Dartmouth’s Hood Museum of Art to Reopen

At 3 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 25, the Dartmouth community is invited to a dedication ceremony in the new, light-filled Russo Atrium. A reception and tours of the galleries will follow the dedication. The next day, at 11 a.m., doors will open to the public.

“They are going to see, in many ways, a brand new museum,” says John Stomberg, the Virginia Rice Kelsey 1961s Director of the Hood. “The first thing you notice is the social space—the atrium—which is sort of like an interior town square.” 

Suspended overhead is Juan Muñoz’s Figure Hanging from One Foot sculpture.

“From there, you enter the museum proper, and right away you’ll engage with a painting you probably haven’t seen before, because we bought it after we closed for renovations. Our Journey, a major work by the Nigerian artist Obiora Udechukwu, sets the stage for surprise and delight throughout the galleries.”

Stomberg says the Hood’s collection “leans toward social justice. We’ve expanded the story of art by adding more African Americans, Native Americans, artists from Japan, women—these are artists who had long fought for space in the museum, and now they have pride of place.”

The renovation by architects Tod Williams and Billie Tsien allows much more of Dartmouth’s permanent collection to be on view than was previously possible. Stomberg says displays in all 16 galleries will change from time to time.

Read the full story from Dartmouth News