For Immediate Release
May 20, 2003
Contact: Brent Sverdloff 781/259-3628, bsverdloff@decordova.org
Sarah Smith 781/259-3663, ssmith@decordova.org
DeCordova Announces "Securing the Future" Capital Campaign
LINCOLN, MA-DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park, the leading museum of contemporary American art in New England, publicly announced its plans today for a $10 million capital campaign to transform itself into a fully integrated 35-acre campus of visual arts programming. DeCordova has already received commitments in the amount of $4 million.
Securing the Future: The Fund for DeCordova, approved in fall of 2001 by DeCordova's Board of Trustees, encompasses the implementation of a Landscape Master Plan for the complete DeCordova property; the construction of an addition to the main DeCordova Museum building for collection storage, conservation, and exhibition preparation purposes; and an endowment component to support the operation of these new facilities.
"Foremost among our goals are the improvement of pedestrian safety on the grounds, the creation of clear pathways and trails through the Sculpture Park, the enhancement of visitors' educational experience, and the ongoing conservation of the DeCordova property," says Director Paul Master-Karnik. "A team of landscape architects and site planners headed by Craig Halvorson of the Halvorson Design Partnership, a nationally recognized landscape architecture firm, has been working with senior staff and Trustees to study all aspects of our present land use while testing a great range of creative options."
The vision for the landscape's future includes a Visitor Station-designed by artist/architect Duke Reiter of Newton-based Urban Instruments, Inc.-which will provide a first point of orientation for DeCordova visitors. The goal is to enhance the quality of the experience at DeCordova by welcoming and informing visitors how to access the many different programs and activities.
Another major focus of the Master Plan is the design of a new wing exclusively for collections storage and exhibition preparation. The architecture firm of Bechtel Frank Erickson was selected to design this addition because of their strong experience creating beautifully functional buildings. Since DeCordova Museum grew from its inception in the renovated mansion of founder Julian de Cordova, it comes as no surprise that art storage space has never been adequate. Today, nearly the entire DeCordova Permanent Collection is stored off-site at a significant distance from Lincoln, making it difficult to access for exhibition, education, and research purposes. The remedy is a 16,000 square foot, two-level facility, which will be directly connected to the main exhibition galleries in the Museum. In addition to up-to-date climate control, security, and art storage equipment features, the new facility will provide ample space for art transport, packing, and crating, as well as dedicated areas for conservation and exhibition preparation.
Other specific enhancements in both the Sculpture Park and Museum building include:
" The DeCordova Sculpture Zoo, a specially designed area within the Park for fantastical, whimsical, imaginary (and some not so imaginary!) animals commissioned from about 20 different artists. The Zoo will create a series of "habitats" for these playful sculptures, with many interactive components, so that visitors may touch, pet, or even ride them as appropriate.
" A Wetlands Education Center to instruct visitors about our fragile ecological systems and water resources. By collaborating with artists and including site specific installations of their work in the project, the wetlands at DeCordova can become a living laboratory of environmental sensitivity demonstrating how art provides important insights into policy making and ecological awareness.
" A revitalized Family Learning Gallery specifically geared for young people and their families to explore contemporary art together, with interactive components to stimulate curiosity about what art does, how it works, why it is made, and when it becomes important to us.
" The Catherine England Photography Study Center, an upgraded exhibition space regularly displaying the Museum's extensive photographic collections in special shows that focus on specific issues, attitudes, and artists.
" Some of the first "Smart" Art Spaces in the region offering technological tools that allow visitors to create their own individualized learning experiences-from compact PDA units with multiple screens of information and tours for both the Park and Museum on through interactive workstations and video-kiosks at various on-site locations.
The Securing the Future campaign is focused on a vision to transform DeCordova into a twenty-first-century indoor and outdoor museum with greatly enhanced audience engagement and experiential learning opportunities. It recognizes that the Sculpture Park is DeCordova's unique asset-unlike any other comparable venue in the Northeast-which can provide a superb setting in which to further develop our collections, exhibitions, and education programs, fulfilling our educational mission to increase access to contemporary art.
Groundbreaking takes place on July 26, 2003. Construction will be carried out in phases through summer 2005. Care is being taken to ensure minimal impact on our visitors' experience, and no closures during construction are anticipated.
General Information
DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park is a museum of modern and contemporary American art with a particular emphasis on the work of New England artists. It features the only public sculpture park of its kind in New England and the largest non-degree granting studio art program in the state. DeCordova opened in 1950 on the former estate of Julian de Cordova, a Boston entrepreneur and art collector.
DeCordova Museum is open Tuesday through Sunday, 11 am to 5 pm and on selected Monday holidays. Admission is $6 per person, $4 for senior citizens, students, and youth ages 6-12. Children age 5 and under, Lincoln residents, and Active Duty Military Personnel and their dependents are admitted free. The Sculpture Park is open year round during daylight hours and is free. The Store @ DeCordova and the School Gallery are open Monday through Thursday, 9:30 am to 7:30 pm, Friday through Saturday, 9:30 am to 5:30 pm, and Sunday 11:30 am to 5:30 pm. The Café @ DeCordova is open Wednesday through Sunday, 11 am to 3 pm. Free guided public tours of the Museum's main galleries take place every Wednesday and Sunday at 2 pm. Free tours of the Sculpture Park are given on Saturday and Sunday at 1 pm from May to October. Visit us online at www.decordova.org or call 781/259-8355 for further information.
