GSBS Architects Chosen to Design Southern Utah Museum of Art @ SUU

Michael French
Public Information Officer
College of Performing and Visual Arts
Southern Utah University
Cedar City, Utah
Office: (435) 865-8667
michaelfrench@suu.edu

SALT LAKE CITY FIRM CHOSEN
TO DESIGN SOUTHERN UTAH MUSEUM OF ART
FOR SUU CAMPUS

Southern Utah University, Cedar City, Utah: SUU President Michael T. Benson is pleased to announce that GSBS Architects of Salt Lake City working with Wendy Evans Joseph Architecture of New York, NY have been selected to design SUU’s forthcoming Southern Utah Museum of Art (SUMA) to be located on the campus of Southern Utah University in Cedar City. SUMA’s ground-breaking is anticipated for the fall of 2011.

In selecting GSBS Architects and Wendy Evans Joseph Architecture, President Benson stated, "In the interactions we have had with the GSBS team both on campus and in their Salt Lake offices, it is clear we have a superb design group committed to listen to input from all those committed to this project. I have every confidence the finished edifice will be something all of us will take enormous pride in as SUMA will be a gift to our community for decades to come."

The mission of SUMA is to educate, collect, preserve, exhibit, and interpret historic and contemporary works of art significant to the interior American West. The collections will engage and educate, relate to the region, broaden the student's/patron's/viewer's/participant's horizons, and be an active community resource. The museum will be an icon for the region, Southern Utah University and the Iron County Community. The nationally accredited museum will host art exhibitions from around the world and house the university’s permanent collection, including a gallery devoted to the works by the renowned regional artist Jim Jones. In addition, SUMA will design, curate and produce touring exhibits.

GSBS Architects is a group with an extensive project history, outstanding technical and creative abilities, and a demonstrated knowledge of the local community, culture, and environment of Utah. The firm boasts an innovative eco-friendly portfolio which leads the region in sustainable design experience. GSBS has a long and successful relationship with institutions in the Utah educational system. David Brems, FAIA, LEED AP, will be the principal in charge, and John Branson, AIA, LEED AP, serves as project manager. Among the firm’s acclaimed projects is their work on the Utah Museum of Natural History, a future landmark for the state. GSBS will be the Architects of Record for the entire project. The firm has collaborated with Wendy Evans Joseph Architects on the Price Family Holocaust Memorial Garden in Salt Lake City.

Wendy Evans Joseph Architects (WEJA) of New York, NY, has extensive experience with museum, performance and memorial spaces and is unparalleled, having garnered numerous design awards for projects that celebrate the union of art and architecture. Acclaimed projects designed by WEJA include the Price Family Holocaust Memorial Garden in Salt Lake City, the National Jazz Museum in Harlem, New York, NY, and the Women’s Museum: An Institute for the Future, Dallas, TX. Wendy Evans Joseph, FAIA, LEED, AP, will be SUMA’s principal designer.

Upon completion, SUMA will have vastly increased exhibition space over SUU’s existing Braithwaite Fine Arts Gallery and will feature five galleries including the Jim Jones Gallery, the Braithwaite Gallery, a feature gallery, a digital gallery, and one non-designated space. Another major component of SUMA is increased classroom space for young students who participate in numerous educational programs and university students preparing for careers in gallery and museum management and art education. In addition, SUMA will be built in a more accessible location: the northwest corner of opposite the Utah Shakespeare Festival.

To make a contribution to SUMA, please contact Donna Law, Director of Development: CPVA, at 435-865-8182 or law@suu.edu. Contributions can be made online at www.suu.edu/pva/suma.









Michael French
Public Information Coordinator
Southern Utah University
College of Performing and Visual Arts
435-865-8667
michaelfrench@suu.edu