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Balancing Preservation and Growth at the Wharton Esherick Museum
presented by Julie Siglin
The Wharton Esherick Museum, located in Chester County, is the home and studio of American artist, Wharton Esherick (1887-1970), a foundational figure in the landscape of art history and American modern design. A National Historic Landmark for Architecture, the museum is set on 12 wooded acres and is comprised of multiple buildings, including Esherick’s iconic Studio. The site also includes two structures not currently open to the public: his 1956 Workshop, designed in collaboration with architect Louis Kahn, and a 19th-century farmhouse, adjacent to the Museum, that was Esherick’s first home on Valley Forge Mountain.
The eventual integration of these spaces represents exciting new possibilities for the Museum as it celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2022. In 2019 the museum embarked on a master campus planning process to consider the potential of an expanded campus, incorporating strategic preservation in all facets of the plan for this small, historic museum to ensure it maintained the intimate nature of the site. This talk will explore the collaborative process of creating a vision for how the museum should best extend itself to a broader community and what the right balance of preservation and forward-looking development is for this unique site.
Julie Siglin is the Executive Director of the Wharton Esherick Museum where she leads the organization’s preservation efforts and explores new ways to continue the dialogue between Esherick’s creative legacy and contemporary artists and audiences. Julie got her start at the Brandywine River Museum and then directed the program of a cultural accessibility organization and has held roles with several other arts and nonprofit organizations. She studied Arts Administration at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
$15 | General Admission
$12 | Alliance Member
Free | Students*
If you have been affected by the pandemic and would like to attend this virtual lecture but cannot afford to do so, please email Vinni Cheng on vcheng@preservationalliance.com for complimentary access.
*Email photo of valid student ID to Vinni Cheng to register as a student.
View speaker schedule at https://www.preservationalliance.com/building_philadelphia_2022/