Trying to move the UI Museum of Art into the IMU is like trying to fit the Figge Art Museum in the Englert Theatre. A difficult process, but that’s exactly what the museum did.
People are often unaware of the efforts behind such a transformation, which is why museum preparator Steve Erickson will kick off a lecture series to discuss how the task was accomplished.
The program “You Want Me to Build What??? … Where???” will begin today 5 p.m. at the IMU; it presents the process of transforming the Richey Ballroom into a space for the Art Museum.
He and the architects faced various difficulties over the six-month renovation period, including climate and light control to maintain the integrity of the art. In the end, a room was built in the Richey Ballroom to lower the ceiling, and a few other changes were incorporated to accommodate museum standards.
Teaching is one of focuses of the museum in the IMU — the space was built to include projectors and Internet access. Storage is also imperative, because it benefits students to see a broad cross section of the museum’s collection. The idea was to make the space more compact — giving accessibility to artwork with glass shelving built to display objects and minimize shadowing. Artwork can also be placed on tables as a way of giving students a way to more thoroughly evaluate pieces.
“This space is designed for students to have a more intimate, informal experience of an object that museum workers get to have,” Erickson said.
Primarily, an art space is about an object, he noted. The Richey Ballroom is meant for clarity of design to highlight the features of the diverse artwork of the museum through lighting and display.
“What is different about this space is that it is focused particularly on the classroom aspect of giving students access to as many parts of the collection as is possible in a condensed space,” Erickson said.
After the museum leaves the IMU, the Richey Ballroom will be converted back to its original space with one reminder of its artistic divergence — the newly refinished floors.
