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MassArt expansion will transform its Avenue of the Arts presence

Sep 20, 2011

MassArt has announced that it will complete a $120 million dollar campus overhaul and expansion that will transform its presence on Huntington Avenue, also known as the Avenue of the Arts. “The Avenue of the Arts is really coming of age now,’’ said Mayor Thomas M. Menino. “You can see the excitement and activity there. And the MassArt project will make it even more attractive for students to come to Boston and contribute to the creative economy.’’ The oldest public arts school in the country plans a redesign of its Center for Design and Media that will include a new two-story campus entry on Huntington Avenue and the conversion of an underutilized gymnasium into state-of-the-art design and media studios and classrooms. The Bakalar and Paine Galleries, the largest free contemporary art exhibition spaces in New England, are housed in MassArt’s South Hall. The galleries will undergo a $16.1 million renovation that will add climate controlled exhibition spaces, accessibility upgrades and other visitor amenities. The construction will add a 1,800 square foot entry pavilion along Huntington Avenue, a 150-person multi-purpose lecture hall, a museum learning center, process galleries, and an education studio. Construction on a new MassArt Residence Hall on Huntington Avenue is underway with plans to open the facility in the fall of 2012. It will be 21 stories and house 493 students, doubling  MassArt ‘s housing capacity and guaranteeing that all freshmen and sophomores have access to on-campus housing. The changes will reinforce MassArt’s presence along the “Avenue of the Arts” and its connection to nearby cultural institutions like the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and the Museum of Fine Arts. MassArt is on state land and does not need approvals from the Boston Redevelopment Authority. For more information on the project contact the Massachusetts Division of Capital Asset Management.

Related Tags

Avenue of the Arts expansion Huntington Avenue institution Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum MassArt MFA 

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