 An Interview with Dr.
William Chiego
By CATHERINE WALWORTH
Photography PAUL LARA
You may have noticed that museums all over the country are “closed for expansion” right now. What may seem like a race to keep up with the Joneses is actually the result of early 20th century institutions that are at critical mass. They have built up their collections to the point of outgrowing the original spaces for exhibiting and storing them.
No stranger to renovation, the McNay Art Museum was once the private home of art-loving Marion Koogler McNay. Remarkably, since it opened in 1954 as the first modern art museum in Texas, it has had just two directors -- John Palmer Leeper and William J. Chiego, now celebrating his 15th year.
Set to open in 2008, an innovative new Jane and Arthur Stieren Center for Exhibitions will nearly double the museum’s size, while keeping a discreet profile next to the beloved Spanish Colonial home. We asked Dr. Chiego about the new expansion, which might just define his legacy.
Bravo: Mrs. McNay’s original 1920s home had several gallery additions in the 1970s and ‘80s. Why add on to the museum now in such a major way?
Dr. Chiego: Our permanent collection has grown tremendously. The museum originally opened with a collection of just 700 works of art, and in recent years we have quickly grown from less than 10,000 to over 17,000 objects. We have particularly developed areas like the Tobin Collection of Theatre Arts, American paintings and prints -- especially Mexican and American -- and just the modern sculpture collection itself has grown by 50 percent in the last 15 years.
We have high ambitions for the exhibitions program and want to bring nationally renowned traveling shows to the museum that are larger than the current galleries can accommodate. For decades now, the lack of dedicated special exhibition galleries has meant that much of the permanent collection, especially American and contemporary works as well as the prints and drawings collection, have had their galleries usurped for changing shows. The area around the Blackburn patio will now be reserved for permanent collections. And we will be able to exhibit more large-scale contemporary works in the new center.
Bravo: Selecting the right architect is essential. You chose French architect Jean-Paul Viguier, whose resume is full of major international design projects and awards. Nature and durability are core ideas in his professional philosophy. How does this architect suit Mrs. McNay’s legacy, and what drew you to him as the perfect choice?
Dr. Chiego: Jean-Paul Viguier is our design architect because of his experience and because of the sensitivity he has shown to the museum’s context. The existing museum inspired him to recreate the indoor-outdoor dialogue in contemporary terms. By setting the new building on the natural slope of the site, we gain maximum square footage from a smaller footprint and the new center’s roofline will be low, so as not to compete with the original home. He also plans to use gray-green stone and bronze-toned metal that will blend with the landscape and allow the brightness of the adjacent home to stand out.
 But maybe most of all, we were attracted by Viguier’s desire to bring natural light into the new exhibition galleries through an innovative roof and ceiling structure that can control the light according to the sensitivity of the works of art shown. He wanted to capture the beautiful light of South Texas, converting it into a wonderful ambient light that will enhance the viewing experience.
Bravo: The museum's 23 acres of grounds are idyllic, and I know you are particularly interested in expanding the outdoor sculpture collection. I'm sure people are worried about losing beautiful green space, so how are nature and outdoor sculpture going to play into the new design?
Dr. Chiego: The site for the new center was chosen to preserve as much open space as possible. In fact, the new building sits primarily on a former parking lot. It has also been designed with new sculpture gardens and a sculpture gallery with a glass curtain wall that extends the entire length of the new Center for Exhibitions overlooking the new gardens, adding to that inside-outside dialogue.
Bravo: Museums are incorporating high-tech interpretive features into their historical fabrics. How is the McNay going to be keeping step with the 21st century?
Dr. Chiego: We are excited about the new AT&T Lobby, which will include a greeters’ desk, touch-screen informational kiosks, interactive computer displays and two plasma screens that will provide visitors with listings of current and upcoming museum programs and events.
Our new educational learning centers can be divided in half for separate programs or combined for one large program. Each area will have state-of-the-art audio-visual technology for video or PowerPoint presentations. Durable rubber tile flooring and tackable walls will allow for art demonstrations, family and teacher workshops, and more informational text panels. The learning centers will also be the place for storytelling, short performances and computer activities.
The new 225-seat lecture hall will also be a favorite destination for visitors. It will be another flexible space with the latest audio-visual capability -- perfect for lectures and film presentations.
Bravo: What exhibition will inaugurate the new space?
Dr. Chiego: The current plan is to open the center with an exhibition of Jean-Paul Viguier’s work to highlight the architectural experience. And for the first time, the museum will have an exhibition that will show the full range and strength of the McNay’s post-WWII collection of paintings and sculptures, including works rarely seen because of their large scale.
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