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Minnetonka Center for the Arts <br />r' <br />P “-“itei:^ i <br />^ e <br />The Minnetonka Center for the Arts project represents a unique opportunity to explore the intimate relationship of <br />Fine Art and Architecture. The design of the building shares many aspects with fine art: process, plane, form, <br />color, balance, light, shadow, materiality, plasticity. The design decisions have been made with the processes of <br />fine art as a guiding principle, and as a result the building will be a primary illustration of how art is created, and <br />promote the ideas of creativity and artistic expression. <br />The building should be an introspective, self-referential space, illustrating the <br />strong sense of the community it serves, as well as the interdisciplinary nature of fine <br />art. The Art Center serves a distinct community of artists, and a regional community of <br />visitors that utilize the facility for social purposes. Additionally, fine art is interdiscipli ­ <br />nary in nature, and these two ideas together suggest a building that is not organized <br />along a line, but is turned back in on itself, allowing for a sense of interaction and <br />awareness of others' activities within the building. The U-shaped' building provides <br />this opportunity, allowing for views into and across adjacent spaces. The building also <br />surrounds a central courtyard, the 'Town Square' of the Art Center, an overt expression <br />of the gathering of artists, students, teachers, and visitors that are the spirit behind the <br />Art Center. <br />The spaces within the building should have close relationships with the exterior. <br />There is a unique quality to living in Minnesota that involves outdoor activity at all times <br />of the year, including winter. Therefore, each space in the building should have a <br />complimentary outdoor space associated with it. Outdoor studios for each medium, <br />allowing for a diversity in scale, material and lighting quality; outdoor dining for the <br />caf6; outdoor exhibition for the exhibition gallery; and freedom for the Summer Arts <br />Camp students. The connection to the land and the freedom of space associated with <br />working outdoors will greatly enhance the experience of the Art Center. <br />Fine Art is a limitless endeavor We have seen in the world of fine art that the creativ ­ <br />ity of the artist has no limitations. Particularly in the last 100 years, we have seen art <br />incorporate all modes of thought, process, media, and artists have demonstrated that <br />expression has no limitations. The Art Center is designed around a series of display <br />areas that will be available to students and faculty. These areas are essentially blank <br />canvases, capable of accommodating all types of media and all scales of work The <br />most visible of these is the Art Wall, located at the north end of the central courtyard. <br />The Art Wall is a 28-foot high wall, capable of holding painting, drawing, sculpture, <br />video, film, or nearly any medium an artist can conceive of. The wall is at once a work <br />surface for the artist, and a highly visible illustration of the creative energy within the Art <br />Center. <br />„ ^ fc. .. # <br />t <br />^ <br />1 <br />I« • c N c t w a I DESIGN