Chinati announces team for Master Plan, Grant from Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
The Chinati Foundation is pleased to announce that it has chosen the firm of Sasaki to partner with the museum on the creation of a master plan. The plan will provide a framework for the conservation, restoration, maintenance, and development of the entire Chinati site, comprised of 34 buildings on 340 acres in Marfa, Texas. Its scope will encompass the physical and environmental fabric of the museum, including the permanent art installations, completed and unfinished architectural projects, the increasing number of visitors and their access to the site and collection, conservation needs, land management, as well as the preservation and future growth of the institution both physically and philosophically.
“We are excited to begin work with Sasaki on this important endeavor” states Jenny Moore, Chinati’s director. “Chinati is like no other museum in the world. The interrelationship between the art, architecture and the land that makes Chinati so special presents some very compelling challenges. We look forward to creating a map for Chinati’s future that addresses this dynamic, and that honors the singular experience of art Chinati offers.”
Board chair Andrew Cogan added, “The selection committee at Chinati was very impressed with Sasaki’s sensitivity to the unique nature of the museum. Sasaki’s professional planning experience, the strength of their team, as well as the deep consideration and work the team already put into this project made Sasaki the right choice. Chinati is very grateful for the enthusiasm and interest so many firms demonstrated in this process.”
Sasaki was chosen from among an initial group of thirty-eight firms who responded to a request for qualifications and from among three finalists. Led by Brie Hensold, principal, the team includes architects, engineers, landscape architects and master planners from Sasaki as well as members from Heritage Strategies, Lord Cultural Resources, Aeon Preservation Services, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, and Simpson Gumpertz & Heger.
Chinati’s master plan was launched with a generous grant of $195,000 from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and contributions from Chinati’s board of trustees. It will be completed by fall of 2017. A symposium on preservation and initial findings from the master plan will be held spring of 2017 at Chinati.
The Chinati Foundation/La Fundatión Chinati was created by the artist Donald Judd (1928-1994) as a unique art museum where large-scale works of art or large groups of work by a limited number of artists are installed on a permanent basis according to each artist’s specifications. It was Judd’s goal to bring art, architecture, and the landscape together to form a coherent whole. Judd believed in the purity of art and its intrinsic value for humans. He situated his museum in Marfa, Texas, believing that the remoteness and vast open spaces of the locale enhanced viewers’ experience of the art works. Chinati’s mission is to preserve Judd’s vision by conserving the collection and making it available to the public, while maintaining the educational programs Judd initiated, including symposia, temporary exhibitions, artist residencies, internships, and publications.
Sasaki is an integrated design and planning firm committed to partnering with leading institutional clients around the world. Drawing on the collaboration and diversity of ideas that defines their inter-disciplinary practice, Sasaki creates award-winning spaces and places that strengthen the missions of their clients. The practice’s diverse portfolio includes work that ranges in scale and typology, including the Lincoln Memorial Landscape and Reflecting Pool, Beijing’s 798 Arts District, the Chicago Riverwalk, and UT Austin Campus Master Plan.