Maryhill Museum of Art Celebrates Opening of New Wing May 12 -13
Mary and Bruce Stevenson Wing Gives Visitors Access to the Best New View of the Gorge
(GOLDENDALE, Wash., April 26, 2012) – After more than a year of construction, the new Mary and Bruce Stevenson Wing at Maryhill Museum of Art will open to the public with a full weekend of celebration May 12 and 13. Visitors will be treated to free admission, special programs, and a first look at the museum’s $10 million Stevenson Wing – the largest cultural capital project in the Columbia River Gorge in 15 years.
The contemporary wing, with its cantilevered terrace and sweeping views of the Gorge, is the first expansion in the museum’s history and adds 25,500 square feet of space to the Northwest icon. Designed by GBD Architects of Portland, the Stevenson Wing houses an education suite, collections storage, a roomy café, and an outdoor plaza with expansive views and several large-scale sculptures.
“This is huge for us,” says Maryhill executive director Colleen Schafroth. “We have so much more space for public programs, a better café and most importantly, specially-designed storage for our collection. We couldn’t have completed the expansion without the help of the Stevensons, and the many other supporters who believed in the project and donated to the campaign. On May 12 and 13, we are throwing open our doors to the community and celebrating this incredible milestone.”
Events on May 12 and 13 include behind-the-scenes tours of the new wing and collections storage areas, photo-ops with life-sized cut-outs of Maryhill’s founders, a fly-by of antique aeroplanes, family art activities, an antique car show, dedication events and much more.
A complete schedule of events is at maryhillmuseum.org/events/dedication.html. Highlights of the weekend include:
Saturday, May 12, 10 a.m.
Lecture
Bob Hadlow, Oregon Department of Transportation Historian, will tell the history of the Columbia River Highway, Sam Hill’s great love.
Saturday May 12, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Family Fun – Plein Air Art
Become a landscape artist, drawing with watercolor pencils our breathtaking view of the Columbia River. All materials provided.
Saturday, May 12, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Sam Hill Rendezvous
A car show featuring autos from the era of the original dedication, including a rare 1923 Locomobile! The show is brought to you in partnership with the Goldendale Motorsports Association. Interested in exhibiting your antique automobile? Visit goldendalemotorsports.org.
Saturday, May 12, 1 to 2 p.m.
Historic Maryhill LoopsRoad Driving Tour
Vintage cars will cruise up and down the Maryhill Loops Road, Sam Hill’s own creation. The first macadam asphalt-paved road in the Pacific Northwest, it features 25 curves – eight of them hairpin turns!
Saturday, May 12, 6 to 9 p.m.
Soirée Honoring Our Supporters
A jazz band, dancing, speakeasy hors d’oeuvres, and much fêting of those who made the construction of the new wing possible will make this a celebration to be remembered! Tickets must be purchased in advance. $40 members / $45 non-members; register by calling Sandy Leibham at 509-773-3733 or email sandra@maryhillmuseum.org.
Sunday, May 13, 12:30 p.m.
The Light and Life of Loïe Fuller
Jessica Lindberg, professional dancer and choreographer, and Megan Slayter, Assistant Professor of Dance at Western Michigan University, will talk about Loïe Fuller’s life and influence on modern dance.
Sunday, May 13, 1:30 p.m.
Loïe Fuller’s La Mer in Honor of Mary Hoyt Stevenson
Ms. Lindberg and Ms. Slayter will be accompanied by the Columbia Gorge Dance Academy while performing Loïe’s exquisite La Mer.
Sunday, May 13, 2 p.m.
Dedication Ceremony
The formal dedication of the Mary and Bruce Stevenson Wing is sure to be a moving ceremony, ushering in Maryhill’s bright future!
Event Sponsors
Sponsors of the museum’s dedication weekend include: BNSF Railway Foundation, The Balch Hotel, Bicoastal Media, Celilo Inn, Comfort Inn and Suites, Cross Three Foundation, Haystack Broadcasting, Maryhill Winery, and The Oregonian.
About the Mary and Bruce Stevenson Wing
Designed by GBD Architects of Portland, the 25,500 square foot Mary and Bruce Stevenson Wing will allow Maryhill to meet a number of strategic objectives as it serves growing audiences from throughout the Northwest and around the globe.
Key features of the new wing include: a dedicated art education center to accommodate Maryhill’s wide range of public programming; a centralized collections suite for improved storage and to give curators and researchers more efficient access to the museum’s world-class collections; an outdoor plaza where visitors can better enjoy Maryhill’s extraordinary setting and growing collection of large-scale sculpture; and, a new café with terrace seating and stunning views of the Columbia River Gorge.
The new wing will seek a LEED Gold certification for its sustainable features. Constructed with minimal impact on the landscape and natural environment, the expansion is largely underground, which maximizes energy efficiency. The concrete floors feature radiant heat and the Cannon Grand Plaza acts as a solar reflector, keeping the spaces beneath it cool. Ultra-low flow water fixtures and energy-efficient lighting are used throughout. Recycled materials, such as site-harvested Columbia River basalt, and certified wood are also featured.
Due to the use of energy efficient design the new wing uses 43.4% less electricity than a comparable building. Such impressive energy savings are possible in part because the museum is using one of its surrounding resources – spring water – as a source of energy, reducing its dependence on electricity or natural gas.
The first expansion in Maryhill Museum of Art's history was managed by Milt Ketchum of Sherman County, Oregon and constructed by Schommer and Sons Construction of Portland.
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ABOUT MARYHILL MUSEUM OF ART:
Housed in a glorious Beaux Arts mansion on 5,300 acres high above the Columbia River, Maryhill Museum of Art opened to the public May 13, 1940 and today remains one of the Pacific Northwest’s most enchanting cultural destinations. The museum was founded by Northwest entrepreneur and visionary Sam Hill, who purchased the property and began building the house with dreams of establishing a Quaker farming community. When that goal proved untenable, Hill was encouraged by friends Loie Fuller, Queen Marie of Romania, and Alma de Bretteville Spreckles to establish a museum.
Maryhill Museum of Art boasts an outstanding permanent collection, rotating exhibitions of the highest caliber, and dynamic educational programs that provide opportunities for further exploration by visitors of all ages. On view are more than 80 works by Auguste Rodin, European and American paintings, objects d'art from the palaces of the Queen of Romania, Orthodox icons, unique chess sets, and the renowned Théâtre de la Mode, featuring small-scale mannequins attired in designer fashions of post-World War II France. Baskets of the indigenous people of North America were a collecting interest of Hill; today the museum’s Native American collection represents nearly every tradition and style in North America, with works of art from prehistoric through contemporary.
Maryhill’s Outdoor Sculpture Garden features more than a dozen large-scale works by Northwest artists. The Maryhill Overlook is a site-specific sculpture by noted Portland architect Brad Cloepfil; nearby are Lewis and Clark interpretive panels. Four miles east of Maryhill is a life-sized replica of Stonehenge, Stonehenge Memorial, which Sam Hill built to memorialize local men who perished in World War I. Nearby, the Klickitat County War Memorial honors those who have died in the service of their country since World War I.
The museum was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. In 2001 the museum was listed as an official site of the National Historic Lewis and Clark Trail and in 2002 was accredited by the American Association of Museums.
VISITOR INFORMATION:
Maryhill Museum of Art is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., March 15 to November 15. Admission is $9 for adults, $8 for seniors, $3 for youth age 7-18 and free for children 6 and under. Family admission is $25 to admit 2 adults, plus related children under the age of 18. Admission to the Stonehenge Memorial is free; it is open from 7:00 a.m. to dusk daily.
Sandwiches, salads, espresso drinks, cold beverages, and freshly baked desserts and pastries are available at the museum's cafe, Loïe's, from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily. The Museum Store features art and history books, jewelry, and other mementos.
Maryhill is located off Highway 97, 12 miles south of Goldendale, Washington. Drive times to the museum are 2 hours from Portland/Vancouver, 3.5 hours from Bend, 4 hours from Seattle, and 1.5 hours from Yakima. For further information, visit www.maryhillmuseum.org.
