ASU - Turchin Visual Arts Center Addition and Renovation

The Turchin Center for Visual Arts is a renovation and addition to an existing facility located along the edge of campus that embraces downtown Boone, NC.  The site was the former home of the Boone Methodist Church and includes an existing sanctuary building and the attached fellowship hall.  Given that the Turchin Center for Visual Arts is the only part of the ASU campus to touch the downtown fabric, the project creates both a physical and symbolic gateway between campus and community.

The program for the 14,000 GSF addition included three unique gallery spaces, a gift shop, a 135-seat auditorium, an outdoor sculpture garden, and a landscaped gateway into campus.  The 8,200 GSF renovation of the existing fellowship hall included the creation of new studio spaces, archives, photo lab, and critique spaces.

While recognition as a premiere regional arts facility  is the primary objective, the Turchin Center connects with the community through year-round community-based programs.  On King Street a large double height corner window provides visibility into one of the sunlight filled gallery spaces.   This use of glass dissolves the separation of inside and outside, allowing views to the wide range of university and community activities held within.  By physically separating the addition from the existing center, the stand-alone structure affords staff greater control over the operation of the center, and greater flexibility in its use.  The spaces in the center are designed with flexibility and versatility in mind, realizing the wide array of experiences and exhibits the center plans to offer.  The education building provides another opportunity for the center to reach out to the community, while at the same time serving the university and the art department.  Its spaces are highly flexible, accommodating a variety of types and sizes of groups, and a wide array of subject matter.