centre Pompidou in Paris, has announced plans to open a new gallery dedicated to architecture and design at the Beaubourg gallery. In a speech marking the inauguration of the Photo Gallery at the Centre Pompidou, which opens today (5 November), Seban said that he aims "to create, as soon as possible, a gallery of architecture and design by reclaiming spaces closed to the public”. Our sister paper Le Journal des Arts reports that the new gallery could open by 2016. Entry to the new 200 sq. metre Photo Gallery is free. The inaugural exhibition is dedicated to the Surrealist photographer and medical student Jacques-André Boiffard (until 2 February 2015). Three monographic and thematic exhibitions are due to be held annually in the new space. The next show, entitled "What is Photography?", brings together historic and contemporary works by artists such as Brassai, Man Ray, Jeff Wall and Didier Bay (4 March-1 June). Photographic works drawn from the 40,000-strong holdings will continue to feature in other Modern and contemporary art exhibitions.
MAD Architects Unveils Mountainous Design for Lucas Museum in Chicago Arch Daily, 3 November 2014
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS — "The design for Chicago‘s Lucas Museum of Narrative Arts has been revealed, with MAD Architects unveiling their plans for a sculptural white “mountain,” rising from the site to be topped by a metallic crown. Designed as a landscape that can be approached from all sides, with the main entrance located on a ‘floating’ public plaza accessed via a network of ramps and steps, the building is organized around a central domed lobby and events space, with four stories of gallery spaces, a set of four theaters, and at the top of the building an observation deck and glass-encased restaurant. In a connected, smaller “mountain” are the building’s educational functions, with classrooms, lecture theaters and a library. Speaking to ArchDaily from Chicago, director of MAD Architects, Ma Yansong explained how he wanted the design “to be futuristic but at the same time to be natural,” connecting with the landscape of the waterfront site." [see also: Images released for George Lucas scheme, World Architecture News, 4 November 2014]
Technology
Huffington Post, 24 November 2014
NEW YORK, NEW YORK — "Recently, at the Museum of Modern Art with my niece, I found something unexpected blocking my favorite Van Gogh: a young woman standing with her back six inches away from the canvas, taking a "selfie." As we strolled around the galleries, I spotted more of them. Selfies in front of the Jackson Pollack. Selfies in front of Monet's Water Lilies. Selfies in front of Campbell's Soup Cans. Like most technology-driven social phenomena, museum selfies seemed to have mushroomed overnight. Until recently, the only digital annoyance I remember having to contend with in art museums was other visitors photographing the art at close range. Many museums allow non-flash photography, and it's true that if a lot of people are taking pictures it can obstruct others' view of the painting. Still, why shouldn't someone be able to photograph a work of art they love -- in order to enjoy and remember their museum experience later? Obsessive photo-taking might be somewhat self-centered in that there is no consideration about how it is impinging on the sight lines of others around them. On the other hand, the desire to capture the beautiful images of the art makes it ultimately a forgivable practice."
Museum puts stock in iBeacon technology to revamp visitor experience Tech Target, November 2014
Brooklyn, New York — "As she developed a strategy to improve visitor experiences for the Brooklyn Museum, Shelley Bernstein had a realization: Art doesn't lend to self-service. If a visitor has a question, who can answer it immediately? Art experts may be on-site, but they're often inaccessible to visitors exploring the galleries. Bernstein, the vice director of digital engagement and technology for the New York-based museum, realized visitors need information that isn't always available in the short art write-ups on the walls. The museum's goal was to help visitors learn more about the art on display -- but it realized it had no way of knowing what visitors wanted to learn about. For the museum, the key to answering this question was identifying where visitors were in the museum as their queries arose."
NGC Magazine wins prestigious award National Gallery of Canada, 21 November 2014
OTTAWA, ONTARIO — "The National Gallery of Canada’s online magazine NGC Magazine has won the 2014 Canadian Online Publishing Award(COPA) for Best Corporate Website. The award was presented at a ceremony in Toronto on Thursday, November 20. “We are extremely pleased with the success of our online magazine,” said the National Gallery’s Director and CEO, Marc Mayer. “It is an effective way of sharing our collection with art lovers across the country and serves as the go-to source for information about the world of Canadian art and events taking place at the National Gallery. This award by the digital industry recognizes the value of what we’re doing.” Launched two years ago, NGC Magazine delivers frequently updated interesting, intelligent and accessible material for both art audiences and the general public in a responsive design framework that makes it easily accessible on any device. Under Managing Editor Nina Berkhout, both in-house contributors and national correspondents present feature articles, artist interviews, studio visits, videos, photo galleries, recommendations of exhibitions, films and books, as well as behind-the-scenes views of the art world."
NYC children's museum features 3D exhibition> News Observer, 18 November 2014
NEW YORK, NEW YORK — "The Children's Museum of the Arts is opening an exhibition that juxtaposes children's artworks with 3D renderings of those works. The exhibition is called: "Into the Third Dimension: 3D Printing for Young Artists." It opens Thursday and runs through Jan. 11. The museum partnered on the exhibition with a new company called 3DP4E or 3D Printing for Everyone. The institution has over 2,000 pieces of children's art from around the world in its permanent collection. It is showcasing some of the 2-dimensional works alongside a 3D-printed detail of each."
Netherlands glow-in-the dark cycle path unveiled BBC News, 12 November 2014
NORTH BRABANT, NETHERLANDS — "A new glow-in-the-dark cycle path has been unveiled in the Netherlands. The idea was inspired by Van Gogh's painting The Starry Night. It runs through the Dutch province of North Brabant, the place where the artist was born and raised. The designer responsible is Daan Roosegaarde, famous for his glow-in-the-dark innovations."
MoMA acquires DIY electronics products to reflect technology's "significance" for design de zeen magazine, 5 November 2014
NEW YORK, NEW YORK — "New York's Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) has acquired a kit for building and programming a simple games console and four other DIY electronics products for the museum's collection of "humble masterpieces". Paola Antonelli, MoMA's senior curator of architecture and design, announced the acquisitions of Arduino, Ototo, Makey Makey, the Colour Chaser, and the DIY Gamer Kit earlier today. Each relies on a degree of user interaction or input to function, such as assembling or programming the devices to perform various tasks or create sounds, with a strong focus on teaching simple electronics and programming at the same time."
Tech Museum reveals Body Metrics Spartan Daily, 5 November 2014
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA — "Body Metrics is the newest permanent exhibit at the Tech Museum of Innovation. The exhibit is the result of a two-year endeavor finally coming into fruition from a partnership with Kaiser Permanente and Netapp. It lets people learn about their physical, social and emotional health and reveals how these different concepts are effected by environment, behavior, movement and social interactions."
Videogames museum will show 'gaming is not for sociopaths' The Telegraph, 28 October 2014
NOTTINGHAM, UNITED KINGDOM — "A videogame museum is opening in Britain, billed as the gaming equivalent of the National Gallery. The National Videogame Arcade in Nottingham will be “a hub for videogame culture”. It will house a permanent collection of highlights from the National Videogame Archive, a collection of 20,000 objects that has been held by the Science Museum but with only a fraction of it on public display. There will also be themed exhibitions, specially-commissioned works and education programmes providing hands-on experience of game-making. Its creators describe it as "the first centre of its kind in the world"."
ISTANBUL’S LEADING MUSEUMS COLLABORATE WITH GOOGLE Daily Sabah, 25 October 2014
ISTANBUL — "For a long time Turkey's museums and art galleries seemed immune to the charms of the Internet. One had to take a tram to Karaköy to see all the great artworks at Istanbul Modern, the city's museum of modern art. The exhibitions at SALT Galata could only be enjoyed by those who showed the effort to travel to its building on Bankalar Caddesi. Without driving to Emirgan you had little chance of learning what the new ambitious show at Sakıp Sabancı Museum was offering its visitors. In the past few months, however, things have changed. Thanks to Google's Cultural Institute , which digitizes millions of artifacts from museums and art collections, pointing one's browser to the right website has become more important than driving one's car to the right address. Some of the world's most important cultural institutions, including the British Museum, MAXXI National Museum at Rome and Leopold Museum in Vienna, partnered with Google and are offering their collections to Internet users, free of charge and any physical effort."
Digital Lessons From the Museum and Art World New York Times, 27 October 2014
WORLD — "Museums might seem odd places to see the unfolding digital revolution. They are, after all, quintessentially physical spaces and often temples of the past. But leading museums are becoming surprisingly adept at adding a digital layer to their physical treasures, as I wrote about in an articlefor an arts special section. These institutions are using digital technology and data not just for marketing and social media, but also to enrich the museum experience for visitors, reach new audiences online and transform scholarly research. And there are also new kinds of art being made with digital tools and data. For years, I’ve been writing about the impact of digital technology, mainly focusing on business and science. The interviews for the arts article with museum administrators, curators and artists were some of the more thoughtful and insightful conversations I’ve had about how to adapt to the digital challenge and opportunity."
Art and Culture
Swiss Museum Accepts Bequest of Nazi-Era Art New York Times, 24 November 2014
BERLIN, GERMANY — "A Swiss museum will accept the bequest of an immense trove of art amassed by a Nazi-era art dealer, but will ensure that any looted art in the trove is returned to its rightful owner, museum officials said on Monday. The bequest was made by the dealer’s reclusive son, Cornelius Gurlitt, just before he died in May. A cousin of Mr. Gurlitt made a last-minute attempt to block the bequest, but Christoph Schäublin, president of the museum’s board of trustees, said he did not expect that action to prevent the museum from accepting it."
Whitney announces opening date of its new home in Chelsea The Art Newspaper, 20 November 2014
NEW YORK, NEW YORK — "The Whitney Museum of American Art announced today that it will open its new home in Chelsea on 1 May 2015. With double the exhibition space of its "old" Marcel Breuer-designed building, the museum will be able to show far more of its collection of Modern and contemporary American art in its Renzo Piano-designed new space in the Meatpacking District. In a statement, Adam Weinberg, the Whitney's director, called the two floors of collections galleries a "game-changer" for the museum. A year ago, he told us more about his hopes for the institution when it realises its long-held ambition to expand. The Whitney had been wrestling for more than a decade with how to grow uptown, where real estate is super-prime and neighbours were lukewarm about having another museum behemoth on their doorstep. "
‘The Gurlitt collection should be sold to benefit Jewish organisations’ The Art Newspaper, 20 November 2014
VIENNA, AUSTRIA — "On 24 November, the Kunstmuseum Bern will reveal whether it has decided to accept the bequest of the collection of Cornelius Gurlitt, the son of the art dealer Hildebrand Gurlitt. In 2012 German police seized around 1,300 works from Gurlitt’s Munich flat; hundreds of them are thought to have been looted or confiscated from their former owners by the Nazis. On the eve of the Swiss museum’s announcement, we spoke to Alfred Weidinger, the deputy director of the Belvedere in Vienna, which in 2006 returned five major works by Klimt to the heirs of Ferdinand Bloch-Bauer. Over the years, Weidinger’s research has touched on the activities of the Gurlitt family of art dealers; this, he says, is inevitable—anyone conducting a detailed investigation of art in the Third Reich “cannot avoid the name of Gurlitt”. "
Expansion Plans Presented For La Jolla Contemporary Art Museum KPBS, 19 November 2014
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA — "The Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego in La Jolla is planning to expand its museum space to make room for more art. The museum’s current building is big enough to exhibit 50 to 75 works of art. Close to 4,000 pieces in its permanent collection sit in storage vaults. The proposed expansion would triple the exhibition space to 30,000 square feet."
Baltimore Museum of Art Reopens its Renowned American Wing on Nov. 23 Art Fix Daily, 19 November 2014
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND — "In celebration of The Baltimore Museum of Art’s 100th anniversary, the museum will reopen the Merrick Historic Entrance and the renovated Dorothy McIlvain Scott American Wing on November 23, 2014 with a new presentation of its outstanding collection of American art, considered one of the finest on the East Coast. Visitors will be able to explore new facets of American art, history, and culture through more than 850 paintings, sculptures, and decorative arts displayed throughout the second level of the museum’s original building, a Beaux-Arts masterpiece by the great American architect John Russell Pope. The reinstallation of the American Wing marks a major milestone in the BMA’s $28 million renovation to providevisitors with a more welcoming environment and revitalized displays of the museum’s celebrated collections. The first phase was successfully completed with the November 2012 reopening of the Contemporary Wing."
New fashion museum celebrates Pierre Cardin creations EuroNews, 14 November 2014
PARIS, FRANCE — "Legendary fashion designer Pierre Cardin has inaugurated a museum retracing his extraordinary career all the way back to his first ladies collection in 1953. Famous for his avant-garde creations, the 92-year-old himself was the star attraction at Thursday night’s grand opening in Paris."
Tunisian village turned into open air art gallery Leisure Management, 11 November 2014
ERRIADH, TUNISIA — "The Tunisian village of Erriadh is receiving an influx of tourists after turning the entire community into an open-air graffiti museum. The village, situated on the island of Djerba, welcomed 150 artists from 30 countries over the summer to put a little colour into the Tunisian white stone buildings in a first-of-its kind project for the country. Previously Djerba was most well known for being the largest island in North Africa and for having the world’s oldest synagogue. Now the buildings in Erriadh have been used as canvases for graffiti art. For example, Belgian artist ROA's octopus has incorporated a building's dome into the unique design."
$1M from Longhorn Network to fund displays at Blanton Austin Blogs, 10 November 2014
AUSTIN, TEXAS — "The University of Texas's Blanton Museum of Art will use $1 million generated from the university's Longhorn Network sports broadcasts to create a fund to underwrite the reinstallation of its permanent collection. The fund will be called the Judy and Charles Tate Director's Excellence Fund, in honor of the longtime museum supporters who recently donated their collection of modern and contemporary Latin American art to the Blanton.
The Art Newspaper, 7 November 2014
BERLIN, GERMANY — "It was a situation without precedent. Two halves of the city, once deadly enemies separated for 28 years by a virtually insurmountable wall, were suddenly to be reunited. The events that took place on the late evening of 9 November 1989 as the first columns of Trabants, [the inefficient but much-loved small East German cars, affectionately known as “Trabbis”] rolled into West Berlin, a city astounded by the sudden opening of the border, were replicated in the realms of German culture."
Why a reclusive billionaire decided to give $500 million in art to L.A. museum L.A. Times, 6 November 2014
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA — "As a junior talent agent at MCA a half-century ago, Jerry Perenchio was assigned to accompany British actor Charles Laughton as he toured the U.S. giving staged theatrical readings. In his off-hours, Laughton wanted to visit art museums, and Perenchio went along with him. A lifelong fascination with art had begun, and as Perenchio rose in the entertainment industry — ultimately becoming chairman of Univision Communications — he used his wealth to amass some of the world's greatest art. At his Bel-Air home Wednesday, the 83-year-old Perenchio said that he will be giving almost all of it — at least 47 works valued at $500 million — to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art."
Foundations
buy August Wilson Center from Dollar Bank
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA — "It took nearly $9 million from foundations and public entities and more than a year of wrangling and deal-making, but the August Wilson Center for African American Culture Downtown landed Wednesday in a place it's never been. Out of debt. Dollar Bank, which bought the center at a sheriff's sale Monday, sold it to a coalition of local foundations for $7.96 million — the amount the center owed on its defaulted mortgage. They plan to breathe new life into the facility and reopen it next year. The Heinz Endowments, Richard King Mellon Foundation, Pittsburgh Foundation and Pittsburgh-based Tull Family Foundation contributed $5.8 million, according to a foundation official. The Allegheny Regional Asset District and Pittsburgh Urban Redevelopment Authority chipped in about $3.15 million. Excess funds paid costs associated with the sale."
Creative Economies, Creative Cities, Innovation and Urban Planning, Cultural Tourism
NYC river pier park planned with funding from Barry Diller and wife Diane von Furstenberg Star Tribune, 17 November 2014
NEW YORK, NEW YORK — "A New York City riverfront park and open-air performance space is being planned with funding from media mogul Barry Diller and his wife, fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg. Diller, chairman of the New York-based media company IAC/Inter-ActiveCorp, and von Furstenberg, have agreed to provide over $100 million to build the 2.7-acre park on a West 14th Street pier through a family foundation. The $130 million project will be called Pier55 and will replace the crumbling Pier 54. Construction is slated to begin in 2016. It will be designed by the British architect Thomas Heatherwick and New York landscape architect Mathews Nielsen. Diller and the city-state Hudson River Park Trust made the announcement on Monday."
With Bold Park Plan, Mogul Hopes to Leave Mark on New York’s West Side New York Times, 17 November 2014
MANHATTAN, NEW YORK — "It would be a bold addition to the Manhattan waterfront — a $170 million, futuristic park built atop an undulating platform 186 feet off the Hudson River shoreline with a series of wooded nooks and three performance venues, including an amphitheater. The offshore park near 14th Street might be considered fanciful were it not for its sponsor, the billionaire Barry Diller, an important figure in the television, film and Internet industries. To oversee events, Mr. Diller has recruited powerful partners, including Scott Rudin, the film and theater producer.
Mass. governor announces grant for MASS MoCA renovations News 10 abc, 17 November 2014
NORTH ADAMS, MASSACHUSETT — "Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick has announced some big help for the third phase of MASS MoCA's renovations. Patrick held a press conference at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Arts to discuss plans for the 130,000 square foot expansion. It will be funded by a $25.4 million grant from the state and $30 million privately. “This is a transformative moment for MASS MoCA,” MASS MoCA director Joseph Thompson said. “We're adding 120,000 square feet, essentially doubling the gallery footprint of the museum, but more than that we're doing a great collection of artists; some of the most creative souls alive today.” The expansion will make room for six contemporary artists. It will feature a recording studio, observatory atop a water tower, and multiple galleries. At the press conference, Governor Patrick spoke about the arts and its relationship to economic and community development in North Adams."
Heatherwick to design New York's 'Pier 55' Leisure Opportunities, 17 November 2014
NEW YORK, NEW YORK — "British architect and designer Thomas Heatherwick from Heatherwick Studios, and landscape architecture firm Mathews Nielsen have been chosen to design ‘Pier 55’ – a US$170m (€136m, £109m) floating park on the Hudson River. ‘Pier 55’ will be situated 186ft (57m)
away from the bank of the Hudson River and will be accessible by an undulating
platform. More like an island, the pier will be a fully fledged 1.1-hectare
(2.7 acres) park, with three performance venues, a 700-seat amphitheatre and
wooded outdoor spaces.
Museum on slave trade planned for Episcopal cathedral in Providence Providence Journal, 16 November 2014
PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND — "A shuttered church could soon shine a light on Rhode Island’s dark role in the slave trade. Church leaders hope it will also help heal a divided state and nation. The Episcopal Diocese of Rhode Island wants to use part of the Cathedral of St. John for a museum that will look at those who made money in the slave trade — and those who opposed it. Churchgoers and clergymen filled both camps. In the 18th and early 19th centuries, Rhode Islanders backed 1,000 trips between Africa and the Americas. Newport, Bristol and Providence were among the busiest slave trade ports in North America."
Jewish Political Updates, 10 November 2014
VENICE, ITALY — "Venice’s historically-significant Jewish Museum and its three synagogues will receive a multi-million restoration on the 500-year anniversary of the creation of the city’s Jewish Ghetto, the Venetian Heritage Council (VHC) and an international group of leading philanthropic, business, and fashion luminaries announced Monday. VHC’s Chairmen and President/CEO of Thor Equities Joseph Sitt and VHC Vice Chairmen Diane von Furstenberg, who are leading the international fundraising efforts, unveiled the $12 million innovative design and architectural. The restoration will both ease traffic and flow through the museum as well as restore the centuries-old Synagogues."
Work to start on new £100m library and digital media centre in South Shields Shields Gazette, 5 November 2014
SOUTH SHIELDS, UNITED KINGDOM — "SOUTH Tynesiders have been given a glimpse of the future as artist’s impressions show how the new Central Library and Digital Media Centre could look. The three-storey building will form the first part of the £100m South Shields 365 project, which aims to transform the town centre over the coming years. As well as a library, the new building, located next to the Market Place, will also feature an IT suite, exhibition space, a café and a rooftop restaurant and terrace."
Science Hills museum makes waves in Japan Leisure Management, 4 November 2014
KOMATSU, JAPAN — "A stylish new science museum and business centre has opened in Japan’s industrial Komatsu city as part of a regional regeneration programme which will boost tourism and trade. Science Hills Komatsu is built on a 14,428sq m (155,300sq ft) site of a disused mining equipment factory once operated by the multinational manufacturing corporation Komatsu Limited and now owned by the city’s government. The design of the museum, by Mari Ito from the Tokyo-based Urban Architecture Office (UAo), pays tribute to both the region’s proud industrial heritage and the natural world."
New trust takes over Hampshire and Winchester art and museums Hampshire Chronicle, 3 November 2014
HAMPSHIRE, UNITED KINGDOM — "A NEW trust that promises to make Hampshire a world-class cultural hub now has the keys to council-owned museums, galleries and arts centres. Hampshire Cultural Trust has taken over the operation and funding of all venues in a bid to boost visitor numbers. Buildings, assets and collections belonging to Hampshire County Council and City Council are now leased to it. The move is hoped to not only safeguard the long-term future of Hampshire’s cultural venues for future generations, but also help save money by placing responsibility for all sites under one charitable trust."
Disney reveals ¥500bn expansion plans for Tokyo parks Leisure Management, 31 October 2014 "Disney has revealed plans for a ¥500bn (US$4.5bn, €3.6bn, £2.8bn) expansion of it’s Tokyo resorts as part of a 10-year expansion plan. Starting in March 2015, the project will boost capacity at both of the resort’s theme parks, Tokyo Disneyland and Disney Sea. The expansion will almost double the size of the Fantasyland section and create a new theme port at Disney Sea. Developments will include special viewing areas for parades and shows, as well as enhanced restaurants and shops. While specific new rides have not yet been revealed, reports suggest a Frozen attraction could be on its way, which could consist of the castle featured in the animated film and ways for visitors to experience scenes from the movie, though Disney did not confirm the plans. Tokyo Disneyland was the second most popular theme park in the world in 2013, with 17.2 million visitors in, after Disney’s Magic Kingdom in Florida. Disney Sea was ranked fourth with 14 million visitors."
Edvard Munch Museum Gets Go-ahead ArtNet News, 29 October 2014
OSLO, NORWAY — "Oslo's city council has finally okayed a plan to build a new Munch Museum in the Norwegian capital, News in English reports. The museum is estimated to cost 2.8 billion Norwegian kroner ($430 million). It will replace an aging structure in the city's Tøyen neighborhood. The announcement follows years of political wrangling over the funding and location of the new museum, causing significant delays in the planned start-date for construction. "Munch's art is much more important abroad than many in Oslo realize," city politician Anne Siri Koksrud Bekkelund told News in English. Construction on the museum will now begin next year and is estimated to be completed in 2019."
|
|||||
|
|
Creating Cultural Capital | ||||
|
|
|||||
