Intro
Butler Museum | Medici
Phillips|Sekanick Architects were asked to work with local landscape designer Bart Gilmore, a former associate of Architect Thomas Schroth to create an addition to the Howland Branch of the Butler Museum of American Art. The addition, designed to house a ceramic tile mural by French painter Pierre Soulages, mimicked the bold and austere modernist elements of the original design, while creating a new focal point within the facility.
Details
Butler Museum
Challenge
The Butler art curators desired a display mechanism that would allow Pierre Soulages’ mural to always be in view and allow additional art installations to be showcased within the space as well. The ceramic tile mural weighed several hundred pounds and once installed would not be easily relocated.
Solution
Phillips|Sekanick Architects proposed a rotating wall for display of the Pierre Soulages ceramic tile mural. Due to the weight of this art installation a ball bearing system with motor to rotate the wall was used to meet the client’s request for continual viewing of the art work. The opposite side of the wall was now available for display of additional art pieces. This dynamic art installation was housed in a modernist addition which blended seamlessly with the aesthetic of the existing art museum.