The Addison Gallery of American Art, a treasure trove of international renown in Andover, will reopen on Sept. 7 after 18 months of construction. That makes Sept. 7 a day residents should mark on their calendars.
The Addison will pull out 300 of its most recognized items as well as a few of the 254 items it acquired during its renovation and expansion project.
"There will be some other new items, but mostly [we'll show] the 300 what we considered 'top things in the collection' - and that, as you can imagine, was a very tough choice," said Brian Allen, the museum's director.
Residents will also get to see Dale Chihuly's permanent outdoor installation, which was added Tuesday to the Addison's new green roof.
We don't pretend to be arts critics, but some of those who do call themselves that have questioned whether Chihuly is an artist or an artisan. From this vantage point, Chihuly's work seems to fit in quite well with the mission of the Addison.
The Addison has used an environmentally friendly design including a green roof covered in a low-growing plant, and a steel mesh in front of the large windows to cut down on the heat that will get into the building. Chihuly is known for exploring the connections between nature and man-made art. His installation is atop the green roof.
Chihuly is credited with advancing glass blowing and the Addison should acknowledge ground-breaking art.
Chihuly has founded advanced educational programs for glass sculptors, and one of his installations, at The Children's Museum of Indianapolis, contained a 43-foot winding, colorful tower under which children and families could try a hands-on glassblowing experience. The Addison is part of a private high school's campus. Phillips Academy and other local students, and the public at large, can view Chihuly's Black Niijimi Floats from the museum learning center, where the museum's entire library can now be accessed. There researchers will have the opportunity to ask for items not on display to be brought up from storage and viewed in this room. The Chihuly work should attract people. "When the space is empty (of students) we want people to have a reason to come in. For the first time the whole library is accessible to the people," said Allen.
On Sept. 7, residents will have a chance to see the library, Chihuly's work and a few hundred years of it on display.
