The Asheville Art Museum will open to the public on Thursday, November 14. The $24+ million, state-of-the-art facility encompasses 54,000 square feet and adds 70 percent more gallery space.
For the first time in the museum’s history, it has the capacity to host major traveling exhibitions from nationally recognized museums. The expansion increases its physical space and dramatically increases its role as a community center, educational resource, economic engine for WNC, and cultural concierge for the region’s residents and visitors.
Expansion Highlights
Working with local general contractor Beverly-Grant, local architecture firm ARCA Design, and New York-based architectural firm Ennead Architects, the project consisted of three main components:
- The historic preservation of the museum’s current North Wing (formerly the 1926 Pack Library) to house the new John & Robyn Horn Education Center and Frances Mulhall Achilles Art Library.
- Renovation and new construction of the East Wing including two special exhibition halls (Appleby Foundation Hall and Explore Asheville Hall) and more Collection storage.
- Entirely new construction of the West Wing with a stunning glass façade.
Features of the New Museum
- A rooftop sculpture terrace and Perspective Café offer gorgeous mountain views.
- The Oculus, a 15-foot viewing window in the SECU Collection Hall affords unmatched immersive city views and a place for reflection.
- Public art installations and programming on the Plaza.
- Wells Fargo ArtPLAYce, a hands-on creative space for people of all ages.
- The Windgate Foundation Atrium, a light-filled place to take in large-scale works of art.
- SECU Collection Hall’s 10 new galleries
“The new Asheville Art Museum is a warm and welcoming space on a personal level,” says Executive Director Pamela L. Myers. “It’s a space designed for people to come together and be inspired in an art-filled, open environment with all the amenities to make them feel comfortable.”
About the Asheville Art Museum
The Asheville Art Museum’s mission is to transform lives through art. It is located in downtown Asheville at 2 South Pack Square. General admission is $15.
It will be open from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm daily, except Tuesdays; it will also have late night hours on Thursdays until 9:00 pm. Standard Museum hours and operations will begin Thursday, November 14, 2019.
The museum is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums and receives support from the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the NC Department of Cultural Resources; the National Endowment for the Arts; the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and media sponsors Citizen Times, WNC Magazine, and Blue Ridge Public Radio.
The museum gratefully acknowledges the leadership supporters of the new museum and its vibrant programming: Appleby Foundation, Buncombe County, Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority, City of Asheville, Edith and Frances Mulhall Achilles Memorial Fund, Henry Luce Foundation, Institute of Museum and Library Services, Janirve Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, State Employees’ Credit Union Foundation, William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust, Windgate Foundation and the many other foundations, businesses, and individuals who supported the Art WORKS for Asheville Capital Campaign and who support the exceptional programming, exhibitions and collections which enliven the new Asheville Art Museum on a daily basis.
Visit ashevilleart.org for more information.
Photograph by David Huff Creative / Asheville Art Museum.