Cooper Robertson will design an extensive campus master plan to transform the Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute, transforming public areas into vibrant community cultural and entertainment spaces, increasing accessibility, and serving as a catalyst for neighborhood revitalization.
Munson-Williams occupies 10 acres within residential city blocks and acts as the gateway to downtown Utica. Highlights of the master plan include:
· Enhancing the Munson-Williams campus role as a neighborhood anchor and community focus while making the campus more welcoming and visitor-friendly;
· Exploring classroom/studio utilization so that the School of Art will continue to attract top students to the PrattMWP College of Art and Design while balancing the needs of the Community Arts Education programs;
· Evaluating existing land use and developing a conceptual framework plan for vehicular and pedestrian flows, and identifying opportunities for improved green spaces;
· Categorizing and prioritizing capital improvements to establish a long-term strategy for future investment;
· Identifying potential improvements to facilities beyond what Munson-Williams has already documented; and target future space needs.
The project will also include the construction of the Munson-Williams Park. This park will take underutilized land on the front grounds of Munson-WIlliams and create a 49,000-sf public access space stretching from the front of the 324 Genesee Street to Cottage Place. The park will feature new landscaping, lighting, sculptures, and it will utilize the Museum of Art’s staircase as amphitheater seating for events. It will be anchored by the 19th-century Fountain Elms building and the Philip Johnson-designed Museum of Art, which are both free and open to the public. The park will renovate the Oneida Square neighborhood and create a gateway to downtown Utica. The park will be activated with new programming including festivals, block parties, light shows, art demonstrations and installations, pop-up events, and free public performances.
Related Stories
Museums | Feb 5, 2016
Diller Scofidio + Renfro transforms old Art Deco building into a museum at UC Berkeley
The Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, which opened in late January, contains a theater, lab, and galleries. It was once a printing plant.
Museums | Jan 22, 2016
Canadian Canoe Museum selects Heneghan Peng Architects’ design for new location
The single-story structure is designed for sustainability as well as function.
Architects | Jan 15, 2016
Best in Architecture: 18 projects named AIA Institute Honor Award winners
Morphosis' Perot Museum and Studio Gang's WMS Boathouse are among the projects to win AIA's highest honor for architecture.
| Jan 14, 2016
How to succeed with EIFS: exterior insulation and finish systems
This AIA CES Discovery course discusses the six elements of an EIFS wall assembly; common EIFS failures and how to prevent them; and EIFS and sustainability.
Museums | Dec 18, 2015
Santiago Calatrava-designed museum with skeletal roof opens in Rio
The Museu do Amanhã addresses the future of the planet and has an inventive, futuristic design itself.
Museums | Dec 16, 2015
Gluckman Tang-designed museums could stimulate economy in North Adams, Mass.
The goal is to create a “cultural corridor” between North Adams and Williamstown, Mass.
Museums | Dec 4, 2015
Calatrava’s Milwaukee Art Museum gets handsome addition by HGA
The lakefront addition gives visitors expansive views both inside and out.
Museums | Dec 3, 2015
SANAA’s design selected for Hungary’s new National Gallery and Ludwig Museum
After months of deliberation, the Japanese firm ultimately won the tie with Snøhetta.
Museums | Nov 23, 2015
Daniel Libeskind unveils design for new Lithuanian modern art museum
Located in the national capital of Vilnius, the Modern Art Center will be home to 4,000 works of Lithuanian art.
Museums | Nov 11, 2015
MVRDV designs a ‘disco ball’ for Rotterdam
Called the Collectiegebouw (Dutch for "collection building"), the building will make public the city’s extensive art collection, and give visitors a look at how museums work backstage, according to Fast Company.
