Art Shelters: New Single-Collection Museums

*This event is occurring as a live webinar. Registrants will be emailed a link to access the program.*

In the last 10 years, new private museums with a single collection of modern and contemporary art have proliferated around the world. Within the US alone this unique building type includes The Broad in Los Angeles, California; Glenstone Museum in Potomac, Maryland; and the Rubell Museum in Miami, Florida, among several others. 

Designed specifically to shelter artworks assembled by a couple or a single collector with a keen eye and personal vision, these privately-funded cultural destinations present distinct planning and managing challenges. While architectural precedents, such as the Barnes, the Frick, and the Getty Villa, can be easily found, what has irrevocably changed is the scale of the art, its conservation needs, and the accompanying scholarship that makes these modern collections different from previous ones. 

Three distinguished panelists share their expertise and insights on these and other art shelters today: Annabelle Selldorf of Selldorf Architects, Vittorio Calabrese of Magazzino Italian Art, and Amy Kaufman of AK Cultural Planning, in a panel moderated by architect Warren James of Art Omi.

Speakers:
Annabelle Selldorf, FAIA, Principal, Selldorf Architects
Vittorrio Calabrese, Director, Magazzino Italian Art Foundation
Amy Kaufman, Principal, AK Cultural Planning

Moderator:
Warren James, Director, Art Omi: Architecture

About the institutions:

Selldorf Architects is a 60-person architectural design practice founded by Annabelle Selldorf in New York City in 1988. The firm creates public and private spaces that manifest a clear and modern sensibility to enduring impact. Since its inception the firm’s guiding principles have been deeply rooted in humanism. At every scale and for every condition, Selldorf Architects designs for the individual experience. As a result, its work is brought to life–and made complete–by those who use it. 

Magazzino Italian Art, located in Cold Spring, New York, is a museum and research center dedicated to advancing scholarship and public appreciation of postwar and contemporary Italian art in the United States. The nonprofit museum serves as an advocate for Italian artists as it celebrates the range of their creative practices from Arte Povera to the present. Through its curatorial, scholarly, and public initiatives, Magazzino explores the impact and enduring resonances of Italian art on a global level. Meaning “warehouse” in Italian, Magazzino was co-founded by Nancy Olnick and Giorgio Spanu. The 20,000 square-foot museum, designed by Spanish architect Miguel Quismondo, opened its doors in 2017, creating a new cultural hub and community resource within the Hudson Valley. 

AK Cultural Planning collaborates with institutional leaders to ensure the building blocks of long-term sustainability are in sync. AK Cultural Planning was founded by Amy Kaufman in 2015, building on a 25-year career in arts and cultural management. The organization is known for producing comprehensive Institutional, Business, Strategic and Implementation Plans, often integrated with major capital projects. Every project is built on a solid foundation of market analysis, public engagement, organizational assessment, and client collaboration. Clients include The American LGBTQ+ Museum, the Studio Museum in Harlem, National Audubon Society, Storm King Arts Center, and Oklahoma Contemporary. 

About the speakers:

Annabelle Selldorf, FAIA, is the Principal of Selldorf Architects. Selldorf has received degrees from Pratt Institute and Syracuse University. She is a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects and serves on the Board of the Architectural League of New York, the World Monuments Fund, the Chinati Foundation, and the Center for Curatorial Studies at Bard College. Additionally, Selldorf is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters and was the recipient of their prestigious Award in Architecture in 2014. In 2016, she received the AIA New York Medal of Honor. Selldorf has taught at Harvard’s Graduate School of Design and Syracuse University and is a frequent juror and lecturer.

 

Vittorrio Calabrese is the Director of Magazzino Italian Art Foundation. A native of Irpinia, Italy, he specializes in the management of international and cultural institutions, art business practices, collection management, and appraising. Calabrese holds a BA and MSc in Business Administration and Management from Bocconi University, Milan, and an MA in History of Art and the Art Market from Christie’s Education, New York. He has curated several exhibitions including: Ornaghi & Prestinari, Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò, New York, 2016; Marco Bagnoli, Domenico Bianchi, Remo Salvadori: From the Olnick Spanu Collection, Hillyer Art Space, Washington D.C., 2017; Alessandro Piangiamore: Marango, Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò, New York, 2018; Fausto Melotti: Works from the Olnick Spanu Collection, Consulate General of Italy, New York and Renato Leotta, Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò, New York and Cold Spring, New York, 2019; and Homemade, Magazzino Italian Art, Cold Spring, New York, 2020.

Amy Kaufman has demonstrated success in institutional planning, organizational strategy, business and facilities planning, market research, and project implementation. She has worked with institutions of all types and sizes, including museums, botanic gardens, visitor centers, universities, parks, and heritage sites. She is most passionate about projects that advance human rights, conservation, equity and inclusion. Kaufman launched AK Cultural Planning in 2015, building on a 25-year career that has included museum budgeting and operations, market analysis, project management, and strategic consulting. During her 12 years as Managing Director at Lord Cultural Resources, Kaufman played a leading role in planning new institutions as well as programmatic and physical expansions for existing ones. Previously, Kaufman was Director of Planning and Operations for Special Projects at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York, and Director of Visitor Services during a period of major expansion. She is a regular speaker at conferences and contributed significantly to the third edition of the Manual of Museum Planning: Sustainable Space, Facilities and Operations.