Sunday, February 18, 2007
Expanding the possibilities at Bowers Museum
The Bowers Museum in Santa Ana opens its new, $15 million wing with two new exhibitions.
By RICHARD CHANG
It's not every day that an Orange county museum doubles its exhibition space.
But that's exactly what's happening today, as the Bowers Museum of Cultural Art opens its new, 30,000-square-foot Dorothy and Donald Kennedy Wing.
Two new galleries, an auditorium, a sculpture garden and expansive event space are opening to the public. There's a new entrance off Main Street, a new parking lot and a serene garden of naked coral trees out front.
In addition, two exhibitions – "Ansel Adams: Classic Images" and "Treasures from Shanghai: 5,000 Years of Chinese Art and Culture" – are having their Orange County premieres.
The debut of the latter is especially appropriate today, which is the start of Chinese New Year. It's the year of the pig, or boar, and those associated with the Bowers are eager to celebrate.
"We now have so much more to offer," said Peter Keller, president of the Bowers since 1991. "Every aspect of the new wing was designed to enhance our ability to better serve the public."
For contrast, Keller offers the example of the old, multipurpose meeting room, which used to fit about 100-150 people. That space barely scratched the surface of what the Bowers aspired to do. The room has since been torn down, and an airy hallway, the Anthony W. and Sharon D. Thompson Foyer, has taken its place, leading visitors into the $15 million new wing.
Now, the 300-seat Norma Kershaw Auditorium is ready for lectures, performances and films. It's equipped with a JBL surround-sound system, a 20-by-11-foot projection screen and a three-chip projector that can play movies from a DVD player, computer or laptop.
The 5,800-square-foot John M. Lee Court can accommodate large events and gatherings, such as dinners and speeches. An outdoor sculpture garden, the S.L. and Betty Huang Courtyard, can be used for special events. And two 5,000-square-foot galleries are designed to expand upon the Bowers' mission of spotlighting world cultural art.
"It's very exciting," said Robert Coffee, principal architect for the project. "They're finally getting the exhibitions up, and the spaces are taking on the life they're intended to take on. We're proud of it, and the museum's very proud of it."
Construction only took about a year, and the north wing – unlike other expansion projects around Orange County – has been completely paid for, through private donations, a state bond and government grants.