Temporary, site-specific installation. This is what artist, Harry Roseman was commissioned to complete this past winter. Temporary is in the request. So why were we all still startled when our atrium walls were returned to white this summer?
If you visited the Art Center this past spring, you would have experienced the immersive installation Harry Roseman: Hole in the Wall. Roseman interpreted the atrium walls as a series of circles and lines in vibrant hues that made this previously neglected space come to life. Visitors would stand back at the entry way when they confronted our orange, purple, and blue walls. Members of the museum staff lived in this lively environment for almost six months and it became the backdrop to our daily activities. The orange would change in shade over the course of the day and many of us became more aware of how light shifted throughout the days and seasons in a way the white walls had never encouraged us to consider. And the circular window, which had previously been a detail, had become a focal point.
It has taken some time to readjust to the white walls. At first, the space seemed hollow and echoing without the radiating lines. Now that the contractors have arrived and set up shop for our roof repairs, we are all adjusting to the buildings temporary transition to work site rather than museum space. The painting over of Hole in the Wall seems to be a fitting part of that process and as we are all thinking about what happens next at the Art Center.
