Cal State Long Beach Kleefeld Museum of Contemporary Art Expansion Creates Modern Space – Press Telegram

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Exterior walls are completed on the construction site of the Kleefeld Museum of Contemporary Art on the Cal State Long Beach campus, and the focus is on the interior, where state-of-the-art spaces are created. .

Construction began in June 2020 on the $ 24 million project, which will expand the museum by 4,000 square feet, more than doubling the exhibition space. The project also includes an education program center, archives and, perhaps most importantly, storage space secure enough to hold all of the museum’s collections. The $ 24 million prize includes the renovation of the Horn Center, a separate but concurrent project.

To accommodate the expansion, museum spokeswoman Amanda Fruta said, the Kleefeld was part of the CSULB athletics zone.

“This may be the first time in history that a university athletics program has lost real estate to an art museum,” Kleefeld’s new director, Paul Baker Prindle, said in a written statement.

While state funding is funding the renovation of the Horn Center, funding for the museum’s construction comes from private donations, Fruta said. The main gift was from artist Carolyn Campagna Kleefeld. As well as adding his name to the museum, there will be a separate Kleefeld Gallery inside, with a barrel ceiling, hardwood floors and more. Fruta declined to say how much the gift was, but noted that there were other gifts as well.

  • The construction of the Kleefeld Museum of Contemporary Art on the CSULB campus is scheduled to open in February 2022. Media got a sneak peek at the renovation of the existing building and extension building in Long Beach on Thursday, July 8, 2021. ( Photo by Brittany Murray, Press-Telegram / SCNG)

  • The construction of the Kleefeld Museum of Contemporary Art on the CSULB campus is scheduled to open in February 2022. The renovation of the existing building and the new expansion site will be accessed through this diamond-shaped entrance to Long Beach on Thursday, July 8 2021. (Photo by Brittany Murray, Press-Telegram / SCNG)

  • The construction of the Kleefeld Museum of Contemporary Art on the CSULB campus is scheduled to open in February 2022. Media got a sneak peek at the renovation of the existing building and extension building in Long Beach on Thursday, July 8, 2021. ( Photo by Brittany Murray, Press-Telegram / SCNG)

  • Construction of the Kleefeld Museum of Contemporary Art on the CSULB campus is slated to open in February 2022. Gender-neutral bathrooms are nearing completion with fully private doors, in Long Beach on Thursday, July 8, 2021. ( Photo by Brittany Murray, Press -Telegram / SCNG)

  • The construction of the Kleefeld Museum of Contemporary Art on the CSULB campus is scheduled to open in February 2022. Media got a sneak peek at the renovation of the existing building and extension building in Long Beach on Thursday, July 8, 2021. ( Photo by Brittany Murray, Press-Telegram / SCNG)

  • Construction of the Kleefeld Museum of Contemporary Art on the CSULB campus is slated to open in February 2022. The wall to the left of this image will feature a mosaic, in Long Beach on Thursday, July 8, 2021. (Photo by Brittany Murray, Press -Telegram / SCNG)

  • The construction of the Kleefeld Museum of Contemporary Art on the CSULB campus is slated to open in February 2022. It will be the main gallery in Long Beach on Thursday, July 8, 2021. (Photo by Brittany Murray, Press-Telegram / SCNG)

  • The construction of the Kleefeld Museum of Contemporary Art on the CSULB campus is scheduled to open in February 2022. Media got a sneak peek at the renovation of the existing building and extension building in Long Beach on Thursday, July 8, 2021. ( Photo by Brittany Murray, Press-Telegram / SCNG)

  • The construction of the Kleefeld Museum of Contemporary Art on the CSULB campus is scheduled to open in February 2022. The renovation of the existing building and the new expansion site will be accessed through this diamond-shaped entrance to Long Beach on Thursday, July 8 2021. (Photo by Brittany Murray, Press-Telegram / SCNG)

  • The construction of the Kleefeld Museum of Contemporary Art on the CSULB campus is scheduled to open in February 2022. Media got a sneak peek at the renovation of the existing building and extension building in Long Beach on Thursday, July 8, 2021. ( Photo by Brittany Murray, Press-Telegram / SCNG)

Pfeiffer Partners Architects took inspiration from the nearby Walter Pyramid, using three pointed triangular shapes for the roof of the extension. In a nod to original architect Ed Killingsworth, the expansion retained the mid-century modern entrance facade, but added a new, angular vestibule that stretches out to attract visitors.

Sustainability and inclusion, said Fruta, were guiding factors in the design. The building will be upgraded to LEED Silver standards and solar panels will help electrify the facility. Prindle and her team are already working on plans for quiet hours, noisy hours and more to make visitors feel welcome, she added.

“The new LEED Silver certified museum is built to serve the campus as a living laboratory for cultural exploration and a showcase for the campus’s aggressive commitment to sustainability,” said Mark Zakhour, director of design and development services. construction of the CSULB. “Intentional selection of native plants in landscaping, use of sustainable and local building materials, integration of solar panels, energy efficient design, green cleaning and maintenance plans and investment in Sustainable learning technologies were key aspects of the construction that contributed to the sustainability rating.

The interior, meanwhile, has been gutted and reconfigured to provide more galleries, workspaces and the storage vault, which will bring the works owned by CSULB from off-site storage areas all around South Bay. . A new HVAC (heating, ventilation, air conditioning) system will create air-conditioned spaces to protect art.

The education center will offer state-of-the-art equipment and materials that everyone from young people to adults can use, Fruta said.

“We will be coming back with our school trips,” said Fruta, “where we serve approximately 1,500 students (from elementary school).

“And we want to make it (the museum) available to all groups who want to use it,” she added.

Another welcoming element is the lobby, called Connie Glenn Court in honor of the museum’s founding director. It will have a check-in counter and a small museum store where alumni of the CSULB College of the Arts can sell sustainable art. The old museum had no hall at all.

Clark Construction aims to hand the buildings over to the university in October, Fruta said. A public opening is scheduled for February 12.

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