Designed by Boston-based Ann Beha Architects, the new centre will include a 5,000 square feet of gallery space that will be used for temporary exhibitions; an auditorium with seating for 135, allowing the museum to offer lectures, presentations and symposia; and the museum’s first classroom designed for classes and programs for audiences of all ages.
The Center for Art and Education is also designed to meet LEED standards for environmental sustainability. It will employ local materials such as Adirondack stone, Vermont slate and beech wood floors to reduce required transportation of materials and to support the local economy; wood products selected from sustainably harvested forests; and energy-efficient heating, cooling and lighting.
The Center for Art and Education is part of the Campaign for Shelburne Museum, a $14-million capital campaign. The campaign also includes an endowment to sustain the ongoing operation of the centre and installation of a fiber-optic communications network throughout the museum’s 45-acre campus.
Shelburne Museum in Vermont is one of North America’s most diverse museums of art, design and Americana. The museum’s collection includes works by the great Impressionists Claude Monet, Edouard Manet and Edgar Degas as well as a prized collection of folk art including trade signs, weathervanes and quilts.
