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Press Releases
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OMCA's Chairs of the Board Installation Honored with AIACC's 2012 Award for Small Projects
OAKLAND, CA---The Oakland Museum of California's outdoor installation "Chairs of the Board" is the 2012 winner of the American Institute of Architects, California Council AIACC's Honor Award for Small Projects. The award is part of AIACC's yearly Design Awards Program, which recognizes achievements in Architecture, Interior Architecture, Urban Design, and Small Projects, as well as the 25-Year Award and Maybeck Award. These awards are juried by a distinguished group of architects and members of the architectural profession.
Located in the Museum's Oak Street Plaza entry, Chairs of the Board is an adaptable space that encourages visitors to engage with the Museum. Designed by Jensen Architects in 2011, the installation features a toolkit of furniture, storage, and large-scale drawing surfaces that invites the public to gather, rest, reflect, and comment. Museum visitors and staff are encouraged to use the furniture as they wish, creating a participatory, dynamic space for OMCA's public programs, events, and everyday interactions. "Chairs of the Board" was funded by an artistic innovation grant from the James Irvine Foundation.
"With "Chairs of the Board," OMCA's main entrance at Oak Street Plaza has been transformed into a colorful, social space that expresses our goal of being a significant cultural institution through collaboration with the public and creative communities," said René de Guzman, OMCA's Senior Curator of Art.
"Chairs of the Board" is one of the most recent projects conceived and designed by Jensen Architects that investigates new possibilities for cultural spaces. The firm's work includes commissions from SFMOMA, Sonoma County Museum, California College of the Arts Graduate Center, and Headlands Center for the Arts.
"I believe that significant work depends less on budget and size and more on intention. In this case, the intent was to allow visitors' creative occupancy of the space to stitch the museum back to the city. This flow was one of the core ideas of the museum's original design, and one we hope is reinforced by our modest 'urban interior' project," said Mark Jensen, AIA, Principal of Jensen Architects.
ABOUT THE OAKLAND MUSEUM OF CALIFORNIA
The Oakland Museum of California OMCA brings together collections of art, history and natural science under one roof to tell the extraordinary stories of California and its people. OMCA's groundbreaking exhibits tell the many stories that comprise California with many voices, often drawing on first-person accounts by people who have shaped California's cultural heritage. Visitors are invited to actively participate in the Museum as they learn about the natural, artistic, and social forces that affect the state, and investigate their own role in both its history and its future. With more than 1.8 million objects, OMCA is a leading cultural institution of the Bay Area and a resource for the research and understanding of California's dynamic cultural and environmental heritage. OMCA's transformation continues with the renovation of the Gallery of California Natural Sciences, which is currently underway and will be completed in June 2013.
VISITOR INFORMATION
The Oakland Museum of California OMCA is at 1000 Oak Street, at 10th Street, in Oakland. OMCA is situated between downtown Oakland and Lake Merritt. Museum admission is $12 general $9 seniors and students with valid ID, $6 youth ages 9 to 17, and free for Members and children 8 and under. OMCA offers onsite underground parking and is conveniently located one block from the Lake Merritt BART station, on the corner of 10th Street and Oak Street. The accessibility ramp is located at the new 1000 Oak Street main entrance. For more information, visit museumca.org.
ABOUT JENSEN ARCHITECTS
Jensen Architects is an award-winning architecture and interiors firm based in San Francisco. The firm is interested in a critical approach to design, and in engaging contemporary culture and construction techniques in search of design solutions that are elegant, cost effective, and environmentally sensitive. For more information, visit jensen-architects.com.
ABOUT THE AIACC
The AIACC represents the interests of more than 11,000 architects and allied professionals in California. Founded in 1944, The AIACC's mission supports architects in their endeavors to improve the quality of life for all Californians by creating more livable communities, sustainable designs and quality work environments. Today, The AIACC is the largest component of the National AIA organization.
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For more images and interviews, please contact:
Kelly A. Koski: 510-318-8453 or communications@museumca.org .
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