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Designing the Future: The Queens Museum
of Art and The New York City Building
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March
10, 2002 – July 7, 2002
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Designing
the Future: The Queens Museum of Art and the New York
City Building is a story about transformation.
It is about the growth of the Queens Museum of Art in
the New York City Building over the past 30 years; and
about the life of this structure as its function and identity
change from pavilion to museum. The exhibition pre-sents
the work of architects who, through models and plans,
envision a dynamic future for the museum.
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The
exhibition is organized in three sections:
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The
New York City Building from 1939 World’s Fair Pavilion
to Queens Museum of Art
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Design
documents, renderings, photographs, artifacts, and memorabilia
illustrate the uses of this building as the New York City
Pavilion at the 1939/40 World’s Fair; as a public
recreational facility after the Fair; and as home to the
United Nations General Assembly from 1946 to 1952. In
the 1960s the building was again remodeled to function
as the New York City Pavilion and Ice Theater during the
1964/65 World’s Fair, with the Panorama of the City
of New York, commissioned by Robert Moses and created
by Lester Associates, installed in its north wing. Under
the auspices of the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority,
the New York City Building maintained its educational
and recreational services to the public until 1971.
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Mayor LaGuardia,
Henry Ford, Al Smith, Edsel Ford, and Grover Whalen on
a tourof Fair Grounds, after dedication of Ford Building,
1939, Photograph: Underwood & Underwood |
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Bernice Abbott
(American, 1898-1991)
Hot Dog Stand, 1936 Gelatin silver print. Gift of Grace
Lacy
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Ravinder
G. Reddy (Visakhapatnam, India) Krishna Veni (head and
plait), 1997 Polyester resin fiberglass and gold gilt
paint Collection of the Artist
Out of India exhibition installation view
at the Queens Museum of Art
(November 21, 1997-March 22, 1998)
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Queens Museum of Art from 1972 to the Present |
| In 1972 the
Queens Museum of Art, founded as the Queens County Art
and Cultural Center, occupied the north half of the building
retaining the Panorama of the City of New York. This section
of the exhibition features works of art and archival documents
that offer an overview of the growth of the museum: its
permanent collection, special exhibitions, and educational
programs. Documents related to the dramatic 1990-1994
renovation of the museum’s quarters by Rafael Viñoly
and updating of the Panorama bring the design history
of the New York City Building and the Queens Museum of
Art to this moment. |
| From its
establishment, the museum has pursued building a permanent
collection that preserves the artistic heritage of Queens
and contains works of international and culturally diverse
20th– and 21st–century art that contribute to
an understanding of American art. At present, the collection
encompasses an archive of 3,500 documents and artifacts
related to the 1939 and 1964 World’s Fairs, the Panorama,
the 9,335 sq.ft. model of the city created for the 1964
World’s Fair, and 1,800 works of modern and contemporary
art. A sampling drawn from the museum’s collection,
including works by Berenice Abbott, Dawoud Bey, Chakaia
Booker, Cai Guo-Qiang, Grace Hartigan, Lewis W. Hine,
Reginald Marsh, and Theodore Roszak, is on view. |
| A Tiffany
Studios window is presented in this exhibition to signal
that since 1997 the museum has housed and displayed a
collection of Tiffany objects on extended loan from the
Egon and Hildegard Neustadt Museum of Tiffany Art. These
objects, made in the company’s workshops formerly
located in Corona, Queens, are examples of the borough’s
artistic heritage. |
| The museum
has offered over 250 temporary exhibitions on a wide range
of subjects with an emphasis on presenting contemporary
art of particular significance to the museum’s ethnically
diverse audiences. For example, recent museum-organized
exhibitions include Out of India: Art of the South Asian
Diaspora; Modern Odysseys: Greek American Artists of the
20th Century; and Crossing the Line, a collaboration among
artists and community members to create works placed in
Queens neighborhoods and the museum. Past exhibitions
such as Dawn of a New Day: The New York World’s Fair,
1939/40 and Remembering the Future: The New York World’s
Fair from 1939 to 1964 exemplify the museum’s commitment
to exploring pertinent historical and cultural themes.
The museum has long supported work by contemporary and
emerging artists, especially those who are Queens-based,
through juried exhibitions, programs such as Queens Focus,
and solo presentations at the Bulova Corporate Center. |
| To extend
the impact of its exhibitions and fulfill its educational
mission, the museum has from its inception produced a
rich array of film programs, lecture series, art workshops,
and performances for schoolchildren and adults. Through
its nationally recognized ArtAccess program, the museum
offers art workshops for children and adults with a variety
of emotional, cognitive, and physical abilities. Long-term
collaborations with local organizations have resulted
in cultural programming of interest to the diverse communities
of Queens. Art Zone, established in 2000, is an interactive
space where children and adults can learn more about artists
and current exhibitions. |
Design for
the Expansion of the Queens Museum of Art
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The New York
City Department of Design and Construction, in partnership
with the Department of Cultural Affairs and the Queens
Museum of Art, sponsored its first design competition
in 2001 to select an architect for the expansion of the
museum beyond its present space into the entire building.
Architect Ralph Lerner, former dean of the Princeton School
of Architecture, served as competition advisor. The centerpiece
for this section of the exhibition is the models and presentation
boards representing the future Queens Museum of Art envisioned
by the competition winner Eric Owen Moss Architects. His
scheme was judged to be most successful in addressing
the relationship between the park and the building, bringing
excitement, drama, and an inviting quality to the museum’s
façade. The expanded museum will include a new
study center for collections, more galleries for temporary
installations, additional education workshops, a multipurpose
gathering space to accommodate performances and receptions,
increased space to house the permanent collection, and
a café.
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In celebration
of the competition process, architectural models and visual
materials submitted by competition finalists, Evidence
Design (Second Place Winner), Fox & Fowle Architects
PC, Hanrahan + Meyers Architects (Third Place Winner),
and Salazar Davis Architects, are on view. In addition,
the 198 concept design entries received in the first stage
of the competition are available to visitors.
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Designing
the Future is presented in appreciation of the work and
vision of city and state officials, museum trustees, staff,
volunteers, and supporters, past and present. It marks
the beginning of yet another exciting transformation.
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