Observer Arts Interview: Studio Museum Director Thelma Golden

Earlier this month, Harlem’s Studio Museum revealed more details about its new home on 125th Street, which will open in autumn 2025. The new space marks an exciting chapter for one of New York’s most important institutions, as confirmed by the fact that these details were revealed alongside news that the museum will increase its fundraising goal to $300 million from $250 million, with $285 million raised so far. . At the forefront of this fundraising and this project is the museum’s visionary director Thelma Goldenwho recently told us more about the project.

The inaugural show next fall at the new building will feature his work Tom Lloyd. How did you decide to give it the first show?

With this exhibition, we move forward, completing the circle. Fifty-six years ago, the Studio Museum opened with “Electronic Refractions II,” a solo exhibition of Tom Lloyd’s colorful, abstract, wall-mounted sculptures featuring lights that twinkled in electronically programmed patterns. Since then, however, there have been no institutional solo shows by this truly trailblazing artist, educator and activist. We feel it is deeply meaningful to make Lloyd’s work the subject of one of our inaugural exhibitions at a time when art historians are beginning to rediscover him. This gesture respects his history and ours, shows the depth of scholarship and commitment to conservation that are key to our work, and helps us look to the future.

Like much of New York, Harlem is changing. How does this building anticipate the needs of the neighborhood in the coming decades?

Symbolically, our new building will be one of many prominent cultural anchors in the heart of Harlem, with a strong sculptural presence that is clearly distinct from the many new commercial buildings that now line 125th Street. The architecture strongly asserts that Harlem is the center of a unique and vibrant black culture. Functionally, the new building offers multiple features that make it open and welcoming to all, so that more than ever, the Studio Museum can be a gathering place for artists and our community.

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The new building will increase the exhibition space by more than 50 percent. What does this mean for programming?

The new building greatly improves the quality and flexibility of our exhibition space by thinking beyond the traditional white cube. The galleries are configured in matching proportions, staircases and floor treatments to accommodate the wide variety of works we will eventually display, and the artworks will permeate the entire building – even outside the formal galleries – using virtually all spaces public. Despite the great African American architect J. Max BondJr. reusing our previous building, we were operating in a space that was never intended for exhibitions. The new building will give our curatorial team the freedom to program like never before – in spaces that can accommodate the full range of art – and allow us to present installations from our permanent collection and temporary exhibitions at the same time.

The stacked blocks of this building from the outside and some of the interior renderings make this new building look a bit like Marcel Breuer’s design of the old Whitney Museum. What was the mandate given to the architects? What were their goals?

We spoke to the architects about practical matters such as the need to have a proper loading dock and freight lift after all these years; about the Studio Museum as a meeting place between artists and the community, which is a key feature of our artist-in-residence program; and also about the potential significance of a museum as an architectural space. The building therefore reflects certain features of the Harlem landscape: the lofty interiors of faith-based venues, the stages for music, theater and dance that are so central to Harlem culture, and the bustling life of 125th Street, where the sidewalk often becomes a performance space in itself. The architects added a fourth vernacular element: the stoops in Harlem’s brownstones, which are such a prominent transitional zone between public and private. The new building is an exciting, dynamic unification of all these elements, with a facade that evokes the framed masonry windows of Harlem buildings.

News of the new building comes with mentions that the museum’s capital campaign goal has been expanded from $250 million to $300 million. Why do you think donors have been so generous in their support of this new building?

The success of the campaign began with the extraordinary commitment of the City of New York, which recognizes the Harlem Studio Museum as an invaluable resource for our neighborhood community, New Yorkers, and our visitors around the world. The outpouring of private and public support from a broad national coalition of philanthropists, business and arts leaders, including our trustees, underscores the now widespread awareness that the Studio Museum has been the catalyst for a vast and lasting transformation of the cultural landscape. Donors have offered appreciation for what the Studio Museum has accomplished and excitement for our full potential now that we finally have a purpose-built building to serve our mission.

It’s a small item in the press release, but this is really cool David Hammonsthe flag No title (2004), will hang on the facade of the museum. What statement is the museum trying to make with this installation?

David Hammons created his African American flag in 1990, replacing the red, white, and blue of the United States flag with the red, green, and black of the Pan-African flag created by Marcus GarveyUnited Negro Improvement Association, an organization and movement based in Harlem. Hammons knew how important it would be for our institution to display this flag on our facade, and created a version for us that was specifically designed to handle outdoor conditions. By hanging this version, No title (2004), on 125th Street is a statement of the history and culture from which we draw and a statement of our aspirations as an institution. The flag has long been a signature piece of public art at the Studio Museum since 2004, and we are so grateful to be able to continue to fly it from our new home.