Observer Arts Interview: Studio Museum Director Thelma Golden

Earlier this month, the Studio Museum in Harlem released more details about its new home on 125th Street, which will opening in autumn 2025. The new space marks an exciting chapter for one of New York’s most important institutions, as evidenced by the fact that the details were released alongside news that the museum will increase its capital fundraising goal to $300 million from $250 million. $285 million has been raised so far. . The initiator of fundraising and this project is the visionary director of the museum Thelma Goldenwho recently told us more about the project.

Next fall, the first show in the new building will feature the work Tom Lloyd. How did you decide to give it the first screening?

With this exhibition, we are moving forward, coming full circle. Fifty-six years ago, the Studio Museum was inaugurated with “Electronic Refractions II,” a solo exhibition of Tom Lloyd’s colorful, abstract, wall-mounted sculptures with lights flashed by electronically programmed patterns. However, since then there has not been a solo institutional performance by this truly ground-breaking artist, educator and activist. We believe it is of great importance to make Lloyd’s work the subject of one of our first exhibitions at a time when art historians are beginning to rediscover him. This gesture honors his history and ours, demonstrates the depth of science and commitment to conservation that are central to our work, and helps us look to the future.

Like so much else in New York, Harlem is changing. How does this building anticipate the needs of the neighborhood in the coming decades?

Symbolically, our new building will be one of many prominent cultural centers in the heart of Harlem with a strong sculptural presence that will clearly stand out from the many new commercial buildings that now line 125th Street. The architecture clearly confirms that Harlem is the center of a unique, vibrant black culture. The functionally new building has many features that make it open and inviting to all, so that like never before, the Studio Museum can be a gathering place for our artists and our community.

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The new building will increase the exhibition area by more than 50 percent. What does this mean for programming?

The new building significantly improves the quality and flexibility of our exhibition space, going beyond the traditional white cube. The galleries are configured in different proportions, scales, and floor finishes to accommodate the variety of works we will eventually show, and the artwork will permeate the entire building—even beyond the formal galleries—using virtually every public space. Despite the great African American architect J. Max BondJr., repurposing our previous building, we worked in a space that was never intended for exhibitions. The new building will give our curatorial team the freedom to program like never before in spaces that can accommodate the full range of art, and allow us to simultaneously present installations from our permanent collection and temporary exhibitions.

The stacked blocks of this building from the outside and some interior renderings make this new building look a bit like Marcel Breuer’s design of the old Whitney Museum. What powers were given to architects? What were their goals?

We spoke to the architects about practical issues such as the need to have a proper loading dock and freight lift after all these years; about the Studio Museum as a meeting place for artists and the community, which is a key feature of our signature Artist-in-Residence program; and also about the potential value of the museum as an architectural space. Thus, the building reflects certain characteristics of the Harlem landscape: the lofty interiors of religious places, the stages for music, theater and dance that are an integral part of Harlem culture, and the bustling life of 125th Street, where the sidewalk often turns into a space for performance. The architects added a fourth vernacular element: the Harlem brownstones that provide such a prominent transition zone between public and private. The new building is an exciting, dynamic amalgamation of all these elements with a facade reminiscent of the stone-framed windows of Harlem buildings.

News about the new building mentioned that the museum’s capital campaign plan had been increased from $250 million to $300 million. Why do you think donors have been so generous with this new building?

The campaign’s success began with the extraordinary commitment of the City of New York, which recognizes the Harlem Studio Museum as an invaluable resource for our local community, New Yorkers, and our visitors from around the world. The outpouring of private and public support from a broad national coalition of philanthropists, global business and arts leaders, including our trustees, underscores the widespread awareness that the Studio Museum has catalyzed a major, lasting transformation of the cultural landscape. Donors expressed appreciation for the Studio Museum’s accomplishments and excitement about our full potential now that we finally have a building purpose-built to fulfill our mission.

It’s a small thing in a press release, but it’s pretty cool David Hammons‘flag, Untitled (2004), will hang on the facade of the museum. What is the museum trying to do with this installation?

David Hammons created his African American flag in 1990, replacing the red, white, and blue flag of the United States with the red, green, and black of the Pan-African flag created Marcus Harvey‘s United Negro Improvement Association, an organization and movement founded in Harlem. Hammons knew how important it would be for our institution to display this flag on our facade, and created a version for us that is specifically designed for outdoor use. By posting this version, Untitled (2004) on 125th Street is a declaration of the history and culture from which we draw and a statement of our aspirations as an institution. This flag has been the official Studio artwork since 2004 and we are very grateful to be able to continue to display it from our new home.