Phillips Academy students can now look forward to fascinating new art collections and features present in the Addison Gallery of American Art following its two-year renovation. The Addison reopened on September 7, with an exhibition titled “Inside, Outside, Upstairs, Downstairs: The Addison Anew.” The presentation displayed both old and new museum pieces. Brian Allen, Director of the Addison Gallery of American Art, said, “We wanted to spotlight the permanent collection [of the museum], which is one of the greatest American Art collections in the world. I think some people had a personal affinity towards certain older pieces, and it’s great to have them back on display.” “The focus of the renovation was to restore the building while continuing to maintain the original beauty of the museum. When you’re doing a renovation of a historic building, the first rule of thumb is to ‘do no harm,’” he added. Susannah Abbott, Director of Annual Giving, said, “The main reason we undertook the wide-scale renovation was to improve access to the collection, which, in 1931, started out with only 400 art pieces, and now has over 16,500.” According to Abbott, some of the gallery’s pieces were stored off site and became inaccessible to the public due to the lack of storage space. The majority of these pieces traveled overseas to places such as Dallas, Texas; London, England; Venice, Italy; Fort Lauderdale, Florida; and Quebec City, Canada. “Now that we built the new wing and added storage, the entire collection can be stored inside the museum. When people want to see certain art pieces, the art can now be brought up for viewing within minutes, as opposed to the past when it took days,” Abbott said. In order to execute this process, an 8000 square foot space was annexed to the original building, built in 1931 by architect Charles Platt. Allen said, “We wanted the attention to detail that characterized Platt’s work of the 1931 building, to carry over to the work that we were doing in the reconstruction of the museum.” The art galleries, the main rotunda, and the Paul Manship fountain have all been restored to their original states. One of the museum’s new main features is the Interactive Learning Center, which is accessible to both members and non-members of the Phillips Academy community. The state-of-the-art multipurpose room can be used for classroom studies, film screening, lectures and art exhibitions. Allen said, “The new interactive learning center is so great not only because of its flexible, versatile usage but also because students can study the gallery’s art collections in a safe manner under professional supervision and care.” Students will also be able to access the Addison Gallery through a new hallway that connects the Learning Center to the Elson Art Center. Some of the newer works displayed in the Learning Center and other art galleries are electronic, music-inspired pieces created by Artist In Residence Tristen Perich ’00. With so many art pieces being transferred in and out of the Addison Gallery, a new loading dock was built to safely facilitate their transportation. Other renovations of the museum include new lighting, ventilation, humidity control, fire protection, and improved electrical systems. The Addison Gallery’s 80-year-old roof, which was leaking last spring, underwent a major emergency repair work before the reopening, and will be completely replaced with a new roof, according to Allen. The newly renovated building also underwent tests and final repairs before the opening of the museum to prove that it was running properly by itself before artworks returned to the gallery. The Addison Gallery is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 A.M. to 5 P.M. and on Sundays from 1 P.M. to 5 P.M. THE LEARNING CENTER Adorned by modern art pieces and boasting a well-lit and spacious room, the Addison Learning Center is the perfect multi-function area. Allen said, “We have already gotten an explosion of demand from both Phillips Academy students and students from other local schools to use the space. As teachers come through and see the Learning Center, they immediately want to use it.” Two overhead projectors enable teachers and lecturers to show slideshows and videos. The ample space of the room is also designed to allow a film screening for up to 100 people at a time. When the space is not being used for classes, students can work at open tables and marvel at the newly imported works by Seattle-based sculptor Dale Chihuly. These granite floats, which explore modern sculptural techniques, lie just outside of the learning center. Glass panels allow students to observe this 21st sculpture collection, which is unique to the New England area. THE MUSEUM LIBRARY Students can now easily access and peruse the Addison’s vast collection of books on art and other resources in the museums new consolidated library. Located next to the interactive learning center, the library provides detailed information and numerous educational resources for the students who wish to further study the art pieces exhibited in the Addison. Allen said, “Before the renovation, many of the art related books that the Addison owned were spread throughout campus, so it was very difficult for students to find and access the books that they wanted. We hope that the new consolidated library will be a useful source of research and study for the Andover community.” The new library also displays a showcase of the Addison’s American model ship collection. “We tried to make the new library a space that is both comfortable and appealing for students to work in and explore their interests in art,” said Allen. THE FOUNTAIN AND ROTUNDA Upon entering the sparkling rotunda of the Addison gallery, visitors are greeted with the calming sound of trickling water and an exquisite granite expanse. Allen said, “The rotunda is one of the most beautiful spaces on campus, but over the years it has been junked up by the guard’s desk and the bookshop. These were taken out of the rotunda so that it could be restored to its intended pristine neoclassical space.” The once crowded and congested rotunda is now spacious and peaceful following the removal of the excess components. With the extra space, visitors standing from the entrance of the rotunda can see all the way back to the last gallery, a feature reinstated by Platt’s original design of the museum. The Paul Manship fountain, located in the center of the rotunda, has been the anchor to the museum’s existence since 1931. As the foundation of the Addison’s 20th century sculpture collection, the sculpture’s restoration was important. Due to improved plumbing, the beautiful sculpture can now cascade into the small pool of water below, creating an aesthetically pleasing ambiance to visitors entering the Addison. EXPANSIONS The Addison Gallery of American Art will reopen and unveil an 8,000 square foot addition to the original building, which was first built in 1931. The new addition allows a larger exhibition and storage space for the museum’s growing art collection. The expanded storage space and the exhibition galleries are equipped with state of the art technology, including an automatic climate control system, as well as improved fire protection, which will help preserve the art pieces. A new elevator that connects the storage spaces to the Interactive Learning Center facilitates transportation of art pieces for academic use and personal screening. Allen said, “The galleries of the old building look the same from the outside but everything behind the wall, from the wiring to the pipes to the security cameras was renovated and restored.” “We kept the original look of the museum because we didn’t want to undermine the gracious and intimate feeling of the gallery spaces,” he added.
