Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute to Open Its Transformed Campus on July 4

The Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute will inaugurate new and expanded facilities on its 140-acre campus on July 4, 2014. The project, which reconceptualizes the visitor’s experience of the Clark, culminates a decade-long expansion program and represents the most significant transformation of the Institute since its first building opened to the public in 1955.

Combining the talents of three noted architects, the project unites a new Visitor Center designed by Tadao Ando Architects, Osaka, Japan, with an expanded Museum Building and the renovated Manton Research Center, both designed by Selldorf Architects, New York. These buildings surround a new one-acre reflecting pool, the highlight of a dramatic rethinking of the Clark’s landscape designed by Reed Hilderbrand, Watertown, Massachusetts. The expansion project adds more than 16,000 square feet of gallery space, supporting the Clark’s expanded collection and exhibition programs, and establishes the Institute as a leader in best practices for sustainability and energy efficiency.

Included in this final phase of the project are:

A new 44,400-square-foot Visitor Center designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Tadao Ando, which includes 11,000 square feet of gallery space for special exhibitions; a multi-purpose pavilion for conferences, lectures, and events; new dining, retail, and family spaces; and an all-glass Museum Pavilion that creates a new entrance to the original Museum Building.
Expansion and renovation of the original Museum Building designed by Selldorf Architects, which includes the addition of 5,000 square feet of gallery space and a careful restoration of the existing galleries; installation of new lighting and environmental controls; and creation of a new west-to-east orientation for the Museum Building.
Renovation of public areas in the Manton Research Center, also designed by Selldorf Architects, which includes the new Manton Study Center for Works on Paper and an adjoining gallery; a new public reading room; and a bookstore and coffee bar.
A sweeping redesign of the Clark’s grounds by Reed Hilderbrand, which underscores the Clark’s commitment to environmental stewardship of its lands by significantly enhancing sustainability initiatives across the campus and integrating green design practices intended to bring the project a silver LEED certification. Key elements of the program include creation of a three-tiered reflecting pool that is the focal point of the redesigned campus and part of an advanced water management system that reduces the Clark’s potable water consumption by approximately 50 percent, or one million gallons annually; upgrades to and expansion of walking trails; green roof systems; planting of 350 new trees on the site; and creation of a new entry drive and parking areas that feature water permeable surfaces feeding into a rainwater collection system.

The Clark is located at 225 South Street in Williamstown, Massachusetts. The galleries are open daily in July and August (open Tuesday through Sunday from September through June), 10 am to 5 pm. Admission is $20 June 1 through October 31; free November through May; and free year-round for Clark members, children 18 and younger, and students with valid ID. For more information, visit clarkart.edu or call 413 458 2303.