Andover, Mass. On Sept. 7, 2010, the Addison Gallery of American Art, the academic art museum of Phillips Academy, will once again welcome the public after the first renovation and restoration in its history. In celebration of this long-awaited occasion, the entire museum will be filled with more than three hundred historical and contemporary art objects drawn exclusively from the Addison’s extraordinary collection of American art.
“After eighteen months of anticipation, we are overjoyed to begin the next phase of the Addison’s storied history with our reopening in September,” said Brian T. Allen, Mary Stripp & R. Crosby Kemper Director of the Addison. “The staff has worked diligently to prepare an exhibition that truly honors the Addison’s collection, showcases our improved space and celebrates our tradition of cultivating a love for the beautiful. The Addison is a jewel among museums – and after much devoted, often difficult, work – the jewel has been reset.”
Designed to showcase the museum’s renewed and enlarged state, the opening exhibit is titled Inside, Outside, Upstairs, Downstairs: The Addison Anew. This extraordinary exhibit will offer viewers the opportunity to discover great treasures and rediscover old favorites, learn about lesser-known but equally compelling works, and become acquainted with newly acquired additions to the Addison’s collection.
Inside, Outside, Upstairs, Downstairs: The Addison Anew highlights the range and depth of the Addison’s holdings. The exhibition acknowledges the transformative and respectful nature of the Addison’s restoration, which returned original gallery spaces in the 1931 building to their former use, restored the main entrance rotunda and its celebrated Paul Manship fountain, and installed new climate control, security and lighting systems throughout the building.
In late July 2008, the Addison officially closed its doors for the first major building project in the museum’s 79-year history. The reopening marks the completion of five major goals:
Create the Addison Gallery Museum Learning Center
Provide appropriate collection storage and art preservation space
Construct new office space
Renovate and restore the existing Platt Building
* Ensure the Addison’s future financial stability
Beginning Sept. 7, 2010, the Addison Gallery of American Art, Phillips Academy, Andover, Mass., is open to the public from Tuesday through Saturday, 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., Sunday 1:00 – 5:00 p.m. The Gallery is closed on Monday. Admission to all exhibitions and events is free. The Addison Gallery also offers free education programs for teachers and groups. For more information, call 978-749-4015, or visit the website at www.addisongallery.org