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April 11, 2006
New museum design 'contemporary' and 'inviting'
By Sherry Lucas
slucas@clarionledger.com
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Special to The Clarion-Ledger
Design of the new facility for the Mississippi Museum of Art
aims for an airy, inviting feel that will engage both convention center
visitors and everyday downtowners. Museum officials see it as a cultural
district centerpiece.
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With talk of a front porch and a living room atmosphere,
Mississippi Museum of Art officials described new digs on the way at the
neighboring Mississippi Arts Pavilion in terms that would invite visitors
to feel right at home there.
The museum is on schedule for its move to the new
facility, with a projected opening in May 2007.
"In its simplest form, it's a move across a parking lot, but it's
light years in terms of the difference in what the museum will be able to
accomplish in the new facility," said Jack Garner, a member of the
museum's board of trustees.
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Special to The Clarion-Ledger
The new space for the Mississippi Museum of Art will include a
cafe.
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Images of the pavilion's redesign show a sleek new
entrance for the boxy building, featuring wood and lots of glass.
"We want to be as open, literally, as
possible," museum director Betsy Bradley said of the design by
architects Glave and Holmes of Richmond, Va. Dale & Associates of
Jackson is the local architect.
"We wanted it to be contemporary, elegant,
sophisticated looking, but at the same time warm and inviting,"
Bradley said. The wood brings warmth to the space while providing a visual
connection between the lobby and outdoors.
"We raised the roof on that corner to create a new
light-filled, airy, sociable lobby shop and cafe, just a big community
space," Madge Bemiss of Glave and Holmes said. "The idea for a
porch was to make a city-scaled front porch for Jackson."
Cafe tables and chairs will spill out onto a courtyard,
the gift shop can merchandise there and people can hang out as they would
on a front porch, overlooking activity on a civic plaza, Bemiss said. It
would have wireless Internet access.
Announcement of a capital campaign for the $11 million
project, which includes some operating endowment, is expected in the next
few weeks. Construction is expected to begin in June.
The museum's draw of about 50,000 visitors annually is
expected to grow considerably in the new facility. The pavilion about
doubles the museum's gallery space, allowing its permanent collection of
art to go on display for the first time. The museum owns more than 4,000
works of art.
The permanent collection will be curated by Patti Carr
Black, former director of the Old Capitol Museum and author of Art in
Mississippi 1720-1980.
The civic plaza, an inviting green space with water
features and both large and more intimate gathering spots, would be on
city-owned property between the Arts Center and the Mississippi Arts
Pavilion.
It's still in the concept phase, but the museum
architects have been consulted. Estimated at $2 million-$4 million, with
gardens, an outdoor performance space and multiple gathering spots, it's
separate from the building's redesign but a key element for function,
visual appeal and attraction and as a catalyst for the downtown arts
district and the coming convention center.
"You want the large space for when you invite people
for a singular event, but the smaller, more intimate spaces are useful all
the time, when people are just passing by," said John Lawrence,
president of Downtown Jackson Partners. "We want to encourage people
to take advantage of what we have in the heart of the city all of the time,
whether it's Tuesday afternoon, Saturday nights or Sunday mornings."
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