THE NEW SCHOOL DEDICATES SHEILA C. JOHNSON DESIGN CENTER
Innovative "Urban Quad" Provides Dynamic Street-Front Presence for Parsons The New School for Design at The New School's Greenwich Village Campus with Galleries, Auditorium, Meeting and Learning Spaces
Exhibitions on View Include "Women Empowered: Photographic Portraiture by Phil Borges"; "Soft Parade: Selections from The New School Art Collection"; and "Parsons Design Workshop: The Margaretville Pavilion"
NEW YORK, February 20, 2008-Today, The New School celebrated the dedication of the Sheila C. Johnson Design Center. The 32,800-square-foot center for Parsons The New School for Design was made possible in part by a $7 million gift from New School Trustee and Parsons Board of Governors Chair Sheila C. Johnson. With an award-winning design by Lyn Rice Architects, whose principal Lyn Rice was part of the team behind Dia:Beacon, this new campus center combines learning and public program spaces with exhibition galleries. It provides a dynamic street front presence for the New School campus at the highly trafficked intersection of Fifth Avenue and 13th Street in Greenwich Village and an important new downtown destination for art and design programming.
"The Sheila C. Johnson Design Center is only possible because of the leadership of Sheila Johnson as well as longtime supporters Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen and Arnold and Sheila Aronson," said Bob Kerrey, President of The New School. "They understood the importance of our creating vibrant learning spaces for our students and faculty, as well as fostering new connections to the city around us."
Combining the ground level of four historic buildings to form an innovative, contemporary "urban quad" on the southwest corner of Fifth Avenue and 13th Street, the Center features the Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Gallery and Auditorium, and the Arnold and Sheila Aronson Galleries. These spaces will present exhibitions and public programs exploring key issues within contemporary culture through the work of architects, artists and designers. The Center also provides a new home for the Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Archives, a significant collection of drawings, photographs, letters, and objects documenting 20th-century design. In addition, several learning and meeting spaces are incorporated into the design, including an innovative student critique area located in the highly visible corner space that will enable the public to observe the design dialogue that is central to a Parsons education.
"My vision for this center is a place where students, faculty and the general public can come together to expand their knowledge of art and design," said Sheila C. Johnson, a trustee of The New School and chair of the Parsons Board of Governors.
"I continue to be impressed by the dedication and intelligence of our students. My hope is that the center will enable them to flourish in their studies and enrich their appreciation of how design can bridge gaps between nations and improve lives around the world. The center will also give the public the opportunity to gain a better understanding of the importance of design by providing a behind-the-scenes look at the process," Johnson said.
The Johnson Design Center gives physical form to the ambitious academic planning currently underway at the university and Parsons. "Increasingly, design is about addressing collaboratively some of the world's most complex issues-from sustainability to globalization," said Tim Marshall, the dean of Parsons The New School for Design. "Parsons is actively engaged in creating new programs that strengthen the connections between the arts, design, international affairs, management and urban policy, the liberal arts, and the social sciences. The New School is the rare place where a comprehensive art and design school can engage such a range of programs, and Parsons is taking the lead in bringing these areas together to provide students with a more progressive education."
The center is part of a larger planning effort currently underway at the university to create a world-class campus for its students and the larger community. "We are looking to transform 13th Street and Fifth Avenue into a true cultural crossroads," said President Kerrey. "This includes plans for a new academic building that will integrate the full range of disciplines offered at The New School and will feature new performing arts spaces. In addition, we want to create an interactive information and welcome center at the northeast corner that will enable prospective students to learn more about the university."