Hood Museum Reopens After Nearly Three Years

After nearly three years of construction, the Hood Museum reopened its doors last weekend to the great delight of students, faculty, and community members alike. The grand opening unveiled extensive renovations to the museum designed by New York based architects Tod Williams and Billie Tsien. The slogan for the opening, “Transformed, Transformative,” could not appear to be more fitting. This $50 million renovation has not given Dartmouth a remodeled building, but rather an entirely new, transformed educational space. In the remodel, husband and wife team Williams and Tsien increased the size of the museum by 50%, now totaling 62,400 square feet of space. They also made substantial changes to the front entrance and atrium. The Hood was originally constructed in 1985 by Charles Moore as an example of the postmodern style. The entrance was dominated by a large metal archway that then led directly into the galleries before emptying into a large open-air atrium.  Williams and Tsien instead delivered a sleek low-profile entrance with a focal window into the second-floor galleries. Additionally, they rearranged the first gallery, filling in the old atrium to create the new, covered Russo Atrium connecting the Hood to the Hopkins Center. Despite these changes, Williams and Tsien have not only preserved the spirit of the acclaimed 1985 Moore building, but have revitalized it, creating a modern Hood which is well-suited to a modern Dartmouth.

As Mr. Stromberg predicted, the potential for this building has professors abuzz. In an interview with The Review, Professor Marlene Heck of the Art History Department expressed her excitement and that of her colleagues saying, “it really is just a wonderful space… now [we] have breathing room, [we] have growing room… we were all completely blown away.” Professor Heck, an architecture specialist, also commented on the differences between Moore’s building and the new one created by Williams and Tsien. Professor Heck called the Charles Moore building a “landmark of 20th century postmodern architecture” and remarked that it was “very special that we had it right here on campus.” For those not schooled in architecture, the postmodern movement was a response to earlier modern architecture which had been characterized by extremely spare designs. It was intended to be a return to what people enjoyed about architecture—color, whimsical qualities and hidden surprises. When addressing the new building, Professor Heck explained that it “reflects the most significant global trend in architecture,” geometric designs. This clever geometric design is what allows the museum to be so expansive, affording students and community members’ access to a greater portion the ever-growing Dartmouth collection.

Professor Heck was not the only person who highlighted the importance of the 1985 Charles Moore building. Mr. Williams and Ms. Tsien did the same during their conversation with The Review. They stated that the former building showcased both Moore’s “love of contradictions” and his “genuine delight for the world.” Their respect for Moore and his work shaped the way they approached this renovation, Mr. Williams stating, “they have really tried to honor Moore with this work, making the building both Moore-like but more connected to the present.” Ms. Tsien also expressed a keen appreciation for Moore’s work, especially given that she was a student of his during her time at the University of California Los Angeles, Mr. Moore even serving as Ms. Tsien’s thesis advisor during her senior year. Ms. Tsien clearly looks back on that time with great fondness stating that Moore “always taught his students and his friends that one need not look with a narrow sort of focus at the world of architecture.” She told The Review that Moore was keen to remove his students from the bubble of their classical education in architecture and encourage them to view architecture in a different way. He often did this through field trips; one that Ms. Tsien remembers in detail was a trip to a miniature golf course that she called “an excellent lesson in scale.” Williams and Tsien have certainly retained this desire for new perspectives in the Hood Museum remodel.  Moreover, the relationship between the late Mr. Moore and Ms. Tsien, that of a teacher and a student-turned-expert, is certainly poetically fitting for the Hood’s role as a teaching museum.

Despite its incredible capacity for teaching, the Hood is not going to limit itself to teaching alone. Director Stromberg made it very clear both in his comment to The Review and in his remarks at the grand opening that he does not want the Hood to feel overly formal or intimidating for students—he hopes that the space will be seen as casual and recreational.  Williams and Tsien’s choice to cover the old atrium and create the large Russo Atrium will help cultivate this attitude. Located immediately outside the main galleries, this atrium will be open from 6 A.M. until midnight every day and will undoubtedly see substantial foot traffic, especially from students coming and going from the connected Hopkins Center.  The atrium also houses a dining space for students eating at the nearby Courtyard Café in the HOP as well as enough space to host student performance groups, such as acapella or comedy groups.

To that end, it appears that the construction of a new atrium was a stroke of genius by both the architects and Director Stromberg. From a very practical standpoint, it now makes a space useable that previously was not. While the open-air atrium of the Moore building certainly lovely, it was less so in the middle of a Hanover winter.  Also, considering the intermittently inclement weather during both the fall and the spring, the original open-air atrium was only used during the summer. This new construction will be usable year-round and actually makes moving among the arts buildings more convenient for students. The choice to add extra dining space in the atrium was also excellent given that the Hop, despite being one of the most popular dining halls on campus, is constantly out of seating. Finally, student groups are always looking for somewhere casual to perform. Typically, that means performing at a fraternity. While that is convenient for members of The Review and other affiliated students, it is a great hurdle in the administration’s, albeit ineffective, crusade against Greek life.  The Russo Atrium may in fact prove to be the elusive “alternative social space” that students actually use.

Furthermore, it will undoubtedly change student posture towards the museum. Given the rather-safe assumption that many students will be spending time walking through the Hood’s new atrium, they will always be in close proximity to the Dartmouth collection. The museum was deliberately constructed so that even a 10-minute visit to the galleries could be a meaningful experience. Given the mindful construction of this new museum, particularly the addition of the atrium it is plausible that a relatively large portion campus will spend time perusing the museum regularly. Director Stromberg planned for this. In addition to his desire to make the museum casual and approachable for students, he also plans to keep the collection rotating frequently, mindful of the fact that unlike most museums, the primary patrons of the hood, Dartmouth students, live in immediately proximity to the museum and could very easily view the collection every day. Mr. Stromberg stipulated that while he “[wants] students to be relaxed during their visit to the museum, [he] also [wants] it to be intellectually stimulating.”  Frequent rotation of the collection will allow students to visit the museum frequently, thus maximizing the use of this new space, without feeling like their visits are monotonous or waste of valuable time; they will likely always see a new portion of the Dartmouth collection.

On the topic of the collection, Mr. Stromberg and the Hood curators have chosen to display it very particularly for the grand opening. Through the current exhibitions, they hope to set the tone for the Hood for years to come. First and foremost, they have attempted to display a collection that is truly global. As Mr. Stromberg commented to The Review, “Dartmouth is an international school, so the Hood must be a global museum.”  The opening exhibitions include art from prominent African artists, as well as Native American art, ancient pieces from both the Near and Far East, and works by the great European Masters. Despite this rich diversity, it seems that everyone at the Hood is particularly enthralled with one exhibit: a photograph series on consent. Displayed in the second gallery, this exhibition is so special because it is not only entirely student-coordinated, but also student-purchased. Since 2002 the Hood has run a class entitled “Museum Collecting 10” in which students study the process of art acquisition and then travel to New York City to purchase a photograph of their choosing using funds privately donated to the class. Last year the four student curators at the Hood were tasked with curating exhibit using only these completely unrelated photographs. Director Stromberg called their decision to curate this event a theme of consent, “brilliant and timely.” However, more than anything this exhibition highlights the Hood’s commitment to the education and intellectual engagement of Dartmouth students, a goal frequently lost in a haze of bureaucracy at the College. Through we are hardly bosom-friends, The Review commends all those in the administration who facilitated the Hood renovation and wish them the best in its inaugural season.