The Museum project is a new cultural arts destination on this university campus that restores an art museum presence to the campus community after nearly fifteen years following historic flooding in 2008. The new home for the Museum reunites the University with its extensive and renowned collections of African Art, 20th Century Art, as well as Jackson Pollock’s Mural. Designed as a rectilinear solid interrupted by interconnected voids, the Museum’s carefully crafted form provides a protective and respectful home for the collections while creating intentional connections to nature and daylight.
Dynamic and kinetic brick exterior complements the masonry characteristics of neighboring structures and conveys the timelessness and stability of the collection housed within. An inviting entry plaza and daylight-filled lobby establish a sense of transparency and campus connection, allowing artistic expression to extend beyond the walls of the Museum.
The Museum is designed to be a learning and teaching laboratory for the arts. Engaging public spaces, galleries, terraces, and a sculpture courtyard create a vibrant and supportive museum experience for visitors to study, discuss, and explore collections. A series of flexible galleries enable the Museum to tailor to the needs of the collections, host travelling exhibitions, and support faculty’s curation of collections as well as students’ education in the principles of curating. A visual arts classroom, visible storage room, teaching studios, offices, and collaborative staff and volunteer spaces are also dedicated to research and teaching of the collections.