The future unfolds in West Bend on the banks of the Milwaukee River for the Museum of Wisconsin Art (MWA). New plans for their modern home enticed a crowd at the present museum on a Sunday, May 23 afternoon as the town looked over the renderings to the MWA's proposed building to open in Fall 2011. Architect James Shields of HGA Architects of Milwaukee redesigned the building after the museum's plans changed from building on the original site. This allows for the present museum to be sold instead of demolished, preserving the building, and saving untold expenses.
The planned 32,000 square foot, two-story building will boast a river view while in close proximity to downtown West Bend that encourages the public to use those businesses, especially for afternoon lunches and shopping. The dramatic form displayed from traveling into the city on Hwy 33 demonstrates ingenuity defined by a triangular shape where the triangle's glass tip encloses a grand staircase to the second level, all-visible to the outside world. An entire community discovers a permanent peek at the interior thrugh this window, as another set of windows and doors opens from inside the museum to the exterior revealing a River Terrace.
While the first floor will hold the mechanics%u23AF archives, ticketing, a museum store, classrooms equipped with ceramic kilns, administrative offices, education offices, and conference rooms%u23AFthe second floor will highlight the main gallery spaces. From the front of the museum's tip and staircase, visitors will proceed through the gallery spaces to the back, where another staircase will lead them down to the first floor. Then one can view the art and galleries without tracking back through each gallery unless one chooses to do so, a very inventive plan, which creates fluid movement.
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These galleries will be marked by colored walls spaced 30 feet apart, which includes the impressive Carl Von Marr collection, and a special wall for his masterpieceThe Flagellants. Additional artworks will be mounted chronologically, from most recent to the oldest, while the rotating exhibitions will be at the very front. Included in this second floor space is the museum's storage for their permanent collection currently not on display. Traditionally this usually remains hidden; however, according to Shields this will be partially available to the visitors. All the permanent collection in storage in the new space may be viewed through glass windows at either end. Then the museum staff will pull out special paintings on a regular basis, so pieces in the permanent collection might be perpetually on view. This is a innovative accommodation for storing art, and a pleasantly surprising addition.
Each piece of the new MWA was designed to lower general operating costs, with green building sensibility: cool white roof that reflects heat, high performance glass, radiant floor slabs, possible geothermal heating, and any other technology that reduces ongoing expenses to make the museum more affordable. White panels for the fa%uFFFDade will highlight the many shades to white, giving this museum “a whiter shade of pale,” to embrace the illusion of complete white from far off, but when closely observed reveals numerous subtle shades resembling the blending of colors in painting, especially the Impressionists.
Other plans involve constructing and funding a sculpture garden surrounding the museum, offering a lower lever available and rentable for special events up to 150 people, and expanding educational programming in their Children's Plaza. The MWA also wishes someone might fund a roof top garden that would even allow this area for more artwork and enjoyment. Shields indicates the new museum involves maximizing every space, and taking all opportunities, “for artwork storage, artwork exhibition, energy efficiency and esthetics that can be shared with the community.”
Presently the design conception is incomplete, with revisions being continually fine tuned, yet the museum staff is already in the process for planning new exhibitions beginning in 2011, the first full year. Although the staff hopes to be open the preceding fall allowing for some transitional months to move the artwork and offices. This new building gratefully celebrates the MWA's 50th anniversary in grand style that West Bend and Wisconsin art lover's will enthusiastically appreciate. (For more information call 262.334.9638 or www.wisconsinart.org)
