Katzen Arts Center

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Katzen Arts Center

Type Private

Established 2005

Address 4400 Massachusetts Ave. NW

, 

Washington

, 

District of Columbia

, 

United States

Website https://www.american.edu/cas/katzen/

The Cyrus and Myrtle Katzen Arts Center is home to all of the visual and
performing arts programs at American University and the American University
Museum It is located at Ward Circle, the intersection of Nebraska Avenue
and Massachusetts Avenues in Washington, D.C. This 130,000-square-foot
(12,000 m2) space, designed to foster interdisciplinary collaboration in the arts,
provides instructional, exhibition, and performance space for all the arts disciplines.
Its 30,000-square-foot (3,000 m2) art museum exhibits contemporary art from the
nation's capital region and the world. The museum gallery is
the Washington region's largest university facility for art exhibition. [1]
The Center houses many academic departments for the university, including Art
History, Graphic Design, Studio Art, Arts Management, Dance, Music, and Theatre.
The center also features a 30,000-square-foot (3,000 m2) museum; a 6,000-
square-foot (600 m2) sculpture garden; a 211,000-square-foot (19,600 m2) parking
garage; 33,000 square feet (3,100 m2) of performing arts space; 37,000 square feet
(3,400 m2) of studio space including theatre studios, a music ensemble room, art
studios, and dance studios; an admissions welcome center; and the Abramson
Family Recital Hall.[2]
The construction of the Center was made possible by Dr. Cyrus and Mrs. Myrtle
Katzen, who house much of their modern art collection within the building. [3]

Contents

 1American University Museum

 2Notable exhibitions
 3Architecture
 4External links
 5References

American University Museum[edit]

Main article: American University Museum
The American University Museum is a three-story, 30,000-square-foot (3,000 m2)
museum and sculpture garden located within the university's Katzen Arts Center.
As the region's largest university facility for exhibiting art, the museum's permanent
collection highlights the holdings of the Katzen and Watkins collection. Rotating
exhibitions emphasize regional, national, and international contemporary art.
Much of Dr. Cyrus and Mrs. Myrtle Katzen's modern art collection is showcased in
the museum, which includes over 300 pieces by artists such as Pablo
Picasso, Marc Chagall, Willem de Kooning, and Roy Lichtenstein. The museum
also includes art by Jean Dubuffet, Red Grooms, Amedeo Modigliani, Larry
Rivers, Frank Stella and Andy Warhol.[3]
The museum is also home for the Alper Initiative for Washington Art, which "is
dedicated to preserving, presenting, and creating the art history of Washington
through our book collection, database, events, and exhibitions." [4] As part of the
initiative, the museum hosts up to five new exhibitions of Greater Washington area
artists each year.[4]

Notable exhibitions[edit]
Since its opening, the museum has generally staged multiple exhibitions each
year, often hosting one separate exhibition in each floor. Among the most
important recent exhibitions, was the first ever American exhibition of
contemporary North Korean art,[5] which was held concurrently with an exhibition of
art by notable immigrant Greater Washington area artists, [5] including Ric
Garcia, Joan Belmar, F. Lennox Campello, Muriel Hasbun, Juan Downey, and
others.[5][6][7][8] Other important artists showcased by the museum over the years
include Sam Gilliam, William Christenberry, Lou Stovall, Tim Tate, Richard
Diebenkorn, Sandra Ramos, Renee Stout, Thomas Downing, Michael Clark, Jim
Sanborn, Joe Shannon, Michael B. Platt, and others.[9]

Architecture[edit]

Statue of Artemas Ward at Ward Circle with Katzen Art Center behind

Upon completion, the Katzen Arts Center was immediately received as an

architectural gem at American University, not only for its design but also for its
purpose to encourage student innovation in media, concept, and approach by
uniting facilities for creating, displaying, and performing art under one roof.
[1]
 Designed by EYP Architecture & Engineering, [10] the Center is situated on a very
long, narrow site abutting Ward Circle. Other architectural highlights include
the piazza with a skylighted rotunda at the center of the facility.

External links[edit]
 Official website
 American University Museum

References[edit]
1. ^ Jump up to:a b Livingston, Heather. "Einhorn Yaffee Prescott's Katzen Arts Center
Really Performs". American Institute of Architects. Archived from the original  on
January 3, 2009. Retrieved December 13,  2006.
2. ^ "Katzen Arts Center".  American University. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
3. ^ Jump up to:a b Cooper, Rachel (July 19, 2017).  "American University in Washington,
DC". Retrieved  April 13,  2018.
4. ^ Jump up to:a b "Alper Initiative for Washington Art". American University.
Retrieved  August 28,  2020.
5. ^ Jump up to:a b c Jenkins, Mark (July 30, 2016). "In the galleries: Norman Rockwell
would have recognized these socialist images". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286.
Retrieved  August 28,  2020.
6. ^ ""The Looking Glass: Artist Immigrants of Washington" At the Katzen Arts Center,
Reviewed".  Washington City Paper. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
7. ^ "Artists' work in Washington exhibit focuses on immigrant experience". The Boston
Pilot. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
8. ^ Service, Catholic News (June 23, 2016). "Artists' work in Washington exhibit focuses
on immigrant experience".  The Central Minnesota Catholic. Retrieved August
28, 2020.
9. ^ "Past Exhibitions". American University. Retrieved  August 28,  2020.
10. ^ "Katzen Arts Center".  EYP. Retrieved  April 13,  2018.