Spencer Museum of Art

Rene Diaz and Peter Pran didn’t have to look far to find a plum subject for their third-year studio classes in the School of Architecture and Urban Design. Last fall, the two professors presented their combined 35 students with a design project that focused their talents and imaginations on a campus landmark.

The task? Research, imagine and plan an addition to the Spencer Museum of Art.

In preparation, students reviewed the Spencer addition program prepared in 2000 by New York architects James Polshek Partners. They also toured the current building and met with Andrea Norris, museum director, who explained some of the goals for the new building.

The project includes not only the art museum, but also the Murphy Art and Architecture Library and the Kress Foundation Department of Art History, both of which are housed in the current Spencer Museum building and both of which have need for additional space.

Now, models the students produced to depict their visions for the Spencer expansion are on view in the museum’s Central Court until Jan. 30. Space limitations precluded the Spencer from showing their drawings and plans, but the models showcase the students’ remarkable creativity and diverse ideas.

Students constructed the models from a great variety of materials. While some chose to repeat the beige tone and stone texture of the existing building, others chose metal, glass, other types of stone, and other materials to complement or contrast the current structure. The models are extraordinarily detailed, a result of the many hours students committed to crafting them; one student spent 70 hours creating his model.

Although the students had guidelines suggesting that they place the expansion on the north side of the current building, and that they preserve the tunnel and the parking lot, many chose different solutions. Some eliminated the parking lot altogether, replacing it with buildings and landscaping. Several students found ways of encircling the Spencer with its expansion, moving it into Marvin Grove, placing it to the south, or even cantilevering it across the top of the current building.

Norris, who acted as ‘client’ for the students and participated in jurying the projects, was duly impressed.

“I am amazed and delighted at the commitment with which the students responded to this project,” she says. “Not only are their designs architecturally and even sculpturally exciting; they also take into consideration the needs of the art and the interests of the users of the building.”

The expansion of the Spencer Museum of Art is one of the capital projects of KUFirst, the University’s current fundraising campaign. About 10% of the museum’s $15 million goal has already been raised.