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News Release Carnegie Museum of Art launches Hall of Architecture Centennial Initiative September 4, 2007 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania…Carnegie Museum of Art today announces the launch of its Hall of Architecture Centennial Initiative, a long-term strategy for both incorporating interpretive materials into the Hall of Architecture and caring for and preserving the cast collection for future generations. To support the implementation of the Centennial Initiative, The Heinz Endowments has generously provided Carnegie Museum of Art with a $54,000 planning grant. This grant will help Carnegie Museum of Art continue to maintain the Hall of Architecture and better understand how visitors benefit from interaction with the cast collection. The Hall of Architecture houses close to 140 full size plaster casts of elements of buildings found in ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome and other ancient civilizations, and from Romanesque, Gothic, and Renaissance Europe. Gems of the collection include the western façade of the Benedictine abbey church of St. Gilles-du-Gard—the largest surviving cast in the world, and one of the largest casts ever produced—as well as components of the Acropolis in Athens, the eastern doors of the Florence Baptistry, portions of the south entrance of the Cathedral of Notre-Dame in Amiens, and a portal from the Cathedral of St. Andre in Bordeaux. As a result of its commitment to maintaining its collection, Carnegie Museum of Art today houses the only architectural cast collection of its size in the Western hemisphere, and one of the three largest in the world. In addition to functioning as a historical record and an educational resource, the objects in Carnegie Museum of Art’s collection have become irreplaceable, because many of the originals monuments have deteriorated significantly over the last century. “The cast collection has awed and fascinated generations of visitors and stands as a powerful tribute to architecture’s ability to claim people’s attention and stimulate their imagination,” says Carnegie Museum of Art Curator of Architecture Tracy Myers, project director for the Hall of Architecture initiative. “We are deeply grateful to The Heinz Endowments for recognizing the Hall of Architecture’s importance to this region and for supporting a process that ultimately will allow us to create memorable, enriching experiences for our visitors.” In celebration of the Hall of Architecture’s 100th anniversary, Carnegie Museum of Art begins a process to transform the visitor experience of the collection with the development of a new interpretive program that will allow visitors to engage more actively with the cast collection in the Hall of Architecture. Carnegie Museum of Art has organized an advisory group to identify the optimal content and delivery methods for the program. Members of this group hail from around the region and the country, and have expertise in areas including architectural history, cast collecting and interpretation of historical sites and objects. Based on the advisory group’s recommendations, museum staff will work to identify and consult with other museums that employ interpretive strategies that could be applied to this project. With the Centennial Initiative, Carnegie Museum of Art also plans to address key conservation issues associated with the cast collection. In July 2007, a conservation and engineering survey assessed and analyzed the structural integrity and exterior condition of the casts and recommended appropriate remediations for them. The next step is implementation of the recommendations. The exhibition On a Grand Scale: The Hall of Architecture at 100 marks the start of the Centennial Initiative. The exhibition, which sheds new light on the uniqueness of the hall, will be presented in the Heinz Architectural Center from September 22, 2007 through January 27, 2008. Photos are available on Carnegie Museum of Art’s media photo website. Contact the communications office at 412.688.8690 or email stitelert@carnegiemuseums.org for the access code. Support Carnegie Museum of Art Contact:
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