Nasher Sculpture Center facts for kids
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| Established | 2003 |
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| Location | 2001 Flora St, Dallas, Texas |
| Type | Art Museum |
| Architect | Renzo Piano, Peter Walker |
| Public transit access |  M-Line: Olive & Flora, St Paul & Woodall Rodgers |
The Nasher Sculpture Center is a cool museum in Dallas, Texas. It opened in 2003. This museum is home to a special collection of modern and contemporary sculptures. These amazing artworks were collected by Patsy and Raymond Nasher. The center is located on a 2.4-acre piece of land. It's right next to the Dallas Museum of Art in the Dallas Arts District.
Contents
How the Museum Started
Patsy and Raymond Nasher started collecting sculptures in the 1950s. They gathered an amazing collection of artworks. These included pieces by famous artists like Alexander Calder, Pablo Picasso, and Henry Moore.
In 1997, Raymond Nasher bought land in downtown Dallas. It was right across from the Dallas Museum of Art. He hired a famous architect named Renzo Piano to design the Nasher Sculpture Center. The Nasher Foundation paid the entire $70 million cost for the museum. This included both indoor and outdoor areas for art.
The Sculpture Center opened in 2003. It often changes the artworks on display from the Nasher Collection. The museum was built on land that was once part of an old farm. Raymond Nasher helped start the Arts District in Dallas. Other cool buildings like the Winspear Opera House and the Wyly Theater have been built there since.
Building and Garden Design
Renzo Piano, a winner of the Pritzker Prize in 1998, designed the museum's 55,000-square-foot building. He was chosen after Nasher met him in Switzerland in 1997. Piano is known for designing many great art museums. Some of his famous works include the Beyeler Museum and the Georges Pompidou Centre. He is praised for combining art, architecture, and engineering. This creates some of the most amazing museums in the world.
Piano worked with landscape architect Peter Walker to design the 2-acre garden. Walker has had a big impact on landscape design for over forty years. His projects range from small gardens to large city spaces.
The Beck Group built the museum. They also helped with the building's design.
The museum opened in 2003. It has a 55,000-square-foot building on a 2.4-acre site. This is next to the Dallas Museum of Art. A tall building nearby, the Museum Tower, was built in 2012. Sometimes, sunlight reflecting off this tower shines through the museum's glass roof. This can put some artworks at risk of damage. Because of this, artist James Turrell felt his artwork Tending (Blue) was ruined. The museum closed that artwork's room to the public at his request.
The museum has two levels. The ground floor has four galleries, offices, and a meeting room. The garden slopes down to an auditorium. This creates an outdoor theater space.
Museum Activities
The Nasher Sculpture Center often changes its exhibitions. These shows feature artworks from the Nasher Collection. They also have special exhibitions in both indoor and outdoor galleries. Some big exhibitions have included "Matisse: Painter as Sculptor" and "Tony Cragg: Seeing Things."
The museum also hosts monthly events.
- Target First Saturdays are for children and families.
- Til Midnight events include outdoor dining, evening walks, bands, and movies.
- The NasherSalon series brings in important speakers. They talk about art, architecture, and other interesting cultural topics.
The Nasher Sculpture Center also joins in the Block Party Series. This is with other museums in the Dallas Arts District.
Speaker Series: Artists, Critics, Curators
The museum hosts a speaker series called "360 Speaker Series: Artists, Critics, Curators." Many artists, critics, and curators have spoken here. Some of the speakers have included Melvin Edwards, Giuseppe Penone, and Thomas Heatherwick. These talks help people learn more about art and the creative process.
Past Exhibitions
The Nasher Sculpture Center has hosted many exciting exhibitions over the years. Here are some of them:
- Lynda Benglis: May 21, 2022 - September 18, 2022
- Magali Reus: A Sentence in Soil: May 14, 2022 - October 9, 2022
- Harry Bertoia: Sculpting Mid-Century Modern Life: January 29, 2022 – April 24, 2022
- Carol Bove: Collage Sculptures: October 16, 2021 – January 9, 2022
- Betye Saar: Call and Response: September 25, 2021 – January 2, 2022
- Guerrilla Girls: Takeover: May 12, 2021 – October 25, 2021
- Nasher Mixtape: February 6, 2021 – September 26, 2021
- Barry X Ball: Remaking Sculpture: January 25, 2020 – January 3, 2021
- Elmgreen & Dragset: Sculptures: September 14, 2019 – January 5, 2020
- Sheila Hicks: May 11, 2019 – August 18, 2019
- Sterling Ruby: Sculpture: February 2, 2019 – April 21, 2019
- The Nature of Arp: September 15, 2018 – January 6, 2019
- First Sculpture: Handaxe to Figure Stone: January 27, 2018 – April 28, 2018
- Tom Sachs: Tea Ceremony: September 16, 2017 – January 7, 2018
- Roni Horn: May 20, 2017 – August 20, 2017
- Richard Serra: Prints: January 28, 2017 – April 30, 2017
- Sightings: Michael Dean: October 22, 2016 – February 5, 2017
- Kathryn Andrews: Run for President: September 10, 2016 – January 8, 2017
- Joel Shapiro: May 7, 2016 – August 21, 2016
- Doris Salcedo: Plegaria Muda: February 27, 2016 – April 17, 2016
- Sightings: Mai-Thu Perret: March 12, 2016 – July 17, 2016
- Ann Veronica Janssens: January 23, 2016—April 17, 2016
- Sightings: Alex Israel: October 24, 2015 — January 31, 2016
- Piero Golia: Chalet Dallas: October 3, 2015 — February 7, 2016
- Giuseppe Penone: Being the River, Repeating the Forest: September 19, 2015—January 10, 2016
- Phyllida Barlow tryst: May 30, 2015—August 30, 2015
- Melvin Edwards: Five Decades: January 31, 2015 – May 10, 2015
- Sightings: Anna-Bella Papp: October 24, 2014 – January 18, 2015
- Provocations: The Architecture and Design of Heatherwick Studio: September 13, 2014 – January 4, 2015
- Mark Grotjahn Sculpture: May 31, 2014 – August 17, 2014
- Sightings: Bettina Pousttchi: April 12, 2014 – August 17, 2014
- David Bates: February 9, 2014 – May 11, 2014
- Return to Earth: September 21, 2013 – January 19, 2014
- Katharina Grosse: WUNDERBLOCK: June 1, 2013 – September 1, 2013
- Ken Price: A Retrospective: February 9, 2013 – May 12, 2013
- Rediscoveries: Modes of Making in Modern Sculpture: September 29, 2012 – January 13, 2013
- Sculpture in So Many Words: Text Pieces 1960–1980: September 29, 2012 – January 13, 2013
- Ernesto Neto: Cuddle on the Tightrope: May 12, 2012 – September 9, 2012
- Sightings: Eric Swenson: April 14, 2012 – September 9, 2012
- Sightings: Diana Al-Hadid: October 22, 2011 – January 15, 2012
- Elliot Hundley: The Bacchae: January 28, 2012 – April 22, 2012
- Tony Cragg: Seeing Things: September 10, 2011 – January 8, 2012
- Sightings: Martin Creed: March 26, 2011 – August 21, 2011
- Alexander Calder and Contemporary Art: Form, Balance, Joy: December 11, 2010 – March 6, 2011
- Sightings: Alyson Shotz: October 1, 2010 – January 2, 2011
- Revelation: The Art of James Magee: September 4 – November 28, 2010
- Rachel Whiteread Drawings: May 22 – August 15, 2010
- Jaume Plensa: Genus and Species: January 30 – May 2, 2010
- The Art of Architecture: Foster + Partners: September 26, 2009 – January 10, 2010
- George Segal: Street Scenes: January 24 – April 5, 2009
- In Pursuit of the Masters: Stories from the Raymond and Patsy Nasher Collection: September 20, 2008 – January 4, 2009
- Jacques Lipchitz: A Gift from the Artist's Estate: June 21 – September 7, 2008
- Beyond the Grasp: Sculpture Transcending the Physical: March 15 – August 31, 2008
- Woman: The Art of Gaston Lachaise: November 17, 2007 – February 17, 2008
- Matisse: Painter as Sculptor: January 21 – April 29, 2007
- On Tour with Renzo Piano Building Workshop: Selected Projects: May 13 – August 213, 2006
- The Women of Giacometti: January 14 – April 19, 2006
- David Smith: Drawing + Sculpting: April 16 – July 17, 2005
- Frank Stella: Painting in Three Dimensions: January 8 – April 3, 2005
- Bodies Past and Present: The Figurative Tradition in the Nasher Collection: September 18, 2004 – August 2005
- Variable States: Three Masterworks of Modern Sculpture: September 18, 2004 – January 2, 2005
- Medardo Rosso: Second Impressions: April 3 – June 20, 2004
- Picasso: The Cubist Portraits of Fernande Olivier: February 15 – May 9, 2004
- From Rodin to Calder: Masterworks of Modern Sculpture from the Nasher Collection: October 20, 2003 – August 22, 2004
Nasher XChange: Art in the City
To celebrate its 10th anniversary, the Nasher Sculpture Center held "Nasher XChange." This event took place from October 19, 2013, to February 16, 2014. The director, Jeremy Strick, said "Nasher XChange" focused on public art. This means art that connects with the people and culture of Dallas. The National Endowment for the Arts helped fund this special exhibition.
The Nasher Prize
The Nasher Prize was created in April 2015. This award is given to a living artist. It celebrates their amazing work in contemporary sculpture.
- 2016: Doris Salcedo
Doris Salcedo was born in 1958 in Bogotá, Colombia. She creates sculptures and installations. Her art turns everyday objects into powerful stories of loss and memory.
- 2017: Pierre Huyghe
Huyghe was born in 1962 in Paris. He has greatly expanded what sculpture can be. His art uses many different materials and ideas. He brings together music, movies, dance, biology, and philosophy.
- 2018: Theaster Gates
Gates was born in 1973 in Chicago, Illinois. He explores how memory, history, and places are connected to materials. He is also a professor at the University of Chicago.
- 2019: Isa Genzken
Genzken was born in 1948 in Germany. She has always found new ways to create sculpture. Her art is inspired by popular culture and history. It explores how complex modern life is.
- 2020–2021: Michael Rakowitz
Rakowitz was born in 1973 in Long Island, New York. He is Iraqi-American. Much of his art explores his identity. It also looks at the history between the US and the Middle East.
- 2022: Nairy Baghramian
Baghramian was born in 1971 in Iran. She is a German visual artist. Her work often focuses on how sculptures are made and shown. She creates art that challenges expectations.
- 2023: Senga Nengudi
Nengudi was born in 1943 in Chicago. She is known for art that explores the body. She also combines sculpture with performance. Nengudi became famous among Black avant-garde artists in the 1970s and 80s.
People Who Lead the Museum
The Nasher Sculpture Center has a team of people who help run it.
Board of Trustees
The Board of Trustees helps guide the museum. Key members include Mr. David Haemisegger (President) and Mr. Stephen Stamas (Chairman). Ms. Nancy Nasher Haemisegger and Mr. Jeremy Strick are also on the board.
The Director
Jeremy Strick has been the Director of the Nasher Sculpture Center since March 2009. He is in charge of the museum's collections, exhibitions, and daily operations.
Curators
Curators are experts who manage the art collection and organize exhibitions.
- Jed Morse is the Chief Curator.
- Catherine Craft is a Curator.
- Leigh Arnold is an Assistant Curator.
Nancy A. Nasher and David J. Haemisegger
David J. Haemisegger and Nancy A. Nasher are on the Board of Directors. Nancy's father, Raymond D. Nasher, founded the museum in 2003. Nancy worked closely with her father to create the Sculpture Center. David is currently the President of the Nasher Sculpture Center. They both also serve on the Nasher Foundation Board.
See also
In Spanish: Centro de Escultura Nasher para niños
- List of buildings and structures in Dallas, Texas
