The Folger Shakespeare Library, home to the world's largest
Shakespeare collection, reopened today after a four-year renovation
that transformed its historic home on Capitol Hill. The private
ribbon-cutting ceremony included numerous VIPs including
Washington, D.C. Mayor
Muriel Bowser, Librarian of Congress
Dr. Carla Hayden, poet Kyle Dargan, Folger Director Dr. Michael Witmore, Board Chair D. Jarrett Arp, and other members of the
Folger's Board of Directors. Witmore read a special congratulatory
message from King Charles III. The
Folger officially opened its doors to the public at 1pm.
WASHINGTON, June 21,
2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The home of the world's
largest collection of Shakespeare materials aims to connect with
21st-century audiences with a radically more accessible and
welcoming building
"Our reimagined space allows us to bring
out the wonders from our archives and provides a blueprint for
visitors to engage with Shakespeare in new and interactive ways…all
in one building," said Folger Director Michael Witmore.
The Folger Shakespeare Library, which houses the world's largest
Shakespeare collection, reopened today after a four-year renovation
that transformed its historic home on Capitol Hill with a bold and
accessible design. The private ribbon-cutting ceremony included
numerous VIPs including Washington,
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser,
Librarian of Congress Dr. Carla
Hayden, poet Kyle Dargan,
Folger Director Dr. Michael Witmore,
Board Chair D. Jarrett Arp, and
other members of the Folger's Board of Directors. Witmore read a
special congratulatory message from King
Charles III. The ribbon was cut by Witmore, Arp, and board
members Florence Cohen, Eugene Pickard, Jr., and Susan Sachs Goldman, with longest-serving staff
member Rosalind Larry and newest
staff member India Moore holding the
ceremonial ribbon. The Folger officially opened its doors to the
public at 1pm.
The Folger welcomes visitors of all ages and provides numerous
opportunities to engage directly with its world-class collection
and the works of William
Shakespeare. For the first time, all 82 copies of the
Folger's First Folios, the first published collection of all
Shakespeare's plays, will be displayed together; the Folger's First
Folio collection is the largest in the world, and First Folios
preserved 18 of Shakespeare's plays—including Macbeth and Julius
Caesar—that may have otherwise been lost forever.
"Our reimagined space allows us to bring out the wonders from
our archives and provides a blueprint for visitors to engage with
Shakespeare in new and interactive ways through the power of
performance, the wonder of exhibitions, and the excitement of
path-breaking research… all in one building," said Folger Director
Michael Witmore.
The $80.5 million building
expansion, designed by the Philadelphia-based architectural firm of
KieranTimberlake, has made the historic building more accessible,
welcoming, and dynamic for all, from teachers and students of
Shakespeare to theater and literature lovers to those who are
curious to know more.
Highlights of the renovation include:
- A new public wing, the Adams Pavilion, with 12,000 square feet
of space, houses two modern, state-of-the-art exhibition halls: the
Shakespeare Exhibition Hall and the Stuart and Mimi Rose Rare Book
and Manuscript Exhibition Hall.
- Three commissioned artworks by contemporary artists offer
visitors creative entry points through which to consider
Shakespeare and the early modern world.
- An intricately-designed black mirror from renowned artist
Fred Wilson titled God me such uses
send, Not to pick bad from bad, but by bad mend reflects upon the
play Othello, is installed opposite a famous portrait of
Queen Elizabeth I, and archival
materials associated with 19th-century Black actor Ira Aldridge
- A 15-foot-long paper and light sculpture, featuring more than
250 pieces of handcrafted paper, entitled Cloud of Imagination from
innovative German artist Anke Neumann
- A new poem by US poet Laureate and Pulitzer Prize-winner
Rita Dove welcomes visitors to the
Folger and encourages them to "Clear your calendars. Pocket your
notes." as they follow the garden path down to the West
Entrance
- Lush new gardens— designed by landscape architecture firm OLIN
that include native plants and plants referenced in Shakespeare's
works—lead to new below-ground entrances on both ends of the
building.
- Coming soon is a new café, Quill & Crumb, located in the
Folger's historic Great Hall and managed by Constellation Culinary
Group, that will offer coffee, lunch, grab-and-go options, and a
full-service bar and light bites in the evening.
- An expanded gift shop offering mementos and merchandise
inspired by the Folger and its collections.
- The Reading Room features new ergonomic furniture designed by
Luke Hughes.
- Enhanced accessibility and upgrades throughout the building
including: accessible new entrances on the east and west sides of
the building for visitors using mobility devices and families using
strollers; new ramps up to the plinth where visitors can see the
Shakespeare bas reliefs and other historic details up close;
inside, elevator service to all public spaces; new and expanded
all-gender restrooms; and state-of-the-art new HVAC systems.
Imprints in Time, the inaugural show in the new special
exhibitions gallery, is drawn entirely from the peerless collection
of Dayton, OH based collectors
Stuart and Mimi Rose. The 52 works
on display at the Folger represent the breadth of Rose's impressive
collection, documenting some of the greatest achievements of
writing and creativity across many centuries. Among the works that
visitors will encounter are an Egyptian Book of the Dead from the
first century BCE; a first edition of Nicolaus Copernicus' De
revolutionibus (1543), which first proposed the heliocentric view
of our planetary system; a first edition of the most notorious
banned book of the 17th century—Galileo Galilei's Dialogo, which
defended Copernicus' view of the solar system and was inscribed by
Galileo himself; a first trade edition of Winnie-the-Pooh,
inscribed by author A. A. Milne to his son; J.R.R. Tolkien's page
proofs, corrected in his hand, for The Lord of the Rings; an
advance press copy of Martin Luther King
Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech; and a section of the Apollo
11 flight plan that Neil Armstrong
and Buzz Aldrin had with them on the Moon.
How to visit:
After an event-filled opening weekend, the Folger's regular
operating hours for the building will begin:
Monday: closed
Tuesday: 11 am–6 pm
Wednesday: 11 am–6 pm
Thursday: 11 am–9 pm
Friday: 11 am–9 pm
Saturday: 11 am–9 pm
Sunday: 11 am–6 pm
Hours may be extended Sunday, Tuesday, and Wednesday if
performances are scheduled in the theater. The Reading Room reopens
on Tuesday, June 25, with its own
hours of operation. Tours will be offered at Noon and 4pm
Sunday–Wednesday, with an additional tour offered Thursday–Saturday
at 7pm.
The Folger recommends visitors use timed-entry passes to ensure
entry into the Folger's new exhibition halls at the time of their
choosing. Passes may be booked up to three months in advance.
Admission to the Folger is free, though a donation of $15 per person is suggested to support operating
costs.
A full press kit with additional background information about
the Folger and images can be found HERE.
About the Folger Shakespeare Library
The Folger Shakespeare Library makes Shakespeare's stories and the
world in which he lived accessible. Anchored by the world's largest
Shakespeare collection, the Folger is a place where curiosity and
creativity are embraced, and conversation is always encouraged.
Visitors to the Folger can choose how they want to experience the
arts and humanities, from interactive exhibitions to captivating
performances, and from pathbreaking research to transformative
educational programming. The Folger welcomes everyone to connect in
their own way—from communities throughout Washington DC to communities across the globe.
Learn more at folger.edu.
Media Contact
Peter Eramo, Jr., Folger
Shakespeare Library, 2026750344, peramo@folger.edu ,
www.folger.edu
Colleen Kennedy, Folger
Shakespeare Library, 202-544-4600 x703, ckennedy@folger.edu ,
www.folger.edu
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SOURCE Folger Shakespeare Library