Construction on the Museum of Fine Arts is on schedule for its April 2023 opening date in Little Rock, Arkansas. This is an adaptive reuse project which unifies several existing structures on the museum grounds. As a result the original museum which was built in 1937, has been annexed to the surrounding structures.
Studio Gang worked with SCAPE and the Little Rock-based Polk Stanley Wilcox Architects on the project’s designs. The redesign plan for the Museum of Fine Arts building showcases a folded concrete roof crossing over a 133,000-square-foot complex.
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According to Studio Gang, the new design of the Museum of Fine Arts building is quite similar to the stem of a plant. Therefore, the new throughway will have renovated galleries and performance spaces that branch off from it. In addition, the Museum of Fine Arts building will also provide spaces for exhibitions and educational programs.
Development plans for the Museum of Fine Arts
A restoration of a historic 1937 Art Deco façade is also being carried out on the northern side of the development. While on the other hand, the southern entrance will open up to an 11-acre landscape designed by SCAPE Landscape Architecture. What’s more, the plan also includes 2,200 linear feet of new walking paths and an anchoring Event Lawn. This will be used to host special events and museum exhibitions.
Once the Museum of Fine Arts reopens, it will also debut two new site-specific installations. These programs will be hosted by Anne Lindberg and Natasha Bowdoin. Additionally, a special exhibition will be hosted for Chakaia Booker’s works, titled Intentional Risks. Funding for the redevelopment project comes from a blockbuster $155 million capital campaign. This was the largest effort ever made for a cultural project in Arkansas history and it surpassed the initial $128million target.
Studio Gang’s founding principal, Jeanne Gang, said the new design strengthens the museum’s role as a cultural anchor for Little Rock. He mentioned that this would unite the once-disparate structures into a cohesive whole. Thereby, opening the development of the surrounding city and landscape.
