More on the Guggenheim at 50

Slate has a very good historical slideshow about Frank Lloyd Wright and the growth and development of the Guggenheim Museum. The focus is unusual as it is as much on the development of the collection as it is about the building itself.

It is astonishing that a museum that is 50 years old still generates controversy, but in many ways the Guggenheim is ur-project that posed the question we still wrestle with: Which comes first, the art or the architecture? It is not surprising where Wright comes down:

architecture is "the Mother-art of which Painting is but a mere daughter"

Artists, and some curators, might differ, as they did, vociferously, when the Guggenheim first opened.

Engaging Audiences

This is somewhat off topic, but perhaps is more pertinent than it seems. If we are building museums, it is critical to understand who the museum is for.

The Wallace Foundation's new report on Engaging Audiences focuses primarily on performing arts organizations, but many of the lessons are equally applicable to museums. Much of this is not new, but the report is direct and succinct nd well worth circulating.

Gehry on throwing architecture under the bus

Frank Gehry is quoted in an NPR story about the 50th anniversary of the Guggenheim Museum in New York. The story is worth reading on its own as it describes the impact the Wright's design had on the museum world. Most interesting, though, are Frank Gehry's comments at the end:

. . . the architect says, it's getting harder to build works with "spirit, passion and feeling."

"I think that throwing architecture under the bus is being touted by the people who can't do the other," Gehry says. "And this is a great excuse to trash those who can, and say we're through with those guys, and now we're going back to straight simple, minimalist, idiocy again. Cold simple sterility. It's got to be green, though! As long as it's green, you're OK."

I agree that it would be sad to see a return to "straight simple, minimalist, idiocy." But I also think it would be wonderful to achieve more balance, to move past the truly idiotic notion that every new museum must be a unique architectural expression. It would be delightful if every museum could be designed by the likes of Gehry, but even among the architectural luminaries, few can compare with his mastery of both form and function. A few more simple green boxes would meet the needs of many museums and their users at considerably less cost than the bloated attempts at artistic expression that have hobbled some museums.

The Future of Museum Architecture?

A recent piece in the NY Times described the conversion of a grain elevator into an art gallery. (“About the only thing we can’t offer, is white walls.”) With the debunking of the "Bilbao Effect" myth that hiring a star architect can transform any city, is this an indicator of a possible return to a more inventive kind of architecture that is rooted in the needs of artists and visitors (rather than the egos of community leaders)?

One of my favorite recent museums continues to be MassMOCA in North Adams, Massachusetts. Not because it is great architecture, but because it is an interesting and surprising place to experience art. Rather than creating a grand statement--"This is architecture" as the new starchitect museums do, MassMOCA encourages dialog between artists and the buildings. This dialog then extends to the visitors and invites them to join in the discussion, rather than simply stand back in awe of the art, or, in too many cases, the building.

Engaged dialog is certainly a more contemporary (and less Medieval) expression of the ways our social discourse is evolving. Facebook and all the other Web 2.0 technologies are transforming the ways people engage with each other and with the organizations and activities they enjoy. Museums are beginning to get on board in digital space ("follow us on Twitter!"). Perhaps the grain elevator project is the latest manifestation of a new, more personal, way of thinking about engaging people with art in physical space?

Guggenheim Lego Set!

OK, this is perhaps not quite on topic, but I can't resist. Lego has begun to release a new series of sets celebrating architecture including Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater and the Guggenheim Museum. Info about the sets is here on the Wired Gadget Blog.

Witold Rybczynski on the new Smithsonian African American Museum

Witold Rybczynski has an interesting slideshow in Slate on the competition entries for the new African American Museum. He concludes that the winning design "manages to appear both primal and modern and, in some ineffable way, seems right for an African-American museum—respectful of the Mall, yet standing slightly apart."

Earth Day: Sustainable Museums Everywhere

Virtually every museum construction project is either going for "green design" or a full LEED rating. As community leaders, this only makes sense. One of the lesser know facts about the LEED system is that you don't have to build a new building or even renovate an old one to become LEED certified. The LEED for Existing Buildings rating system provides guidelines for operations and maintenance that will make an existing building more efficient.

I am reminded of this because I got a message today from president of the US Green Building Council today with an Earth Day challenge for every member:

I’d like to challenge each and every member of USGBC to identify an existing building within your own portfolio to green. Start with the LEED for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance checklist, identify the low-cost/no-cost improvements, and get on the path to greater gains.

The challenge is especially interesting because he poses it in the context of the economic downturn, asking "Has the economic crisis crushed the green movement?" The answer is "No!" Rather, it is a real opportunity to talk about the economic value of going green.

Adobe Systems Inc. is saving $1.2 million annually and getting a 121% ROI on their commitment to green operations and maintenance. How much can you put back in your bottom line?

Information about LEED for Existing Buildings is available here: LEED for Existing Buildings. The checklist is here: LEED EB/OM Checklist. (Note that the checklist is the current version which will be replaced April 27th with the roll out of LEED Version 3.0.)

African American Museum Architects Selected

A consortium of four firms, referred to as the Freelon Adjaye Bond/SmithGroup, has been selected to design the new National Museum of African American History and Culture on one of the world's most prominent sites between the Museum of American History and the Washington Monument in Washington, DC.

The selection process was based on a design competition that drew entries from Diller Scofidio + Renfro, Foster + Partners, and Moshe Safdie among others. It is difficult to understand the selected design from the renderings--frankly, the others look more dramatic--but the winning concept is grounded in an understanding that the role of the museum on the Mall is more than a monumental chronicle of African American history, but rather a place to celebrate and explore African American history and culture, a deeply thoughtful response to the program. This museum is long overdue. Congratulations to the winning team!

A few more photos are available at the Smithsonian press office's web site. Additional background information about the project can be found at the museum's site.

New approaches to humidity control emerging

The NY Times today has an interesting piece on some new thinking about the role of humidity control in conservation. While they don't go so far as to say 70/50 is dead, there appear to be some new approaches, the simplest being to use more humidity controlled cases and the most interesting being a move towards "smart ventilation," which is essentially going back to how it used to be done before we had elaborate, and now increasingly expensive, HVAC systems. Rediscovering these inexpensive and effective strategies, oddly enough, appears to be the real challenge.

Of course, museums with limited budgets have been finding ways to keep humidity stable for years (fluctuations cause the most damage to sensitive artifacts), the simplest being to seal the space to prevent atmospheric changes from immediately affecting the storage area.


Update:  Here are several other interesting discussions:

The Nothern States Conservation Center on Relative Humidity and Temperature


A piece posted by the National Archives by the father of this discussion, Ernest Conrad: The Realistic Preservation Environment

And here is a good, if technical, discussion of the challenge of Humidity Control in the Humid South.

Contemporary Art Museums

It finally hit me in the midst of a visit to the new Museum of Contemporary Art in Denver–all these new contemporary art museums are the same museum!  The architectural program and operational plan for each is practical identical. They differ in architectural expression, although even there they are very much alike–white boxes with varying levels of transparency designed by up and coming architects on relatively limited budgets. What do they have in common?

• Area of about 50,000 SF divided into several large and several small galleries, a spacious but minimally appointed lobby, two small classrooms/activity rooms, a small and off-beat cafe/bar, a well-stocked store, possibly a 100-seat auditorium or "learning center," funky bathrooms, and back office and support space. 
• An active exhibit program with risky and not-so-risky artists (both of which are alternately lamented and celebrated in the local mainstream and alternative press).
• Lots of parties, opening receptions, member nights, and evening hours
• A membership on average 20 years younger than the local dowager art museum.
• Minimal or no collections.

This formula has worked remarkably well from an operational perspective because the active and relatively low-cost exhibit schedule facilitates repeat visitation and lures event planners with a constantly changing backdrop for revenue-producing (and membership-enhancing) parties of all kinds. It doesn't hurt that they don't have the spatial and intellectual costs of maintaining a permanent collection, either.

The pattern began to explode perhaps with Zaha Hadid's Contemporary Arts Center in Cincinnati (is there an earlier model?) and continued with the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston, the New Museum in New York, The Frist in Nashville, Denver's recent entry, and others. The Broad in LA is a traditional museum (LACMA) capitalizing on the trend.

Museum Architecture on NPR

 NPR has an excellent story on museum architecture. It features two buildings by Daniel Libeskind, the Denver Art Museum and San Francisco's Contemporary Jewish Museum.

Copia museum closes

Photo from a very nice panorama available at Internet Tours.

The Copia museum in Napa Valley has filed for bankruptcy, mostly because they have $70 million in bonds to pay off and only about a third of the attendance that they had projected.  If you are a glutton for punishment, here is another more detailed analysis of the finances and specific issues.  

Sorry for all the bad news. On a happier note, it looks like the Mark Twain House will pull through after national publicity about their overly-optimistic projections and cost overruns on their new building.  Here is an update.  I spoke with someone familiar with their situation yesterday and it looks like the publicity has helped them to attract additional support.

The Decordova Museum

I've long wanted to visit the Decordova Museum in Lincoln, Massachusetts (just outside Boston) and never quite got around to it. I'll be back. It was delightful.

Set on the former Decordova estate, the museum is both a sculpture park and a regional contemporary art venue. A wide variety of modern sculpture is everywhere throughout the grounds and invites visitors to explore. The gallery spaces are housed in the mansion house, which sits atop a steep hill at the center of the site, and a modern addition with additional gallery spaces.
Most interesting from an architectural perspective is the way the architects of the 20,000 SF addition, Kallmann McKinnell & Wood of Boston, connected the mansion house to the parking below. The expansion succeeds because it is sensitive to the site. The entrance is understated but easy to find, the circulation is obvious–a brightly-lit stair open to the landscape, and the galleries provide a variety of larger and small spaces, well suited to the contemporary art on display. The building is nicely detailed, but restrained. It compliments the art, the sculpture, and the landscape, rather than competing for your attention in a place that already has plenty of other attractions.

WSJ on Museums and the "new" economy

The Wall Street Journal has a very good analysis of the effect of our current economic problems on art museums, particularly on building projects.  A few quotes:

• Pressure to expand museums comes from shortsighted donors with an "edifice complex," says Scott Black, a trustee of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts and chairman of Delphi Capital Management. 
• . . . museum directors say they are actually potentially much more nimble than the cash-strapped orchestra or local theater might be because they have such diverse sources of revenue -- membership income, facilities rental, donations, endowment, admissions and gift-shop sales.
  
• The Parrish . . . museum will not break ground until 80% of the target amount is reached through donations. "A decision was made not to take a mortgage" to raise the financing, she says, and now she's glad there isn't one.
  
• Meanwhile, the High Museum's Michael Shapiro is thinking far in the future. "We're putting a lot of energy into planned giving, into bequests," he says. In the meantime, the High's annual wine auction is coming in March, and the museum is beefing it up and hoping for record results. People may want to drink more wine in a recession, the director says.
  

Good stuff all around.

"The Perils of Museum Design"

The Boston Globe has a good piece entitled "The Perils of Museum Design" on the vapor barrier problems at Harvard's Otto Hall, home to the Busch Reisinger Museum. Otto Hall is slated to be torn down to make way for a new Renzo Piano addition to the adjacent Fogg Museum.

Otto Hall was built in 1991 with state-of-the-art temperature and humidity control systems. Unfortunately, this was before architects and engineers fully understood how to keep escaping humidity from damaging the building envelope. Apparently the damage to the building was bad enough that it might have been torn down even without the Fogg expansion. Unfortunately, this kind of problem still happens with newly built museums, but seldom makes the national news. 

A relatively good discussion of wall systems can be found in this educational piece for an air barrier company.

Update:  Sadly, these links are out of date. Here are several other interesting discussions:

The Nothern States Conservation Center on Relative Humidity and Temperature


A piece posted by the National Archives by the father of this discussion, Ernest Conrad: The Realistic Preservation Environment

And here is a good, if technical, discussion of the challenge of Humidity Control in the Humid South.

Nelson-Atkins Attendance Up

Some good news (and some refreshingly direct discussion) about attendance at the Nelson-Atkins Museum in Kansas City with its new Stephen Holl-designed addition to in this article in the Kansas City Star.

Attendance is up significantly, although not as much as they had hoped, and unlike the Denver Art Museum (article and interview) and the Milwaukee Art Museum (article) both of which found themselves in financial hot water after their expansions, the Nelson-Atkins seems cautiously optimistic about its future attendance.

Aside: I'll see the new building ths summer, but in the meantime loved this quote about it from the director in a NY Times article:  

“It’s distinctive like an icon, but not one of those self-satisfied exhibitionist buildings that beg for applause.”

I hope it lives up to this.

Musée du Quai Branly, Paris

When the Musée du Quai Branly first opened two years ago, it generated a great deal of controversy (here in the NY Times, here in the London Review of Books, and here in a piece by an obsequious Nicolai Ouroussoff in the Herald Tribune). The primary criticism was that the museum inappropriately decontextualized aboriginal art–unsuccessfully answering the old question of whether the objects on display are works of art or cultural artifacts.

In a way, the museum punts on this question (which is what Ouroussoff perversely likes about it) by creating a building which use earth tones and organic shapes to create a new "context" for the objects, which are spotlighted almost like exotic birds in a post-post-modern river and forest. I loved many of the objects--they are beautiful and beautifully lit (mostly).  But I also had no idea which region I was in (Is this Oceania or Americas?), never did find the interpretive kiosks, was annoyed by the ever-so-long ramp to the exhibit level that offered neither artifacts nor interpretation, and couldn't find the exit when I was ready to leave. But this isn't about me.

A few observations:  

• Unlike many new US museums, Quai Branly doesn't seem to be set up to be a venue for parties and other events.  The lobby is small and unassuming and the exhibit area is cramped–there is no good place for a party. The focus is on getting people in and out of the formal exhibit area.
• Ticketing is outdoors (fine in June) and has only three stations.  Capacity control appears to take place  in the ticket queue.
• The visible storage cylinder that runs up through the west end of the museum was ignored by everyone.  Dim lighting and densely packed artifacts did not draw anyone's attention.
• I couldn't help thinking "This is what the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian might have been without the Indians."  (And I won't elaborate on that comment as it would be a much longer post.)
• I liked the building. Despite its bulk, it was inviting and functional.
• The "architecture to exhibit area" ratio was very high–this was not an efficient museum.

I came away wondering "What exactly were they trying to accomplish here?"  If, as some suggest, the museum is largely a monument to Jacques Chirac, then it is certainly successful. Perhaps because it is a monument, Quai Branly is clearly a new "destination museum" for Paris. As a destination, I think the museum is successful–the combination of unique building and exotic artifacts provides an experience unlike any other in Paris (or anywhere else, for that matter). Quai Branly is different enough (and centrally located enough) that it may well have a happy life as "that interesting museum over by the Eiffel Tower." But, given the richness of the collections and the scale of the investment, it seems like it could have been much, much more.

21st Century Museums Exhibit

The Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Denmark has an exhibit up about Museums of the 21st Century. The focus is more accurately the last 20 years of art museums, but the illustrations from the catalog are interesting. Here is a review of the exhibit.

Renzo Piano's High Museum addition

I finally had a chance to see the new expansion to the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, designed by Renzo Piano as an addition to Richard Meier's design for the original building. I visited after closing, so couldn't see the galleries, but I did get a sense of how the new building works with the old.

The new entrance courtyard is classic Piano, understated, restrained, and lovingly detailed.  Without the posters on the facade, there is little that announces that this is a major museum.

 

As you come into the courtyard, however, the detailing begins to suggest that this is a special place.
The modernist pergola here provides a little shelter and also helps transition into the the outdoor seating area for the restaurant, which also serves the Arts Center. 


(The restaurant was beautiful, the food disappointing.)

Next trip to Atlanta, I'll be sure to get inside.

Cleveland Institute of Art over budget

Continuing a running theme of cautionary tales, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports that the cost estimates for the new Cleveland Institute of Art are "'well north' of the $55 million budgeted for the project." Apparently initial estimates showed the "large, steel-framed glass structure that arched up and sideways at the center like a gigantic inchworm" could be built within the budget, but a second estimate determined that "required space for ramps added to the building’s size and cost as did the complicated steel framing needed to create the arch." While this will be a challenge for the museum, it is far better to get a realistic budget before construction begins. Pictures are here. (Note: technically, this is not a museum building, it is primarily studio space, but the issues are very much the same.)

The Best and the Worst

The best and the worst new museums of 2007 according to Martin Filler. He gives high marks to SANAA's New Museum of Contemporary Art in New York City and low marks to Coop Himmelb(l)au's Akron Art Museum addition.

Failed Icons

Witold Rybczynski's slideshow about "Failed Icons" on Slate last year offers words of caution for anyone seeking to create an architectural icon:

According to Charles Jencks, the author of Iconic Building, . . . iconic buildings [are a] delicate balancing act between what he calls explicit signs and implicit symbols, that is, between an unusual, memorable form and the images it conjures up. He emphasizes that in an increasingly heterogeneous world, multiple and sometimes even enigmatic meanings are precisely what turn a building into a popular icon.

What Jencks does not say, in his altogether too polite book, is that this balancing act is extremely rare—for every successful icon there are scores of failures.

Well worth a quick read.

Jean Nouvel wins the Prizker

I am late to this one, but the French architect Jean Nouvel has been named this year's Pritzker Prize winner, an honor that is frequently equated to the Nobel Prize for architecture.

From the press release: "For over 30 years Jean Nouvel has pushed architecture’s discourse and praxis to new limits. His inquisitive and agile mind propels him to take risks in each of his projects, which, regardless of varying degrees of success, have greatly expanded the vocabulary of contemporary architecture."

I have not been here yet, but his best known museum project is the controversial Musée du Quai Branly in Paris. Here is the Times on it.

Witold Rybczynski on Edward Hopper

Interesting slideshow by Witold Rybczynski about Edward Hopper and architecture. The exhibit is currently on display at the Art Institute of Chicago.

More on the Broad/BCAM

A not particularly enthusiastic Martin Filler weighs in on the Broad/BCAM in "Broad-Minded Museum" in the New York Review of Books. Couched as a book review of Renzo Piano Museums, by Renzo Piano with an essay by Victoria Newhouse, this long essay puts the BCAM into the context of Piano's other museum work.

Bilbao Fatigue

Good piece in Architectural Record called "Debunking a myth about museums that pay for themselves." A snippet:

Today’s architectural post- traumatic-stress syndrome—call it Bilbao Fatigue—was brought on by a glut of increasingly outré museums calculated to attract media attention, rather than enhance understanding of art. Copious evidence confirms the folly of overspending spurred by the premise that extravagant museum expansions will pay for themselves with increased attendance and tourism revenues.

The new "Newseum" in Washington, DC

On a recent visit to DC to make a presentation at the Building Museum conference I was fortunate enough to get a pre-opening tour of the the brand new Newseum, a museum of news sponsored by the Freedom Forum. The museum's mission is to help people to understand the role of freedom of the press in building and sustaining a democracy, hence its location in the heart of Washington, DC on Pennsylvania Avenue across from the National Archives and in view of the Capitol.

The museum's architect is the Polshek Partnershp with exhibit design by Ralph Applebaum. Polshek is perhaps best known for his work on the Rose Center at the American Museum of Natural History in NYC. Applebaum is best known for the Holocaust Museum in DC. The project budget is officially $350 million with and additional $100 million for property acquisition. (This seems low for a building of 650,000 square feet with 250,000 square feet of exhibits.)

As befits its location, the building is in many ways a monument to the first amendment--a six-story stone panel with the first amendment engraved in it dominates the facade.  The panel both announces the museum's mission and gives a solidity and permanence to the building that is appropriate for its generally stodgy setting. The rest of the building is lighter and unabashedly modern --lots of steel and glass--and fits comfortably into its context, with massing similar to the Canadian Embassy which is next door.

In its seven stories, the museum has what have become the usual museum tropes: a soaring atrium; the requisite cafe, store, and upscale restaurant; iconic objects; multiple party spaces (four different events can take place at once); and lots and lots of media. It also has a two story conference center--apparently sorely needed in downtown DC, plus a significant apartment tower at the rear. 

I liked a lot of things about it:

• The several hundred daily newspapers from around the world that are updated daily.
  
• The consistency of the message--they hammer you with the first amendment, and we need that.
  
• The atrium space that works to both impress and to orient. As you move through the building, it is always clear where you are.
  
• The three oversized glass elevators designed to take 50 visitors at a time to the top floor where the exhibits start--and which are popular as bars when they have big parties.
  
• The huge video screen that dominates the atrium--more impressive the nearby helicopter--and that works.
  
• The idea that they are continually producing all their own media in house--although I think the daily papers are richer and more compelling.

In an hour and a half tour, we couldn't see much of the exhibits, but they looked promising. Much of the interpretation will take place in the 15 theater spaces scattered throughout the exhibits. It will be interesting to see how this all works with the anticipated million visitors a year.

There were a number of things that I wasn't sure about (the 4D theater, some of the artifacts, some of the messages), but I want to see how these play out after opening before offering any opinions.

The Newseum opens April 11th and will have an admission fee of $20 for adults.

(Thanks to Mark Hayward for the photos.)

The NY Times' special Museums section

The NY Times' latest special Museums section has a number of interesting articles (log in may be required).  First, a cautionary look at museum directors who leave after a major building project. The article offers a wonderful overview of the challenges of shepherding a new building to completion. One tidbit of oft-forgotten common knowledge stands out:

Too often, Mr. Wilson said, building plans are sealed with a director’s promise to lift local employment, revitalize urban centers and lure out-of-towners. “Expectations are based on hype,” he said. “And directors go along with it because they can’t raise the money any other way.”  The good news is that for a year after the opening of a new building, a major spike in attendance can be expected. The bad news is that attendance consistently levels off after two or three years. That’s when directors typically depart.

Other pieces are as interesting, including a nice overview of how museums are becoming centers for special events, coverage of new exhibits at the NSA's Museum of Cryptology, and a good piece on "Creative Visions, but for Millions Less" where we are reminded that "Good design doesn't know finance." Amen.

Update: The Washington Post has an interesting museums section as well.

New Autry Center in LA

The Autry National Center in Los Angeles has just announced their new master plan, which includes a fully integrated landscape plan. The overall plan looks good, but is especially compelling as explained by the architect, Brenda Levin FAIA, in this video. It is highly contextual--in an interpretive rather than an architectural sense--which is perhaps why I find it appealing.

Update: Here is the L.A. Times on the plan: Natural look planned for Autry Museum

Visiting BCAM

I had a chance to visit the Los Angeles County Museum of Art's new Broad Contemporary Art Museum last week. (LACMA would have us call it "B Cam," not "the Broad.") The new building was was designed by architect Renzo Piano whose most recent museum project was a major addition to the High Museum in Atlanta. 

In a recent post, I dismissed the Time's architectural review as perhaps holding the building to too high a standard. But after seeing it in person, even with more modestexpectations, I too was disappointed. With his mix of marble and bright red steel, Piano seems to be striving for a mix of playful and formal. Theoverall effect, however, is neither one nor the other. The stairways soften the large mass, but also distract from it and I end up wondering"what is this place?"

Fortunately, the two amazing third floor galleries make up for the mish-mash of the exterior. The ceilings are all glass and let in an enormous amount of natural light, which is controlled by the louvers above. Each gallery is a fully open 10,000 square feet, perfect for the large scale pieces on display--and perfect for the parties sure to happen here on a regular basis. The other four galleries (the museum has two on each of three levels) are the same size and height and also offer exceptionally flexible space for installations. Sadly, these other galleries don't have the wonderful skylighting.

Piano's site plan is also meant to tie together the very long LACMA site. Piano's solution does connect the dots, but overall the site still feels like a jumble. The new atrium in the Ahmanson building provides a connection, but seems neither a part of the old plaza above or the new plaza below. More light might help.

I like how the new lamp post sculpture on Wilshire Boulevard defines the new entrance. The covered pavilion that is at the center of the new site organization underwhelms. The flat surface sits about 20' off the ground and feels dark, utilitarian, and somewhat oppressive on a sunny LA day. It is also clearly designed for parties, but offers none of the sophistication evident in so much of Piano's work. As the first experience of the museum, this space should be more graceful and more welcoming. 

The Times was also critical of the museum's opening exhibits, finding them to be not adventurous enough. I am a fan of contemporary art, but hardly an aficionado, and I found the exhibit very satisfying. The Serra sculptures on the f irst floor did seem cramped and could have used another 20' over them, but were still remarkable to walk around and through. The other pieces were in scale with the spaces and offered a rich variety of experiences and prompted interesting discussions with my companion. As a somewhat typical visitor, I found the opening exhibit just right.

Despite my reservations, does it succeed?  Absolutely. The new building is distinctive and well organized.  It is a good, and sometimes exceptional, place to experience art.  The new site organization adds clarity and structure that will be easy to enhance in the future and that visitors will find easy to navigate.  This is a solid step in the right direction with a clear path to the future.