Rubin Museum of Art
Other Projects by SKOLNICK Architecture + Design Partnership
Rubin Museum of Art
New York City, NY, United States
Type
YEAR
2011
The Education Center at the Rubin Museum of Art, completed in the fall of 2011, has greatly expanded the reach and capabilities of the western world’s premier museum of Himalayan art. Occupying the lower and street levels of a converted storefront building, the Center provides the Museum with classrooms, gathering spaces, workshop areas, and spaces for lectures, presentations, and events. Displays of art from the Rubin collections appear throughout the Center, encouraging associations between education and creativity. Designs for the Center draw inspiration from the art. Colors are warm, and materials are natural and soft in tone. In the entry area an admissions desk curves towards an art display wall composed of undulating wooden bands, highlighting objects from the teaching collections. An elliptical stair wrapped in a translucent photograph of Tibetan prayer flags connects the two floors and also unifies the Center with the Museum, which is in a separate building on the same city block. Distinct volumes are painted in singular hues, playfully defining the Center’s main spaces, and furniture is modular, allowing for flexibility in the Center’s programming. Sustainable solutions, including bamboo flooring and ice stone counters, are integrated into the design.