Goals for the Capstone:
The role of an art museum in higher educationThe first goal that I hope to accomplish with this capstone project is to think critically about why Berkeley has an art museum and the role it plays in an intellectual institution for both the past and present. Some ideas to think about when approaching this goal is: "Why do Universities have art museums? How does the museum affect town and gown relations in the city of Berkeley? What does the the museum symbolize for students at the University? Who is it for?"
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The changing uses of buildingsThe second goal that I have for the capstone is to discuss the varied uses a physical locations and how those uses change over time. The current building that houses the Berkeley Art Museum was once the University Printing Press and what does it mean to repurpose these buildings to fit needs of the University and the city.
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The History of the Berkeley Art Museum
1881 - The opening of Bacon Hall, the third building to be made on campus, it hosted the art and book collection Henry Douglass Bacon donated to the UC.
1931 - The UC renovates a former power plant into a space for art exhitibitions to take place, this is known as the Powerhouse Gallery. 1963 - BAM/PFA is officially founded. Hans Hofmann, expressionist artist and teacher, donates $250,000 and works from his collection to the museum. 1970- The new building for the museum on 2626 Bancroft Way opens up for students and the public. |
1971 - The Pacific Film Archive merges with the museum and becomes a joint insitution, now it is known as BAM/PFA.
1997 - The building on Bancroft was deemed seismically unstable, the museum now needs to relocate. 2014 - The Bancroft location closes down, the Pacific Film Archive continues to show films up until the summer of 2015. 2016 - The new location on 2021 Oxford Street opens up to students and the public. |
The History of the UC Printing Press
1893 - Began as an agency for Berkeley Scholars, printing their monographs for use in exchange distribution by the university library. It became a necessary due to the rise in graduate students attending the University
1916 - " The University of California Press was among the first to recognize the obligation to promote scholarship by fostering with its own means, opportunities of publication" - Albert Allen first manger of UC Press. This was promoted by Benjamin Ide Wheeler who actively sought out that regents provide increasing publishing funds 1939 - The building on Oxford and Center Street opens up and staff from UC Printing begin to move into the building |
" The University without the printing press would be an orator with our a voice: his influence would be restricted to those who could watch his gestures and lips" - Daniel Coit Gilman, Second President of UC Berkeley
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