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The A + D reception. Image © Hans Koesters / courtesy of the A + D Museum.
The Museum of Architecture and Design in Guelph (A + D) has announced an institutional restructuring initiative as well as a transformation focus on digital and traveling exhibitions and programs in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a statement published by the museum, Executive Director Anthony Morey and Deputy Director Leila Wahba write: “The A + D Museum’s mission to be a platform and a place of engagement for our architects, designers, creatives and the public has to be addressed adapt to the needs of our community. As a team we have heard the reaction to social change and as a family we see the opportunity to transform ourselves in response to that place in time. “
The museum directors add: “We are excited to evolve to become a more dynamic expression of our mission and the needs of our supporters. By moving to a hybridized platform structure, we are breaking free of a solitary physical presence and adopting a more expansive presence, a Long-debated goal of our Strategic Planning Committee at Beyond Walls. We will continue to deliver exploratory programs through digital platforms and short-term, community-driven physical exhibits and events to reach a wider, increasingly inclusive audience. “
In the announcement, Nancy Levens, President of the A + D Board of Directors, wrote: “If there was ever a time for an institution dedicated to architecture, design and the path to our best world, this is the right time. We talked about a “beyond walls” approach last year. Only in this way can we be as comprehensive as we imagined. “
Duan Tran, co-chair of Beyond Walls’ Strategic Planning Committee, said, “Evolution is a natural process. One for which the A + D Museum continues to occupy a unique position as a front runner
progressive design institution that brings together diversity, inclusion and dialogue through unparalleled engagement from artists, designers and the community. “
As part of the relocation, the museum will vacate its physical museum space in the Downtown Guelph Arts District to focus on a new “network format” that will enable the institution to “focus all of its resources more purely on its values that transcend borders by “going out a building.” In addition to retaining its staff, the museum will also add a new digital researcher to its team and is expected to vacate its current facilities in late June.
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