About 20 students, faculty and staff littered the more than 100 plush, cobalt-blue chairs of 177 Lawrence on Tuesday to hear Chiyo Ishikawa’s lecture “Transforming the Seattle Art Museum: Reflections on the Downtown Expansion.”
Ishikawa, the deputy director of art and curator of the museum’s newly renovated downtown building took the audience through a detailed virtual tour of the space from the outside in.
The actual process of constructing the new museum was funded by a partnership with Washington Mutual bank, made possible by the bank’s acquisition of half of the lot SAM occupies. Although many negotiations had to be made, Ishikawa said SAM came out of the venture with a space that “enabled us to have the opportunity for growth.”
The museum now has four floors but also has the ability to expand to up to 12 in the coming years.
As part of the agreements, SAM was able to pick a separate architect for their project – Brad Cloepfil, a University architecture school graduate. Ishikawa noted that although Cloepfil was a “dark horse candidate” because of his portfolio’s smaller projects, his designs focusing on gallery space inevitably won him the contract.
After explaining the need for the museum to have a closer relationship to Seattle’s downtown and the Pike Place Market open-air bazaar, Ishikawa touched on the basic principles that guided her and other SAM curators as they worked with Cloepfil’s design. She said that after deliberation they decided to follow SAM’s mission statement, “SAM Connects Art to Life,” during planning.
The most important application of this for Ishikawa was to “build bridges between cultures; bridges between the past and present by creating a story of interaction.”
Ishikawa gave constant examples of these connections during her virtual tour. One example was the juxtaposition of SAM’s Native American collection. A traditional piece, a Raven screen from 1810, is placed across from Preston Singletary’s modern Tlingit interpretation in glass. Ishikawa pointed out that these and other SAM pieces make “historical works relevant to a modern audience.”
The museum’s refurbished identity was also made possible through the curators’ ability to display collections for which the SAM did not previously have space. Some never-before-seen exhibits that are now on permanent display are Australian Aboriginal and Oceanic art, a constantly adjustable textile gallery, a porcelain room, and a glass gallery.
Ishikawa’s visit was supplemented by lectures she gave to associate professor of art history Andrew Schulz’s architecture class “Inside the Museum.” Schulz, a long time friend and peer of Ishikawa, felt that even after spending time in the new SAM space the night’s lecture illuminated the “exhibition’s philosophy,” which he previously did not know.
Annamieka Hopps, an undergraduate fine arts major who is taking Schulz’s course, felt that “most people don’t consider the placement of art to inform your experience” and that Ishikawa’s lecture and Schulz’s course have helped her to understand the “inner workings of a museum.”
Both Ishikawa’s lecture and Schulz’s course were made possible by a grant from the Tom and Carol Williams Fund for Undergraduate Education.