Museum For African Art Reopens!!
The Museum for African Art, one of the premier destinations for the celebration of African culture in the US, is set to reopen in April of 2011 in a new location, embracing and engaging visitors with a dynamic new design.
The facility has been created by famed New York design firm Robert A.M. Stern Architects LLP. Moving the gallery from Long Island City, Queens, the newly constructed facility sits at 1280 Fifth Avenue and East 110th Street, linking the ‘Museum Mile’ strip, that runs alongside Central Park, with Harlem.
The Manhattan structure will welcome visitors with a glass atrium leading to a 45 ft. high, 5,000 sq. ft. lobby, serving as the main entrance to the museum. The lobby acts as an informal exhibition space and leads to a series of shops, restaurants and a 245-seat theater.
Sitting at the base of a a nineteen story residential tower the museum itself will encompass four substantial floors which represent a considerable increase in space for the facility. This will allow growth and the ability to display a larger number and a wider range of exhibitions. The additional space will also make it easier to manage broader educational initiatives and public programs as well as accommodating a larger number of visitors.
The main gallery area is found on the second floor, consisting of 15,000 sq. ft. of flexible space which will be set out as three rotating exhibitions. The third story will house office space, and in future will host the Mandela Center for Memory and Dialogue, focusing on issues of social justice.
The exterior of the facility will have a westward view of Central Park. The outer facade features trapezoidal windows and shimmering bronze-finished aluminum mullions. The design of the facade continues through the residential portion to convey a single, unified impression.