ArLiSNAP & ALISS Visit the Seattle Art Museum
- iartsuw
- Feb 12, 2020
- 2 min read
Join us for a happy hour at Liberty on Capitol Hill, Feb. 13th, 4:30-6:30 before walking to SAAM to experience the newly reopened space.
After two years of extensive renovations, the SAAM now includes the Asian Paintings Conservation Center, an updated McCaw Foundation Library, education studio, community gallery and meeting rooms, and an expanded glass lobby overlooking Volunteer Park (pictured above).
Why should I visit?
A new collection taxonomy – As part of the reopening of the museum the permanent collection has been reconfigured according to 13 distinct themes such as textiles, literature, identity, and worship rather than the old temporal and geographic distinctions. The north galleries feature themes related to material life, while the south galleries focus more on spiritual life. This arrangement breaks down many of the artificial barriers between cultures imposed by politics and time, and instead emphasizes the commonalities of the human experience.
Enhanced collection preservation – This renovation of the museum represents the first major structural changes to the entirety of the building since its construction in 1933. The Art Deco architecture masterpiece façade of the building has gone through extensive cleaning and preservation. On the interior, a new climate control system keeps temperatures stable, lowers the energy consumption of the galleries, and aids in preserving the artwork. The museum has also added a new glass lobby overlooking Volunteer Park, a new gallery, and a new conservation center.
Exciting new exhibit: ‘Be/longing’, SAAM’s newest exhibit, features 12 artists who have emigrated outside of Asia, or spend much of their time outside of the continent for work, and seek to communicate how their unique global perspective places them in a liminal state of belonging, yet also being viewed as “the other”. This exhibit will feature material from both SAAM’s permanent holdings and private collections.
McCaw Foundation Library for Asian Art – Available by appointment, the McCaw Foundation Library offers access to some incredible materials not widely available in most art libraries in the region. This includes the Chris Harris Photobook Collection and the Taka Yangisawa collection on Buddhist Art. You can learn more about the Seattle Asian Art Museum’s fascinating library collections here: http://www.seattleartmuseum.org/programs-and-learning/libraries-and-resources.
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