QUEENS MUSEUM OF ART

This contemporary art museum was designed by Sparano + Mooney Architecture as part of an international design competition to create an expansion strategy for the QMA and establish a modern global image for the museum. Sparano + Mooney Architecture’s solution offers a new arena of art experience for visitors and builds upon the existing network of Queens’ cultural institutions. The design diminishes (perceived and actual) barriers to the museum by folding the surrounding park landscape seamlessly into the museum with a rooftop public plaza. Permanent collections are housed with new media and emerging art exhibits in the gallery space. Dissimilar art works are juxtaposed and the lines of the production and the exhibition of art are blurred as artists set up temporary studios within the museum and interact with the public as they work. Spaces for patrons to experience contemporary, performance and visual art are provided. An outdoor amphitheater, lecture hall and café remain operable even when the museum is closed, creating a destination for visitors with a variety of opportunities for activity, and therefore animating the site at night. The contemporary design provides a venue for non-traditional art forms, lending cultural legitimacy and welcoming audiences as active participants in the museum.