ABSTRACT
At the Tree Art Museum, a variety of gallery sizes, shapes, and finish materials
makes the museum feel larger than it is and helps accommodate the diverse art
that is shown. It is a private gallery with a public mission-to humanize an auto-
oriented landscape and to provide a space of contemplation for contemporary
art. The gallery is located in an arts district, surrounded by other galleries and
arts organizations, but the architect wanted to create a unique space of rest and
reflection-a building with the human orientation that he felt was lacking in
nearby buildings. The resulting building has three different types of gallery spaces,
ample courtyards, and an inhabitable room plaza. While it is made of the same
materials as many buildings nearby-concrete and glass-the museum’s curves
and courtyards set it apart from its neighbors.
