Dia Beacon facts for kids
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| Established | 2003 |
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| Location | 3 Beekman Street, Beacon, New York |
| Type | Modern and contemporary art. |
| Visitors | 100,000 |
| Public transit access | Beacon station, Metro-North Hudson Line |
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National Biscuit Company Carton Making and Printing Plant
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| Area | 26.6 acres (10.8 ha) |
| Built | 1929 |
| Architect | Louis N. Wirsching, Jr.; John W. Cowpers Co. |
| NRHP reference No. | 03000253 |
| Added to NRHP | April 18, 2003 |
Dia Beacon is a cool art museum in Beacon, New York. It shows art from the 1960s up to today. The museum opened in 2003. It is located right by the Hudson River.
The building used to be a factory. It printed boxes for Nabisco cookies! Artists and architects helped turn it into the amazing museum it is today. Dia Beacon has a huge collection of art. It also hosts special shows and fun events. You can join gallery talks or see dance performances. There are even special days for local families. The museum also has programs for students. With 160,000 square feet, it is one of the biggest art spaces in the country.
What is Dia Beacon?
Dia Art Foundation is known for turning old factory buildings into art spaces. Dia Beacon is their newest project like this. The building was built in 1929. It was a printing plant for Nabisco. The museum sits on 31 acres of land. It is also next to 90 acres of parkland by the river. You can walk to the museum from the train station. It's about 60 miles north of New York City. The train ride takes about 80 minutes.
Art and Space
Dia Beacon has lots of open space. This is perfect for very large artworks. Many galleries were designed for specific art pieces. For example, you can see Andy Warhol's Shadows. This huge artwork is 350 feet long. There are also light sculptures by Dan Flavin. You can see big steel sculptures by Richard Serra. These are called Torqued Ellipses. Another cool piece is North, East, South, West by Michael Heizer.
The museum has special skylights. They let in natural light from the north. This light is perfect for viewing paintings. You can see works by On Kawara and Agnes Martin. There are also paintings by Blinky Palermo and Robert Ryman.
Outdoor Areas
Artist Robert Irwin helped design the museum building. He also planned the outdoor areas. The museum grounds have a special entrance court. There is a parking lot with fruit trees. Irwin also designed a formal garden. Next to the museum is Long Dock Park. This park has an outdoor artwork. It was created by environmental sculptor George Trakas.
- Gallery
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The entrance to Dia Beacon.
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A long hallway inside the museum.
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The museum's cafe.
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The museum bookshop.
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The west garden outside.
See also
In Spanish: Dia Beacon para niños
- Storm King Art Center, another art center in New York. It's about 13 miles from Dia Beacon.
- Beacon Point, an outdoor art piece by George Trakas. It opened in 2007.
