Penn State’s premier art museum is just a few weeks away from beginning the transition to its future home.
In 2023, the Palmer Museum of Art will begin moving to its new facility currently under construction near Penn State’s Arboretum. A phased process aims to help the museum get ready to open to the public in the spring of 2024, the university said on Tuesday.
The Palmer Museum of Art will begin its transition in January by closing the current museum’s second floor and facilitating a “major reinstallation” of the first-floor galleries. The current museum, located along Curtin Road on Penn State’s campus, will officially close on May 14, 2023.
“We are at a transformative point in the history of the Palmer Museum of Art, as we look toward a bright future in our new state-of-the-art building and hope everyone will take advantage of this final opportunity to visit us in our signature Charles Moore-designed building on Curtin Road,” Erin Coe, director of the Palmer Museum of Art, said.
The museum’s first-floor reinstallation will present a reinvigorated display titled “Conversations Across the Collection.” It will feature a diverse range of works and artists throughout American history while drawing on the museum’s expansive Benjamin and Lillian K. Snowiss Galleries, as well as some recent additions. The collection, including paintings, print, photographs and sculptures, will be divided into western and urban themes, among others.
“We’re excited about pairing works like Benjamin West’s ‘Venus and Adonis’ and Violet Oakley’s ‘Venus Rising from the Sea,’” noted Adam Thomas, curator of American art. “Placing the two artworks painted more than a century apart in tandem will reveal new dialogues between past and present as well as prompt conversations about our understanding of history, modernity and femininity.”
Construction on the new Palmer Museum of Art has surpassed 50% completion, according to the university. The $85 million, 71,000-square-foot facility neighboring the Arboretum’s H.O. Smith Botanic Gardens will substantially boost Penn State’s ability to showcase the museum’s ever-growing collection, doubling its display capabilities from the Curtin Road museum.
Penn State broke ground on the new museum in July 2021. The new complex will feature both indoor spaces and an outdoor terrace that will help the museum host event and offer educational programs to Penn State students and local schools. In addition to upgraded galleries, the new LEED-certified museum will boast a store, cafe, outdoor courtyards and interlocking pavilions constructed with central Pennsylvania-sourced stone that aim to blend the facility with the Arboretum.
A new HVAC system will help the museum better protect its 10,000-piece collection, serving as a significant upgrade from the aging Curtin Road museum’s building systems. When plans were presented to Penn State trustees in May 2021, officials said the museum had experienced “significant damage” due to water penetration issues. And although the Palmer’s collection has increased by 185% over the years, the Curtin Road museum’s display spaces have remained the same.
A detailed look at the new Palmer Museum of Art is available online through a fly-through animation produced in collaboration with Allied Works, the architect behind the project, as well as the Brooklyn Digital Foundry.
Once the new museum opens, the Palmer is slated to be the largest art museum collection between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. The new location is expected to help the museum accommodate more guests with a facility that’s more accessible to schools and local visitors.
Donors raised more than $20 million to help fund the museum, which does not benefit from tuition dollars or general funds. More than $60 million of the project’s cost is funded by borrowing.
Although the Curtin Road museum is slated to close in about six months, Penn State is expected to use the building in the future for unannounced university purposes. The museum will continue hosting themed collections, speakers, after-hours events and more, all available through the Palmer Museum of Art’s online schedule.
