Philadelphia Contemporary Hires Johnston Marklee to Design its First Permanent Home
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Philadelphia Contemporary, the non-profit arts organization announced that it has hired the Los Angeles-based architecture firm Johnston Marklee to design its first permanent home. “We are thrilled to be collaborating with Johnston Marklee and MGA PartPhiladelphia Contemporary Hires Johnston Marklee to Design its First Permanent Home
Philadelphia Contemporary, the non-profit arts organization announced that it has hired the Los Angeles-based architecture firm Johnston Marklee to design its first permanent home. “We are thrilled to be collaborating with Johnston Marklee and MGA Partners as we continue to shape our vision of what Philadelphia Contemporary is and ought to be,” says Harry Philbrick, Philadelphia Contemporary Founding Director. “Twenty-first-century audiences are seeking new models for engaging culture, and Johnston Marklee and MGA will bring a rigor and curiosity to the process of meeting that demand that lines up perfectly with our vision.”“Philadelphia Contemporary, a new independent curatorial institution in Philadelphia devoted exclusively to Contemporary art, will act as a visual and performance art space: non-collecting, multidisciplinary, and exploratory. Conceived as a new model for presenting art and developing community engagement, the organization has sought to move beyond fixed architecture and programmatic models. That approach was reflected in the architect selection process, with an emphasis on a dynamic space to support a constantly evolving institution,” states the release.The selection process organized by David van der Leer, was centered on a 14 member jury composed of representatives from Philadelphia Contemporary, the City of Philadelphia, the local community, and the arts and design community.“We envision Philadelphia Contemporary to be a model for the twenty-first-century museum wherein there are no boundaries between art and the public,” says Johnston Marklee partner Sharon Johnston, FAIA. “It will be an environment to stage events, from ephemeral spoken word performances to traditional, large-scale exhibitions; a social space for interaction, and a safe space for repose.” Added Johnston Marklee partner Mark Lee, “Philadelphia Contemporary will facilitate cultural exchange in a manner that is inextricably woven into the fabric of the city.”Johnston Marklee, based in Los Angeles and founded by partners Sharon Johnston and Mark Lee, has received more than 30 major awards for their residential, commercial, and institutional work. Lee and Johnston were selected as Artistic Directors of the 2017 Chicago Architecture Biennial, and Lee was named Chair of the Department of Architecture at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design this July.The firm’s latest institutional project, the Menil Drawing Institute in Houston, Texas, will open on November 3.Founded in 2016, Philadelphia Contemporary presents visual art and performance art across the city of Philadelphia. Having commenced pop-up programming in October 2016, Philadelphia Contemporary continues to develop an ambitious roster of projects that will be mounted in the coming years, while planning for a permanent home in a new building.http://www.blouinartinfo.com/ Founder: Louise Blouin Read more