Pictured, from left: John Fisher ’83, Louise Sams ’79, John Diekman ’65, Susie Diekman h65, Bill Fisher ’79, President Christopher L. Eisgruber ’83, James Steward, Preston Haskell ’60, Joan Haskell, Jennifer Rexford ’91, Nancy Nasher ’76 and David Haemisegger ’76. Photo by Kevin Birch
The Venture Forward campaign helped shape new ways of experiencing art and the humanities by supporting the construction of the new Princeton University Art Museum, a spectacular space in the heart of campus. The new Princeton University Art Museum, which opens to the public on Oct. 31, was dedicated during a special evening gathering on Oct. 23.
The new Art Museum is a gateway to the University for visitors from around the world. It roughly doubles the space for the exhibition, conservation, study and interpretation of its globe-spanning collections, and includes a new array of social gathering spaces and visitor amenities.
Leadership gifts from Nancy A. Nasher ’76 and David J. Haemisegger ’76, Preston H. Haskell III ’60, and the Fisher family; major gifts from Theodora D. Walton ’78 and William H. Walton III ’74, Yan Huo *94, Louisa Stude Sarofim P86 and The Anschutz Foundation; and significant gifts from many other donors provided philanthropic support for the new 146,000-square-foot facility, which has transformed the Art Museum and amplifies its efforts to educate, challenge and inspire scholars, students and the public.
The design of the new building allows the new Art Museum’s collections to be exhibited substantially on a single level, shaping new ways of encountering art, juxtaposing cultures and ideas, and fostering new modes of storytelling and interpretation.
The project has been overseen by James Steward, the Nancy A. Nasher–David J. Haemisegger, Class of 1976, Director of the Art Museum, and University Architect Ron McCoy *80. The three-story building was designed by the architectural firm Adjaye Associates, in collaboration with executive architects Cooper Robertson.
The new Art Museum will open to the public with a 24-hour open house that will welcome visitors to explore the galleries and feature such activities as family-friendly art making, a Halloween costume contest, film screenings, poetry readings, skygazing, a dance party, live performances, and storytelling and wellness activities. The public grand opening will launch a season of special exhibitions. The Art Museum website has details on the public opening, including dates for the inaugural exhibitions.
