Magazzino Italian Art to Expand Campus with New Pavilion
Magazzino Italian Art announced plans to strategically expand its campus in Cold Spring, NY, with the acquisition of 3.5 acres of additional land and creation of a new 13,000-square-foot pavilion for special exhibitions, and public and educational programs. Designed by Spanish architects Alberto Campo Baeza and Miguel Quismondo, the latter of whom designed Magazzino’s main building, the new free-standing pavilion will enable the nonprofit museum to support its growing program across its 9.5-acre campus. This expansion will create over 5,000 square feet of flexible exhibition and programming spaces as well as new visitor amenities, including a reading lounge and a café. Groundbreaking is expected to begin in spring 2021, with exhibitions and programs continuing uninterrupted at Magazzino’s main building.
Since opening to the public in June 2017 under the directorship of Vittorio Calabrese, Magazzino has significantly expanded the range of exhibitions and programs it presents on-site, online, and in partnership with institutions throughout the region. Alongside its ongoing investigation of Arte Povera and postwar Italian art, Magazzino has provided critical platforms for contemporary artists by commissioning new work and organizing monographic and group presentations, including Bochner Boetti Fontana, which is currently on view, and Homemade. The museum has also fostered new scholarship and critical research in the field through its on-site Research Center and Scholar-in-Residence program, as well as enlivened its local community through annual film festivals, performing arts programs, and public performances.
“Magazzino was launched with a commitment to serve as a cultural hub and vibrant community resource and to provide opportunities for inspiration and engagement with Italian art and creativity,” said Magazzino Italian Art Director Vittorio Calabrese. “Our program has grown increasingly ambitious over the past three-and-a-half years as we have grown as an institution. The new pavilion will enable us to better serve our community with expanded resources for visitors and provides us flexible spaces so that we can expand our programmatic offerings in Cold Spring.”
Magazzino Italian Art Co-Founders Nancy Olnick and Giorgio Spanu added, “As long-time residents of Putnam County, we are deeply committed to contributing to the cultural landscape of the region in a meaningful way. Our decision to open Magazzino was informed by our desire to share postwar and contemporary Italian art and bring people together. It is our intention to ensure that our fellow community members are part of the process of bringing this new pavilion to life, from contracting local construction services to engaging the public in educational offerings that we will now be able to offer throughout the year.”
Nestled in a hillside on Magazzino’s campus, the new pavilion will be located adjacent to the main building and will mirror the structure in its rectilinear design. With a concrete façade punctuated by windows and a series of skylights, the pavilion will foster a dialogue between art, architecture, and the surrounding natural landscape. The building will add nearly 3,600 square feet of new gallery space to the campus, including two natural light-filled galleries for special exhibitions on its main level and a third gallery on its lower floor for the display of Murano glass, and ceramics. The lower level will also feature a flexible, 1,500-square-foot programming space overlooking a sunken outdoor courtyard that will enable the museum to host community programs year-round, including film screenings, lectures, panel discussions, and other educational and public events. On its top floor, which meets the ledge of the hilly terrain, a café and reading lounge with indoor and outdoor seating will provide visitors for an opportunity for a moment of respite.
“Conceived to complement the existing museum building and reflect its elegant and simple modern design, the new pavilion brings a new dimension to the museum’s evolving campus,” said project architect Miguel Quismondo. “With strategically placed windows and skylights, the building introduces new opportunities for visitors to enjoy the beauty of the campus as it adds much needed space for the museum’s growing education and curatorial program and allows for the presentation of projects in new formats. I am thrilled to be working with my mentor Alberto Campo Baeza on the design for this new structure. This project reflects both the institution’s growth as well as Nancy and Giorgio’s belief and commitment to the Cold Spring community.”
