BIGGER IN SIZE, BROADER IN SCOPE: A rendering of the Princeton University Art Museum, which is the subject of a talk by director James Steward this week. The building designed by Adjaye Associates is currently under construction. (Design rendering by Adjaye Associates)

By Anne Levin

When the reconfigured Princeton University Art Museum opens at a date projected for late next year, the building, which has been under construction since December 2021, will have doubled in size. But the design by British-based architect David Adjaye is about more than increasing space.

Equally key to the project is the way the reimagined museum will present and interpret its collections, which range from antiquities to contemporary art. “The demands we as a society are making of our museums are changing,” said James Steward, the museum’s director since April 2009. Steward will deliver a talk on the topic at Frist Campus Center, Room 302, on Thursday, January 26 at 4:30 p.m.

“A number of other institutions are also responding to that change in ways that are perhaps different from us,” he continued. “I think our approach, in which we continue to pay serious attention to the past while focusing on issues of special importance today, is what is special and unique about this project. There are a lot of cultural institutions that are challenged to figure out how to do both of these things.”

In a conversation last weekend, Steward wasn’t revealing too much of “A New Museum for a New Age,” the title of his talk. “Now that we’re very deep into the process of curating the future galleries, I will offer some hints,” he said. “But I won’t give it all away.”

Adjaye Associates is known for its design of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, among other projects. The rebuilt, 144,000-square-foot Princeton museum will occupy three stories, significantly increasing space for exhibitions, learning, and visitor amenities including a café. Pedestrian pathways flowing into and through the building via two “art walks” will function as the museum’s spine.

“We knew we had to grow in order to really serve our collections, our students, and the communities around us, and the way in which demands placed on museums are changing,” Steward said. “There is no longer contentment with museums whose galleries never change.
I hope everyone will come with an open mind and think we have achieved that.”

Many people — Steward among them — have appreciated the intimacy afforded by the former museum building’s relatively small size. Despite its increased square footage, the new structure will maintain that quality.

“We have ways to honor the spirit of the old building, which had its moments of intimacy — where if you wanted to be quiet with a work of art, you could,” Steward said. “There are ways the architecture seeks to enable that. There are spaces specifically designed to almost subliminally recall the quality of the old building. Future spaces won’t look exactly like the old ones, but they will remind people, ‘Oh, they haven’t forgotten.’ And by varying the way we move through, from big space to small space, to what can be described as dead ends — not in a bad sense — will allow you to feel you have found something just for you.”

Steward feels fortunate to have the opportunity to lead a project of this scope. “It’s not every institution that would take this on and make a new museum at the physical heart of its campus,” he said. “The symbolism of that is incredibly potent. The museum at the University of Notre Dame is going up in a parking lot next to its football stadium.”

This is Steward’s second museum-building project; the first was the University of Michigan Museum of Art. The Princeton museum is considerably larger. “These are two very different institutions,” he said. “Ours [Princeton] is a museum of global collections. So the idea of doing this under one roof is so exciting. Even though there are other museum projects going on around the world, there is something unique and special about this one. I get chills when I think about opening day.”

Admission is free to Steward’s lecture, which will include and interactive discussion and a reception.