Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts by Studio Gang

The Arkansas Art Museum is located on the edge of MacArthur Park, one of the largest green spaces in the state capital of Little Rock. Since its opening in 1937, the museum has developed in several stages into a conglomerate of cubic, largely enclosed buildings. 

Art deco facade in new splendor

Creating openings and connections was therefore a key objective for Chicago-based Studio Gang, who were commissioned to redesign the museum in 2016. Together with partner architects Polk Stanley Wilcox, they removed several additions from the 1980s and 2000s on the north side, exposing the building's original Art Deco facade. This now serves as the main entrance.

Cultural living room in the entrance courtyard

Seen from the street, however, the entrance façade disappears behind the new connecting building with which Studio Gang has reassembled the disparate building stock. The central access span, covered by a multi-curved folding concrete roof, culminates on the north side in the so-called Cultural Living Room. The glazed lounge on stilts is used for sitting, relaxing and occasional official events, with a view of the entrance courtyard, as well as an adjoining bar and catering kitchen. 

A roof like a maple leaf

To the south, towards the park, the roof landscape descends in several stages and then fans out again. A panoramic restaurant and a second main entrance have been created here. Landscape architects Scape have replaced the barren car parks with a museum garden that connects to neighbouring MacArthur Park.

Existing wings restructured

Much of the existing wings to the right and left of the drive have been retained, but some have been restructured, extended and repurposed. These include the single-storey west wing, which houses the museum's art school, as well as a 350-seat performing arts auditorium and a smaller 150-seat lecture theatre, both of which adjoin the central atrium to the east.

A diagonal passage cuts through the rectangular structure of the museum halls. © Iwan Baan

Diagonal view

The museum's collection of artefacts from the 14th to 21st centuries is now housed on the upper floor of the north-west wing, next to the entrance courtyard. The Harriet and Warren Stephens Galleries cover 2000 m² of classic museum space with white walls, wooden floors, 5-m-ceilings and largely artificial lighting. However, there is one special feature: A diagonal passage connects all the rooms. It ends in what is known as the Art Perch, a large display window in the north façade that offers passers-by a glimpse into the museum and is also the only source of daylight in the otherwise windowless exhibition wing.

Read more in Detail 11.2024 and in our databank Detail Inspiration.