Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts
Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts
Studio Gang
ASSOCIATE ARCHITECT
Polk Stanley Wilcox Architects
LOCATION
Little Rock, United States
CATEGORY
Museum
The Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts (AMFA) in Little Rock has undergone a major transformation of its building and grounds in Little Rock.
Through revitalizing existing structures and uniting them with a “blossoming” central addition, Studio Gang’s design creates a 133,000-square-foot building that embraces the surrounding city and park and establishes a bold new architectural identity for AMFA.
The Museum’s historic 1937 Art Deco façade is returned to its original role as the building’s north entrance.
The central addition, with its organic curves and pleated roof, creates a complementary, park-side entrance at the south and establishes a light-filled, connective space that intuitively guides guests into AMFA’s Harriet and Warren Stephens Galleries, Windgate Art School, Performing Arts Theater, Cultural Living Room, Museum Store, and restaurant.
The design also treats architecture and landscape as intrinsically linked.
SCAPE’s 11-acre landscape extends the Museum experience into the park, bringing a biodiverse array of new plantings that provide shade and beauty for indoor/outdoor social spaces, as well as new paths that allow the public to enjoy nature and view outdoor sculptures.
