At the Carnegie Museum of Art, the Barn is Still Relevant
An exhibit at the musuem will focus on 26 regional barns.
Meaghan O'Neill -- Interior Design, 3/16/2006 12:00:00 AM
Despite rampant suburban sprawl in the region, 29 of Western Pennsylvania’s 33 counties are still technically classified as rural. Architecturally speaking, the area may not seem like a hotbed of inspiration. But where some might see a design void, the Heinz Architectural Center at the Carnegie Museum of Art is seizing the opportunity to focus on a single, significant aspect of the built landscape: the barn. Now, for the first time, the Pittsburgh museum is presenting an exhibition that explores a single vernacular building type.
“Barns of Western Pennsylvania: Vernacular to Spectacular” features 26 regional barns and traces the development of an icon—from simple log buildings to elaborate "cathedral-like structures"—in the region. While it explores construction, the show also illustrates how barns have continued to inspire architects, and offers examples of structures that have been adapted for contemporary, non-agricultural use, such as the Barn at Fallingwater. This Frank Lloyd Wright masterpiece is now used for classes, offices, and public events. Adapted with green principles in mind, the project won a Silver Medal and Green Design Citation from AIA Pittsburgh in 2005.
Within the Heinz Architectural Center, three galleries will highlight different aspects of barns, including newly commissioned photographs, scale models, tools, decorations, examples of joinery, farm journals, and architectural plans. "One of the most interesting aspects,” says Lu Donnelly, scholar, author, and organizer of the exhibit, “is that you cannot tell what ethnic groups built the various barns." She notes that the structures “are a synthesis of Germanic, Scotch-Irish, and English design,” made from wood, brick, and stone.
Various educational programs and special tours will be available in conjunction with the exhibit, which runs through May 28.
The Carnegie Museum of Art is one of four Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh, founded by Andrew Carnegie in 1895. The Heinz Architectural Center is dedicated to the collection, study, and exhibition of architectural drawings and models.
Photos by Tom Little
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