Courtesy LOT-EK
LONG ISLAND CITY — An outdoor museum in Queens is getting some indoor space.
The Whitney Museum of American Art, readying for its move to a new building Downtown, will donate its freestanding educational studio to Socrates Sculpture Park, the two organizations announced Thursday.
The Whitney commissioned the 472-square-foot pop-up studio — created by design firm LOT-EK and made from six stacked shipping containers — back in 2012 to house its educational programs, according to the announcement.
But the Whitney’s new building, expected to open next spring, will have dedicated education facilities, so the museum no longer needed the studio, Whitney director Adam D. Weinberg said.
“We are thrilled that the structure has found a new home at Socrates Sculpture Park in Queens,” Weinberg said in a statement. “This is a wonderful example of creative and multi-layered recycling.”
The studio, which is currently in the Sculpture Court at the Whitney’s building on Madison Avenue at 75th Street, will be removed by crane in June. It will be put in storage temporarily while Socrates Sculpture Park decides what to use it for.
Possible uses include a gallery, visitor area, or administrative space, Socrates officials said. The studio may also be used to expand the park’s free education programs.
The structure will be the first indoor space for the park, according to executive director John Hatfield.
“Rarely does a win-win situation arise that offers such a remarkable opportunity to repurpose architecture, and we look forward to working with our partners at NYC Parks to explore ways that it may be reused and adapted to benefit the community here in Long Island City,” he said in a statement.
