Abroms-Engel Institute for the Visual Arts
The Abroms-Engel Institute for the Visual Arts is a planned 26,000 square-foot facility to house art galleries, lecture halls, classrooms and offices for the UAB Department of Art & Art History. Construction, on the corner of 10th Avenue South and 13th Street, was approved in February 2011 by the University of Alabama Board of Trustees. The building is projected to cost $12.5 million, of which $7.5 million has been raised through private donations, include major gifts from Judy and Hal Abroms and Ruth and Marvin Engel. Completion is set before the end of 2011.
The center will replace the current UAB Visual Arts Gallery in the Humanities Building. It aims to take its place with the Birmingham Museum of Art and Space One Eleven as premier destinations for contemporary arts programming.
The two-story building was designed by Los Angeles, California architect Randall Stout, a former associate of Frank Gehry. It uses a bold, contemporary style to complement the Alys Stephens Center to the north and to serve as a campus landmark to anchor the university's "arts district". The zinc-clad upper floor cantilevers over the brick-veneered base to form overhangs and covered entranceways. An outdoor sculpture plaza, extending from the lobby, is situated to the southwest of the building and accommodates outdoor events, gatherings and performances.
References
- Erdreich, Jeremy (September 9, 2010) "Red Brick (2)". Bhamarchitect's Blog
- Wolfson, Hannah (February 3, 2011) "UAB to build $12.5 million visual arts center." Birmingham News
- Gattis, Paul (April 8, 2011) "Donor gifts fund new art facility at UAB; UA trustees study capital projects." Huntsville Times
External links
- Institute for Visual Arts at uab.edu
- Randall Stout Architects website