Award
2019 Merit Award
Site
St Joseph, MI
Category
Design
Landscape Architects
RATIO, Land Design Collaborative, and DLZ
Project Details
The Krasl Art Center (KAC) has been an important cultural anchor in Saint Joseph since a group of artists banded together in 1962. Since the original building and grounds were constructed in 1979, the KAC has steadily acquired more land, and in 2016, they set out to create a unified campus that supports the diverse art and sculptures they curate.
Guided by the museum’s roots, the grounds are centered on a new flexible open space. The plan incorporates whimsical patterning, new circulation routes, and the opportunity for new buildings, all while being sensitive to the residential context. The design solution organizes the site around an ellipse that originates from a Richard Hunt sculpture. The ellipse rises out of the earth to form an events lawn and main path entry before receding again into the earth. This gentle oval represents the open nature of the museum, which is free to all.