The Art Barn - Project Information
The Details
This project will renovate and expand the Art Barn from 10,000 square feet to 26,000 square feet with new facilities and state-of-the-art media. The fundamental concept behind the renovation and addition to the Art Barn is to locate the activities of the fine art program under one roof. Additional course offerings (woodworking, jewelry, metals, art education) and dramatic expansion of three-dimensional arts, printmaking and photography will result from this modernization and expansion roject. It will separate and specially ventilate those studios dealing with “dirty materials,” such as sculpture, ceramics and metals, from those demanding a clean environment.
The centerpiece of the Art Barn Renovation and Addition is a Lobby Gallery and Reception Area of dramatic design that will be a major attraction and cultural destination for the entire community. The new gallery will complement smaller college exhibition areas. The expansion provides significant additional opportunities to show the work of our students and our faculty and to offer an even greater representation of the vibrant Montgomery County arts community.
The new Art Barn will look out to the community. For the first time, the thousands who travel the section of DeKalb Pike that fronts the College will have a window of ready access to the exciting activity that goes on inside these buildings and classrooms. Other buildings on the Central Campus, built in1972, face inward to the quad.
The expansion of the Art Barn provides the College with a unique opportunity to tie the facility into the main campus area by creating a sculpture garden and walkway system connecting the Art Barn to Parkhouse Hall. Features of the plan include the integration of an enhanced Art Barn parking lot and a passenger drop-off circle with a walkway system; multiple locations for sculpture of various sizes, including the work of respected Philadelphia sculptor Leon Sitarchuk that was recently given to the College; and a footbridge over a wetlands area which will be developed as an exemplary wetlands preserve with native plant material.
With this renovation and addition, the art program will grow in many directions in both its credit and non-credit offerings, creating an income stream that will sustain its activity and maintenance. Montgomery County Community College will be positioned to meet the needs of its constituency for at least the next ten years. Listing of the studios, classrooms and other spaces that will be included in the project is shown on the Donor Naming and Recognition Opportunities.
