Art Omi the sculpture and architecture park in Ghent, New York stages works from more than 2,000 artists and architects, including Steven Holl and Peter Eisenman, across its sprawling 120 acres. Following a record capital project funding announcement from the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) the sculpture park slash residency program slash arts education center has announced the development of a new nonprofit arts center called the Art Omi Pavilions that will be located in Chatham, New York—just a 10 minute car ride away from its existing campus.
In addition to the sculptural works and large-scale installation pieces on its property, Art Omi provides arts education programs for the local community and hosts residency programs for international architects, artists, dancers, musicians, translators, and writers.
The forthcoming Art Omi Pavilions will exhibit up 18 individual pavilions, each created by architects and filled with dynamic artworks, from artists including Alice Aycock, Torkwase Dyson, Rakuko Naito and Tadaaki Kuwayama, and the Institute for Studies on Latin American Art. The pavilions or “mini-museum buildings” will be situated on a 190-acre hilltop and are not to exceed more than 5,700 square feet in size.
Similar to the Art Omi, Art Omi Pavilion will allow for a self guided exploration of the visitor as they navigate not just the complex, but also the landscape of woodlands, meadows, and the all-encompassing views of the Hudson Valley.
A grant in the amount of $5 million will partially fund from the project. The grant comes as part of a $90.5 million capital funding project from the NYSCA that will be distributed among 19 projects and organizations across New York State. Other recipients include the Storm King Art Center, the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival, and the National Black Theatre Workshop.
“When distinguished artists and important collectors donate or sell groups of artwork to museums, their art is almost always absorbed and dispersed with the museum’s collection, losing the creative vision, spirit, and holistic ‘gesamtkunstwerk’ qualities that distinguish a body of work created or assembled from a singular point-of-view over a lifetime,” said Francis Greenburger, founder of Art Omi in a statement. “At The Pavilions, we will preserve these qualities in an inclusive and sustainable natural landscape. It is my hope that the project will serve to advance the legacy and collective power of creative expression from leading artists, architects, and collectors.”
Art Omi Pavilions is expected to break ground in 2025.
