Closing Q&A

Now that the Campaign for the Addison has become public, I’ve found myself answering various questions about the project from colleagues around campus and the museum world. I thought it might be a good idea to post a few of the more popular questions and answers here for our Blog readers:

-How long will the museum be closed?

We’re scheduled to close July 13, 2008 and reopen in the early spring of 2010, just under two years later. The actual construction period is planned to take 18 months.

-Where is the staff going?

The Addison’s staff plans to relocate to Addison-controlled spaces on campus in Abbot Hall just down School Street. The artist-in-residence apartment, studio, and our pedestal construction shop will be converted into temporary office spaces. Some staff may need to be located off-campus, but we’ll know more about that once our interim office plans are finalized. Our phone numbers should remain the same and, of course, Phillips Academy’s Central Services will always know where to find us!

-What will the staff be doing?

The staff will be busier than ever! Not only will we continue to do what we’ve always been doing including planning upcoming exhibitions, acquiring new objects, caring for the collection, and teaching school groups (albeit in their classes and not in the museum), we’ll also be monitoring the building construction project, laying out our new spaces, and taking on many other important projects that we haven't had the time to address while the museum is open.

-Where is the permanent collection going?

Other than the objects touring the world in our Coming of Age: American Art, 1850s to 1950s and Carroll Dunham Prints: A Survey traveling exhibitions, all of the Addison’s collection will be moved from the museum and stored in an off site, highly-secured and climate-controlled art storage facility. Access to the collection may be limited during the closure period, so requests to view and borrow objects will be considered on a case-by-case basis. The collection, in its entirety, will be moved back to the museum when we reopen.

-If you’re putting on an addition, why do you need to close and empty the old building?

The original Platt-designed building will undergo renovations to upgrade critical building systems, including new climate-control, security, and storage systems. It is far more efficient and safer to have the staff and collections removed from the building as this work is being done.

-Will I still be able to buy catalogs and order rights and reproductions images?

You certainly can, though there may be some delays in our response during the building period.

If you have any other questions you’d like to see us answer, send them to the Addison at addison@andover.edu. We look forward to hearing from you!


James Sousa
Associate Registrar for Collections and Archives