AACG News
Flint Institute of Arts to Add New Contemporary Craft Wing
The Flint Institute of Arts is building a new Contemporary Craft Wing that will add more than 8,000 square feet of space to the east side of the FIA’s collection galleries. Complementing the new wing and providing working and demonstration space for glass and ceramic artists, an interior courtyard within the Art School will be converted to a multi-purpose maker space.
The gallery expansion will accommodate two recent major gifts to the museum: the Dr. Robert and Deanna Harris Burger Collection of Contemporary Ceramics and the Isabel Foundation’s Sherwin and Shirley Glass Collection of Contemporary Glass.
“The two collections are made up of works by some of the foremost glass and ceramic artists around the world,” said John Henry, FIA’s executive director. “They contain a variety of important pieces emerging over the past 60 years through the Contemporary Craft Movement.”
Construction will begin in July, with completion scheduled for Fall of 2017. During the late summer of 2017, portions of the FIA will be closed as artwork is installed and spaces are prepared for re-opening.
The project will be financed through a $17.5 million capital and endowment campaign. In addition to raising $5 million for the new wing and $3.5 million for the glass studio and multi-purpose maker space, the campaign has a $9 million endowment goal. The Art School renovation adds 3,960 square feet of maker space outfitted with glass furnaces, a cold shop, a metal foundry, audio visual equipment, and stadium style seating.
| Posted 16 Jul 05
