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Comprising the Alliance Theatre, the Atlanta College of Art, the Atlanta
Symphony Orchestra, the High Museum of Art, and the 14th Street Playhouse
the Woodruff Arts Center is ranked among the top four arts centers in the
nation.
The first phase of the multifaceted project has begun with the construction
of new state-of-the-art facilities for the Atlanta College of Art. These
additions, which include a residence hall and sculpture building, will lead
to a significant increase in its student body. Soon, construction will commence
on a major expansion for the High Museum of Art. The Piano design also encompasses
the creation of a series of piazzas, walkways and outdoor sculpture installations
that will serve to enliven the campus by both knitting its member institutions
together and seamlessly weaving the Arts Center into the surrounding neighborhood.
Piano’s vision will integrate the Woodruff campus into the fabric
of the City. It includes the development of five pedestrian entryways that
align the campus with existing neighborhood walkways. The new village of
the arts will be invigorated by the use of glass facades along pedestrian
pathways and on the perimeter of the campus, providing visitors and passers-by
with a behind-the-scenes look at art-making and museum activities seldom
visible to the public. The bronze casting studio of the Atlanta College
of Art, with its dramatic “bronze pours,” in which the molten
metal is poured into moulds for sculpture, will be one of the new facilities
open to public viewing.
The border between campus and city will be further erased by the development
of Lombardy Way and the addition of new retail space and “storefront”
facilities for the museum. This design will literally provide a window on
the Museum’s art matting and framing processes, and invite visitors
into its print, drawing, and photography study room. The transformed campus
will also enhance access to the MARTA transit station located at the edge
of the campus, encouraging visitors to utilize public transportation for
quick and easy access to the arts.
The largest new piazza, located between the Memorial Arts building and the
High, will also house a restaurant with open-air seating. Together with
the new residence hall, glass-fronted studios and permeable perimeter, the
new Woodruff campus will be animated with students, visitors, artists, ticket-holders
and those just taking a short-cut, 24 hours a day.
Overall, the Piano design will bring a feeling of European urbanism to the
Arts Center neighborhood. The upgrade will enable the Atlanta College of
Art and the High Museum of Art to build upon their achievements and, simultaneously,
reinforce the Woodruff’s standing among Lincoln Center, The Kennedy
Center, and the Los Angeles Music Center, as a leader in the arts, based
on the quality of its institutions, range of programming and attendance.
The Woodruff is unique among its peers as the only arts center that combines
major performing and visual arts organizations -including an art and design
school - on a single campus.
The new facilities will feature exteriors faced in Marmorino stucco, which
will create a painterly look and luminous quality to the facades. The exterior
design will bring a subtle harmony to the campus through its patterning
and gradation in color, in sync with existing campus facilities.
Our founders made a visionary investment in Atlanta when they created the
Woodruff Arts Center. That commitment to the arts has paid incredible dividends
culturally, artistically, and economically for our city. As Atlanta has
grown into a city of global significance, our institutions have grown with
it. Our vision today will ensure that the Arts Center will continue to be
a defining and inspirational force in Atlanta and in the lives of future
generations of Atlantans.
The Woodruff family of institutions has been a cornerstone and catalyst
of the economic health of Atlanta since its inception, drawing over 1,000,000
tourists to Atlanta last year and currently employing 1,600 people. Since
its founding in 1968, the Arts Center has also successfully seeded and cultivated
a thriving arts community in Atlanta and in the greater region. The Woodruff
Arts Center has served as a catalyst for the growth of the arts throughout
the Southeast, spurring the establishment of new galleries, theater companies,
music groups, alternative arts spaces, music conferences, and film festivals.
The Arts Center is distinguished by its range and scope of programming,
calibrated for a wide variety of audiences, from the first-time museum-goer
to the classical musician to the film aficionado. These audiences increasingly
reflect the diversity of the city in ethnicity, gender, age, and interests.
While Atlanta has invested in the infrastructure to accommodate its emergence
as a leader in such areas as technology, higher education, and sports, this
expansion will enable Atlanta to rightfully claim its place among the top
cities in the nation for the arts.
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