Jump to content

Grand Rapids Art Museum


GRDadof3

Recommended Posts

I would rather not prolong the stereotype that the Art community is elitist, one could point out that other communities, which I will not name, are hell of a lot more elitist then they are. Anyways, I never like this design to begin with, is condescending...

The project:

o. Is intimidating, it dosent integrate a humanitarian feel. Art is about humanity, not jailing works of art in concret slaps and blocks.

o. Is too centralized in downtown, this space could be better used for something vital to the center.

Link to comment
Share on other sites


  • Replies 49
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Rizzo,

I am not trying to stereotype, it just seems like they are building something for themselves instead of for the public, their patrons and their donors. I am still hoping the design is world-class and the building is an asset to the city, but it sounds a bit like the director is not leaving the design work to the architects. It is a shame. I think this is how most poorly designed projects happen. Architects can be pretty clever and work within budget constraints so I think a lot of bad design comes from the wheels of the bus coming off. :)

Joe

I would rather not prolong the stereotype that the Art community is elitist, one could point out that other communities, which I will not name, are hell of a lot more elitist then they are. Anyways, I never like this design to begin with, is condescending...

The project:

o. Is intimidating, it dosent integrate a humanitarian feel. Art is about humanity, not jailing works of art in concret slaps and blocks.

o. Is too centralized in downtown, this space could be better used for something vital to the center.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am new to this forum, but have been interested in GR urbanism for the past four years. In response to the posted comments and the suggestions for a larger scale/possibly mixed-use development for the monroe site, I disagree. I think the building choice was wise. I think the architects/developers were smart in picking a plan that focuses on the relationship between interior and exterior space. Yes, this is a prime downtown site, and for that reason it needs to be the social center. The site should be a place where social and economic roads converge. Monroe center already has that potential, why destroy that with a 25+ floor tower.

In terms of the architectural design, I think the tell-tale sign of a good modernist design is one that pushes and pulls the space to create depth and contrast. However, I am also a little concerned with the materials. I question if wood, concrete and glass are the best choices for michigan winters.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Welcome acarlton,

I am also fine with the size, I think it mixes well with the two, three and four story buildings it faces. I am concerned about the design. It looks Soviet era to me. :) Where is Frank Gehry when you need him. He would shake and bake that corner.

Joe

I am new to this forum, but have been interested in GR urbanism for the past four years. In response to the posted comments and the suggestions for a larger scale/possibly mixed-use development for the monroe site, I disagree. I think the building choice was wise. I think the architects/developers were smart in picking a plan that focuses on the relationship between interior and exterior space. Yes, this is a prime downtown site, and for that reason it needs to be the social center. The site should be a place where social and economic roads converge. Monroe center already has that potential, why destroy that with a 25+ floor tower.

In terms of the architectural design, I think the tell-tale sign of a good modernist design is one that pushes and pulls the space to create depth and contrast. However, I am also a little concerned with the materials. I question if wood, concrete and glass are the best choices for michigan winters.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Alas, there will never be a mutiny at GRAM so long as the current director is in place. (Please do not ask me how I know this.)

The sad fact is that GR will never be a cultural mecca so long as people in high places continue to honor poster art (and not even limited-edition lithos!) that they have chosen based upon the color of their sofa and loveseat. (Imagine the dilemma of a paint color change!)

According to an art dealer in-the-know, there are maybe two or three serious art collectors in this town. Hint: the people at GRAM are not on the list.

These are the people who will spend $25 on the poster and beau coup $$$ on gilded frames. These are the same people who are making the decisions on the style of architecture and building materials of the new museum.

Talent is swept aside in favor of mediocrity.

Budgie

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

Alas, there will never be a mutiny at GRAM so long as the current director is in place. (Please do not ask me how I know this.)

The sad fact is that GR will never be a cultural mecca so long as people in high places continue to honor poster art (and not even limited-edition lithos!) that they have chosen based upon the color of their sofa and loveseat. (Imagine the dilemma of a paint color change!)

According to an art dealer in-the-know, there are maybe two or three serious art collectors in this town. Hint: the people at GRAM are not on the list.

These are the people who will spend $25 on the poster and beau coup $$$ on gilded frames. These are the same people who are making the decisions on the style of architecture and building materials of the new museum.

Talent is swept aside in favor of mediocrity.

Budgie

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Art isn't exactly the investment it used to be. With all of the fakes and frauds coming out of China, it is now dangerous. Buy a fraud, then try to sell it - guess who gets serious prison time, even if you were not aware of the fraud. Tax laws have over the years become more and more abusive to collectors, especially those of art. Then there are new International laws which give the home nations of art works choice over whether or not they want to liberate the works and bring them home - without compensating their current owners.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It must be nice to be able to complain about a building like this, not to offend any of the previous posters. I just wish Lansing could come up with anything decent, it has been very aggravating to see so many proposals come and go. Maybe someone can nudge Van Andel or Meijer or somthing about our Lansing woes :lol:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wow...I had not read this topic or seen those pics of what the museum is gonna look like. What a piece of crap :sick: . You would think that an art museum would embellish their building with details and decoration, not build a big ugly bomb shelter. And where are the windows??!? They might as well have taken all the big scraps from the US 131 construction and put them a pile because that's what it looks like. :angry: The only thing that could've made it worse was to call up Frank Gehry an have him design us a random pile of metal scraps. Jeez...that is just horrendous.

I think we have enough museums around here. That would have been much better used as a mixed use development of some kind with lots of housing. I don't want downtown to be a "destination", I want it to be a place where people live and work and shop that's always hoppin, not a place where tourists come and rubberneck for 2 hours in a museum and go home. A few "destinations" and tourist-types is good, but there will not be a strong economic base downtown until lots of people start living there.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wow...I had not read this topic or seen those pics of what the museum is gonna look like.  What a piece of crap :sick: .  You would think that an art museum would embellish their building with details and decoration, not build a big ugly bomb shelter.  And where are the windows??!?  They might as well have taken all the big scraps from the US 131 construction and put them a pile because that's what it looks like. :angry: The only thing that could've made it worse was to call up Frank Gehry an have him design us a random pile of metal scraps.  Jeez...that is just horrendous.

I think we have enough museums around here.  That would have been much better used as a mixed use development of some kind with lots of housing. I don't want downtown to be a "destination", I want it to be a place where people live and work and shop that's always hoppin, not a place where tourists come and rubberneck for 2 hours in a museum and go home.  A few "destinations" and tourist-types is good, but there will not be a strong economic base downtown until lots of people start living there.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

There is also a big "scandal" behind the design. Read the posts by "artfan", who was previously "Munkenbeck" of Munkenbeck & Marshall UK (the original architects). Apparently they were forced out and replaced by the current firm from California.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That kind of stuff is irritating. So, because of a bunch of quasi-political BS we, who love GR, are stuck with this design abortion? I think all major developments, especially downtown, should have some kind of architectural guidelines or a committee or something to ensure we don't have another POS like this get built down here.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

New museum will not be a disaster for Grand Rapdis, on the contrary, it will do all sorts of good things raising interest in art and being a gathering place for residents and especially a great venue for parties of alll sorts.

The design has just been diluted and pushed in the wrong direction by a snobbish neurotic administration. The clever Grand Rapidians who have some concept of what would be good for the town are off doing other things. Meijer gardens is not beautiful architecture but it is a loved and successful institution with a human being running the sculpure acquisitions and getting interesting shows. When completed the new art museum building could achieve same or better, especially with co-operation but no chance with sad bitter snobbish current attitude at GRAM.

GRAM will never posess a world beating collection of original art....why should it? It could however be a world notable venue for showing traveling collections and exhibitions. That is achievable. For that, however, it needs an administration which has an understanding of people...rather than immersing itself in dealers and auction houses for which there never will be a serious propect of ownership.

Meanwhile, art director is lobbying the city to bequeath Maya Lin garden to the new art museum and eliminate Blues on the Malll and all the other festivals that occur there....only classical music will be alllowed....no more sponaneous expressions of local culture. No more crowds that include people interested in what is happening now to be replaced by proper people who listen to chamber music and sip sherry with their little finger in the air and don't need toilets.

So Instiution, properly led would be wonderful in that location and could include mixed use gathering place around art. If it is an old fashioned mausoleum more interested in protecting art than showing it....it will be sad and that is the direction GRAM is going in right now. Crusty!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The worst thing about that place, to me, is the ugly building. I'm sorry folks but I just can't see anything I like about it. It's a big concrete box. Yes, that space could have been used for something better I think, but it is better than a parking lot.

If this art director is successful in his quest to eliminate blues on the mall I think it would be a travesty. Why would he want to do that? Is he that much of a self-important, arrogant, pompous ***hole that he would want to get rid of everyone except for rich, middle-aged art snobs? GR needs everybody it can get downtown, and one would think that Blues on the Mall and other popular events could help to bring patrons in to the art museum.

A successful downtown cannot be a place full of pretentious art snobs, it has to be a densely populated place with people of all income brackets. A good portion of that should be rich folks, but to attempt to eliminate everyone else is ridiculous and, frankly a discriminatory attitude. artfan you are making me worried...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The worst thing about that place, to me, is the ugly building.  I'm sorry folks but I just can't see anything I like about it.  It's a big concrete box.  Yes, that space could have been used for something better I think, but it is better than a parking lot. 

If this art director is successful in his quest to eliminate blues on the mall I think it would be a travesty.  Why would he want to do that?  Is he that much of a self-important, arrogant, pompous ***hole that he would want to get rid of everyone except for rich, middle-aged art snobs?  GR needs everybody it can get downtown, and one would think that Blues on the Mall and other popular events could help to bring patrons in to the art museum. 

A successful downtown cannot be a place full of pretentious art snobs, it has to be a densely populated place with people of all income brackets.  A good portion of that should be rich folks, but to attempt to eliminate everyone else is ridiculous and, frankly a discriminatory attitude.  artfan you are making me worried...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Actually, the Director is a she, but she's can be xxxholes too ;) Everyone who feels as vehemently as andy should start making some noise (the staff there are probably not as enlightened and don't check in here):

http://www.gramonline.org/infoandcalender/directory.html

http://www.grand-rapids.mi.us/index.pl?page_id=42

I agree that for them to take over the bandshell at Rosa Parks Circle and control what takes place there is total BS!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Fear not, we will never let that happen. Blues on the Mall in itself probably draws as many people as the Art Museum.

I agree with you Art Fan, GRAM should focus on travelling exhibits (which it has had some great success with).

It's bothersome to here the snobbery that exists within the Art Museum. I would expect nothing less, but it is still a shame!

Joe

Meanwhile, art director is lobbying the city to bequeath Maya Lin garden to the new art museum and eliminate Blues on the Malll and all the other festivals that occur there....only classical music will be alllowed....no more sponaneous expressions of local culture.  No more crowds that include people interested in what is happening now to be replaced by proper people who listen to chamber music and sip sherry with their little finger in the air and don't need toilets.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Sadly, as the renderings suggest, the museum will have that GRCC concrete fortress skin. I Have word direct from the source that the exterior of the building will be a light colored concrete, glass (some transparent and some opaque), and metal louvers. The wall above the porches and front steps are a very dark stone. Some may say this is a fitting contrast to the circa 1800's building around it, but I'm not so sure. I think someone may have dropped the ball right in the middle of downtown Grand Rapids.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Some may say this is a fitting contrast to the circa 1800's building around it, but I'm not so sure. 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I agree.

Saying the building is a fitting contrast seems like a poor excuse to build an ugly building. The building across the street looks good with details, lots of windows, etc etc.

That new building is a contrast to what is across the street, but I wouldn't be too proud of that if I were them. Its ugly.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 year later...

Alas, there will never be a mutiny at GRAM so long as the current director is in place. (Please do not ask me how I know this.)

The sad fact is that GR will never be a cultural mecca so long as people in high places continue to honor poster art (and not even limited-edition lithos!) that they have chosen based upon the color of their sofa and loveseat. (Imagine the dilemma of a paint color change!)

According to an art dealer in-the-know, there are maybe two or three serious art collectors in this town. Hint: the people at GRAM are not on the list.

These are the people who will spend $25 on the poster and beau coup $$$ on gilded frames. These are the same people who are making the decisions on the style of architecture and building materials of the new museum.

Talent is swept aside in favor of mediocrity.

Budgie

Sadly, Budgie is SO right. Many of the people on the board have not nearly the class and taste they would like to have! To me, class and taste also include meeting the communites needs rather than ones own seflish needs. If only they knew what dilettantes they are!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sadly, Budgie is SO right. Many of the people on the board have not nearly the class and taste they would like to have! To me, class and taste also include meeting the communites needs rather than ones own seflish needs. If only they knew what dilettantes they are!

I take it you mean the Art Museum board? I'm trying to think who is on it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 11 months later...

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.