As a museum intern, this project to redesign the Middlebury College Museum was an opportunity to address some design problems I've encountered. The current college museum is buried deep within the CFA, making more difficult,... [ view full abstract ]
As a museum intern, this project to redesign the Middlebury College Museum was an opportunity to address some design problems I've encountered. The current college museum is buried deep within the CFA, making more difficult, the already challenging task of attracting visitors, especially students and townspeople. I have envisioned a design that better celebrates the museum by making it more visible to the public, in order to spark intrigue. Though it's primary function is as a college museum, the institution should serve the broader community.
The form of the Museum maintains a link to the CFA in order to preserve a centrality of the arts. The building has three wings for three functions— galleries to display art, an educational wing to further its study, and offices for staff who run all operations. This form is also expandable to accommodate the ever-growing art collection--another "user" in an sense, that must be protected and easily transported from storage to the galleries.
Removing the Museum from the CFA offers the opportunity to create an identity for the museum that is more separate from the college. The building style is distinct from other architecture on campus in order to signal that it is a place of progress, where the exchange of progressive ideas is encouraged.
Art is a way to stay critical of culture and promote social change, and it is important that the museum represents this to both those within and outside of the Middlebury community.
