Gallery 72

Project Description

An architectural marquee that glows against the brightly colored existing building façade and flows into the interior is intended to provide the catalyst to pull pedestrians from the street into the pristine, renovated, inviting galleries. The dynamic twists and bends of the form recall the movement of paper through newspaper printing presses and the shifting lines of the nearby railroad junctions. The sinuous panels also evoke the historic trolley car tracks and lines that traversed Marietta Street back in its heyday and also the marquees that have since been removed on many of the nearby buildings. Historic references were key generators for the design and intentional strategies to relate the forms back to the history of the building and the surrounding area.

Made of powder-coated aluminum, the fins twist, converge, and are perforated to both reveal and conceal the green surface of the ceiling and wall behind. While this energetic form highlights the building entrance and lobby, the galleries that flank it on both sides are designed to disappear, fading into the background and allowing the artwork to speak. Pure white flexible galleries provide the open floor plan needed to exhibit a diverse range of work. The North Gallery moderates light through shading devices attached to the existing curtain wall, providing an ideal space for film, video, digital projection, installations, and other light sensitive artwork. Meanwhile, the South Gallery welcomes the light and the transparency in an effort to reveal the art within and engage the public with a visual presence on the street. The modulation of light throughout the spaces provides a full gradient of exhibition possibilities.

“The ribbons are a fantastic sculptural element, and their transition from wall treatment to ceiling fixture to exterior signage is exciting and activates both the exterior and interior of the building” quoted Michael Kahn in an article for Arts Atlanta. Many collaborators were involved including the Atlanta Office of Cultural Affairs and Mayor Kasim Reed.