Footprint for the Future Campaign
The Expansion
After nearly two decades of systematic renewal of its massive Victorian mansion, Woodmere Art Museum will expand its landmark facility by adding a magnificent 25,000 square foot addition designed by world-renowned architects Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown.
When completed, the new wing will spread graciously and horizontally across Woodmere’s expansive property. The facade is dominated by an elegant limestone colonnade that is reminiscent of other important projects by Venturi, Scott Brown and Associates (VSBA), including the much-praised Sainsbury Wing of the National Gallery, London, the Seattle Museum of Art, and the San Diego Museum of Contemporary Art. The colonnade constructed in this gallery is a 9-foot-tall, half-scale replica of the future colonnade.
The new wing will double Woodmere’s current space and accommodate a wide array of programming for adults and children, enhance stewardship of its collection and facilities, and provide an improved experience for Museum visitors. Key elements include:
- Special Exhibition Gallery — This new, dramatic space will serve as a home for the Museumfs special exhibitions, and free up space in the mansion to display more of the permanent collection.
- Learning Center/Auditorium — This 1,500-square-foot space on the lower level will accommodate 200 people, and can be configured for a variety of educational programs and community events.
- Archival Storage Facility — A dedicated area with state-of-the-art systems for the preservation of Woodmerefs collection of art objects, as well as its archival records of the Museumfs long, distinguished history of exhibiting and collaborating with artists and arts organizations throughout the region.
The plans for Woodmere’s new wing, unveiled in 2001, were enthusiastically received by area residents, regional arts patrons, and the philanthropic community. The Museum hopes to break ground during 2009.
The Architect
When completed, the Woodmere Art Museum addition will be one of the most
prominent civic buildings in Philadelphia ever completed by the world-renowned architectural team of Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown.
Venturi Scott Brown and Associates, Inc. -- under the leadership of Robert
Venturi and Denise Scott Brown -- has helped transform contemporary architecture and is regarded as a driving force in the shaping of late
twentieth-century design.
Robert
Venturi and Denise Scott Brown
The firm's current and recent projects include the First Campus
Center at Princeton University, the Perelman Quadrangle Campus Center at the
University of Pennsylvania and currently, directing the University of Michigan Campus Master Plan and designing the University's Life Sciences
Institute and Commons building -- a complex of several facilities.
Other projects in the Philadelphia area include student centers
at the University of Delaware and Swarthmore; laboratories at Penn and Princeton; and library building renovations at the University of
Pennsylvania, and the Historical Society of Pennsylvania.
The firm also designed the Seattle Art Museum, the Sainsbury
Wing of the National Gallery in London, and the renovation and addition to
the Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego. During this project, VSBA revealed once more the Scripps House, by Irving Gill, at the center of the
museum and created new spaces and an exterior that enrich the museum's image
and civic presence, and provide amenity for museum goers.
Venturi has been honored with the prestigious Pritzker Prize among others,
noting that he "has expanded and redefined the limits of the art of architecture in this century, as perhaps no other has through his theories
and built works." Together, the couple was awarded the National Medal of the Arts, authorized by Congress to recognize "individuals or groups who, in
the President's judgment, are deserving of special recognition by reason of
their outstanding contributions to the excellence, growth, support and availability of the arts in the United States." To learn more about Venturi, Scott Brown and Associates, visit www.vsba.com.
Drawing of Multipurpose Auditorium.
The Campaign
Contributions of time, talent, and financial resources are needed before, during, and after the Campaign. There are many naming
opportunities available in the new building and many prospects for memorial
designations.
Contact information:
If you would like to help with the Footprint for the Future
Campaign or want additional information, contact the Development Office at
215-247-7224.
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