Renzo Piano Designs a "Village for the Arts"

Monday, 14 November 2005 23:00

ATLANTA, GEORGIA.-The High Museum of Art opened its expanded facilities to the public , creating a vibrant “village for the arts” at the Woodruff Arts Center in Midtown Atlanta. Designed by architect Renzo Piano, three new buildings surrounding a public piazza more than double the Museum’s size to 312,000 square feet—allowing the High to display more of its growing collection, increase public programs and offer new visitor amenities to address the needs of larger and more diverse audiences. “Renzo Piano has helped us to create a spectacular new facility that addresses the High’s urban location, expanded collection and our role as the anchor for a multidisciplinary arts campus,” said Michael E. Shapiro, Nancy and Holcombe T. Green, Jr. Director of the High Museum of Art. “The Museum, like Atlanta, has seen tremendous growth over the past two decades. This expansion will transform the High into a lively, year-round destination for the arts.” The High and the Woodruff Arts Center surpassed their original $130-million campaign goal in November 2004—exactly one year before the opening of the expanded Museum. Due to success of fundraising efforts during the campaign, the scope of the project was expanded to include the renovation of the High’s existing building as well as other owner-directed enhancements to the facility and campus. The expansion strengthens the High’s role as the premier art museum in the Southeast and allows the Museum to better serve audiences in Atlanta and the region. “Atlanta is a city in tune with nature, so in designing the High and the Woodruff Arts Center, I wanted to create a light-filled, unified campus that embraces the landscape and engages with its surroundings,” said Renzo Piano. “We set out to create a vision—a vibrant neighborhood with the arts at its core that’s active seven days a week—that will invigorate the people and cultural life of the city.”

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