New Museum of Arts and Design (interview with MAD Deputy Director Ben Hartley)

Jan 05

Design, Extreme Architecture, Interview, Movies Add comments

The film is a presentation of the Museum of Arts and Design in New York. MAD is a center for the collection, preservation, study and display of contemporary hand-made objects in a variety of media, including: clay, glass, metal, fiber and wood. The former director of the MAD, Ben Hartley, tells us about the history of the museum, exhibitions and the main goal of the museum.

The authorities of NYC were looking for a new use of the old, destroyed and desolate building in 2 Columbus Circle. In the past, the old one was used for many purposes and finally was empty. The authorities came up with the idea to reuse this area and place the MAD there. The board of the museum wanted to bring life into this old place, in order to attract people’s attention.

Photo from en.wikipedia.org

Exhibitions in the museum are connected with the international craft. During the years the definition of craft, design and contemporary art has changed, so it was essential for the museum to create a program that would reflect and present blurry lines between these fields of art. In the exhibitions you can find versatile performers. They are considered to be craft, design and contemporary artists.

Hartley mentions what is the main goal of the museum. The Museum of Arts and Design is not about showing the finished product, it is about exposing the process of making a piece of art. There are open studios, which are the only places in NYC, where you can talk with artists about their work. Everything in the museum is about creating the great experience for the audience.