The Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts (AMFA) was joined by former US president Bill Clinton to unveil its new exhibitions and artist commissions ahead of the reopening on 22 April 2023.
The museum in Little Rock, the oldest and largest cultural institution of its kind in Arkansas, has been reimagined by architecture firm Studio Gang.
The new 133,000-square-foot building will house the museum’s collection of 14,000 works of art, dating back to the 14th century.
“My predecessor as governor, Winthrop Rockefeller, was right to call the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts ‘more than a museum’,” said Clinton.
Former US president Bill Clinton previews AMFA
“I’m thrilled that with this transformation, visitors from around the corner and around the globe will enjoy a world-class facility in the heart of Little Rock.”
The opening permanent collection installation will display drawings by Paul Signac, John Marin, and Georgia O’Keeffe, as well as rare paintings by Diego Rivera and Elaine de Kooning.
The ‘Drawn to Paper’ exhibition will showcase AMFA’s 20th century American and European works on paper.
The new AMFA will also feature site-specific commissions by contemporary artists Anne Lindberg and Natasha Bowdoin, and a special exhibition of the work of Chakaia Booker.
“With our permanent collection installation and exhibitions, our visitors will experience works that uniquely tell the story of AMFA, an institution that has brought the world of art to Arkansas for generations,” said Victoria Ramirez, AMFA’s executive director.
Studio Gang’s design has restored the historic 1937 Art Deco façade as the building’s north entrance. It also creates an entrance at the south that opens onto an 11-acre landscape designed by Kate Orff of Scape Landscape Architecture.
“Since its inception, the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts has held community and arts education at its heart. But its facilities were holding the museum back from reaching its full potential,” said Jeanne Gang, founding partner of Studio Gang.
“By optimizing its functional spaces and expanding its galleries, classrooms, and social spaces, the building transforms the visitor experience into one that is intuitive, inspiring, and continuous with its setting in MacArthur Park.”
AMFA’s capital campaign co-chairs Harriet Stephens and Warren Stephens have revealed that more than $150 million has been raised to date, exceeding the original goal of $128 million.
Images: Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts
