About the Pavilions
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 aesthetic coherence, spirit, and holistic “gesamtkunstwerk” qualities that distinguish a body of work created or assembled from a singular point of view over a lifetime.
The Pavilions at Art Omi aims to sustain these qualities by welcoming highly distinguished artists to create legacy stand alone exhibitions of their work in a setting that they control and help design, but one that also belongs to a larger art center which provides cultural context and museological standards.
Approximately 18 artists and collectors will be offered the opportunity to create individual Pavilions devoted solely to their work across the 190-acre site in Chatham, New York.
These Pavilions will be part of a larger art center, including a visitor center and rotating exhibition Pavilion, which will provide cultural context, museological standards, and visitor services. The existing Art Omi arts center in Ghent has extensive year-round arts education programming for students, and the Art Omi Pavilions project will include an expansion of the Art Omi education program in the form of a separate dedicated education wing in the visitor’s center.
The Landscape
The Pavilions are situated on a 190 acre hilltop site in Chatham, New York, and is well positioned along the destination art route that includes Storm King, Dia:Beacon, Art Omi Ghent, The Clark, and MASS MoCA. The site is along Route 66 opposite to High Bridge Road.
The Pavilions will be spaced out over the length of the 190-acre parcel, utilizing the existing open fields as building sites and minimizing the removal of existing trees and vegetation.
Natural pathways will link the Pavilions, the visitor center, the parking area and the walking trails together.
Our Values
We believe in the establishment of a heritage – of artistic expression, architectural form and natural beauty – with the ambition to inspire future generations.
We believe in empowering innovative artists and architects to create singular manifestations of their work, creating a platform for the interplay of creative ideas and expressions.
We believe in the creation of a community – united by shared values and an appreciation of the highest forms of creativity, creating a new sense of belonging.
We believe in the responsible preservation of the beauty of our landscape and its natural life, gently balancing our current endeavors with the needs of future generations.