The Studio Museum in Harlem, the nexus for art by artists of African descent nationally and internationally, will open its new home to the public on Saturday, November 15.
Designed by Adjaye Associates with Cooper Robertson as executive architect, the seven-floor, 82,000-square-foot building is the first home in the Studio Museum’s fifty-seven-year history created expressly for the institution’s mission and program. Made possible by a holistic campaign that to date has raised more than $300 million, the new building enablesthe Studio Museum to elevate its service to a growing and diverse audience, provide enhanced educational opportunities for people of all ages, expand its program of world-renowned exhibitions, and strengthen its trailblazing Artist-in-Residenceprogram.
Thelma Golden,Ford Foundation Director and Chief Curator of the Studio Museum in Harlem, said, “With deep gratitude to our visionary founders, who dared to create the Studio Museum amid the ferment of 1968, and to all the Trustees, staff, campaign supporters, artists, curators, educators, architects, community members, and partners in the City of New York who have made the Studio Museum into what it is today, we welcome Harlem and all the world into the home we have dreamed of having. Our mission as championsof artistsof African descent and their practices is as urgent today as it ever was and is made all the more possible because of our remarkable new building.”
Raymond J. McGuire,Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Studio Museum in Harlem,said,“This magnificent building says to the world: Harlem matters. Black art matters. Black institutions matter.This new chapter was not inevitable. It was earned through decades of vision, stewardship, and belief and made possible by the generosity of a community of visionary public and private donors, including our extraordinary Trustees who drove our campaign forward; our partners in the Office of the Mayor, the Department of Cultural Affairs, the New York City Council, and the Office of the Manhattan Borough President; and, all of the artists, individuals, companies, and foundations that stepped forward to support the campaign.”
The new Studio Museum provides state-of-the-art galleries, an expansive lobby, flexible program spaces, and a dedicated Education Workshop, which together foster deeper engagement with visitors of all ages and elevate the Museum’s service to artists, museumgoers, and the Harlem community.
Space for exhibitions and the Artist-in-Residenceprogram has more than doubled, and indoor and outdoor public space have increased by sixty percent.The architectural design takes its inspiration from the brownstones, churches, and bustling sidewalks of Harlem. The masonry-framed windows of Harlem’s apartment buildings are echoed in the composition of a facade with windows of varying sizes and proportions.
The neighborhood’s churches find a counterpart in a top-lit interior gallery with ample wall area for installing large-scale artworks and a central stair that provides lookout points from the landings. A set of glass doors, which can be opened in different configurations, welcomes people to descending steps that evoke the ubiquitous stoops of Harlem’s brownstones. The steps can be used as benches for watching lectures, performances, and films presented on the building’s lower level—or simply for relaxing in informal gatherings.
The new facility also includes a rooftop terrace with striking views of the surrounding area, with a dynamic landscape designed by the Harlem-based firm Studio Zewde. Conceived as a space for gathering, reflection, and engagement, the terrace features native plantings and sculptural seating that frame striking panoramic views of Manhattan. On the Museum’s lower level, a café operated by the local family-owned restaurant Settepaniwill further enhance the Museum’s commitment to organizations and businesses in its neighborhood.
Main Image: Exterior of the Studio Museum in Harlem's new building. Photo: © Albert Vecerka/Esto