Studio Museum in Harlem reopens in stunning new home housing historic Black art
HARLEM, Manhattan (WABC) -- After nearly eight years without a permanent home, the Studio Museum in Harlem is finally reopening its doors in a newly reimagined space.
Leaders of the museum as well as state and city officials held a ribbon cutting on Friday morning to celebrate the institution's triumphant return on the iconic 125th Street in Harlem.
The museum closed in 2018 with the hopes of constructing a space to fit the needs of its expanding programming. The pandemic and construction challenges led to delays, but Friday's reopening marks a full-circle moment for the museum.
Museum leaders chose to stay in the same location it's been for years, where it became a symbol of Black art.
A group of artists founded the museum in 1968 to promote the artists of African descent. The museum first opened with a solo exhibition with the work of Tom Lloyd, a Black activist and artist who used technology in his artwork.
Thelma Golden, the director of the museum, led a campaign that raised $307 million for the new building and created a $52 million endowment. Leaders say the new building opens new opportunities.
"The Studio Museum has a long history of experimentation, of being laboratory for artists, thinkers," said Natasha Logan, chief program officer for the Studio Museum.
"We say yes to things even when we shouldn't have. There are stories about the previous buildings or curators cutting through the ceilings to accommodate large artworks. Now, we don't have to make those kinds of changes to our architecture."
Logan described the significance of the museum having more room to house bigger works of art.
"In our galleries, our ceilings range from 16 to almost 30 feet. So, we can really incorporate the scale of some of the works in our collection. We can show heavy things, we can show enormous, new commissions. We can really experiment with artists and say yes to their ideas," she said.
The Studio Museum reopens to the public on November 15 with a free community celebration.
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