Dia Chelsea

ARO is overseeing the upgrade and expansion of Dia Art Foundation’s locations in New York City and Beacon, as part of a comprehensive, multi-year plan to strengthen Dia’s mission, program and resources. The new Dia Chelsea expands street-level exhibition spaces behind new brick facades, uniting three existing buildings for a more cohesive visitor experience.

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Lucy Raven, Ready Mix (2021), Courtesy Dia Art Foundation, Photo by Bill Jacobson
Lucy Raven, Ready Mix, 2021. Installation view, Dia Chelsea, New York City. © Lucy Raven.

Extending Dia’s history of revitalizing buildings for contemporary art, the design honors the industrial vernacular of each structure and of the neighborhood itself, while creating a seamless experience for visitors in rejuvenated, luminous spaces.

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The project includes the extension of Joseph Beuys’ 7000 Eichen (7000 Oaks) installation along the street and the return of Dia’s bookstore to Chelsea.

One gallery, located in a former marble factory, retains its exposed brick wall. A retractable metal-panel door enables the handling and installation of large-scale work within the gallery, as well as offers the potential for street-facing performances and installations.

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The adjoining second gallery space will retain its distinctive vaulted, wood roof, white walls, and tall glass doors. In each exhibition space, new, upgraded, and insulated skylights—matching the design of the originals—allow natural light to enter the galleries.

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Western gallery.

The inaugural exhibition at Dia Chelsea was two largescale commissions by Lucy Raven. Ready Mix (2021), an approximately 50-minute black-and-white film shot at a concrete plant in central Idaho, was presented in the western gallery; Casters X-2 + X-3 (2021), two pairs of moving light sculptures from Raven’s Caster series, were presented in the eastern gallery.

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Lucy Raven Casters X-2 + X-3 (2021), Courtesy Dia Art Foundation, Photo by Bill Jacobson
Lucy Raven, Casters X-2 + X-3, 2021. Installation view, Dia Chelsea, New York City. © Lucy Raven.

The full strategic plan encompasses the restoration, renovation, and expansion of Dia’s two principal gallery spaces in Chelsea and Beacon; the reactivation of one of its original programming spaces in Soho; and the revitalization of two landmark installations by Walter De Maria, The New York Earth Room and The Broken Kilometer, which have been maintained by Dia since first installed in the 1970s.

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The second exhibition was Plexus by the multimedia artist Camille Norment. Watch Camille describe her approach to this site-specific work in the interview below.

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Awards

2022 American Architecture Award, Institution

2022 NYCxDesign, New York’s Shining Moment Award

2021 AIANY Architecture Honor Award

2021 Interior Design Best of Year

News
People stand in the east gallery of Dia Chelsea with the metal door open to the street
Private: 3/13 ARO and Alexis Lowry present Strengthening Dia Art Foundation’s Mission Through Architecture | Building Museums Symposium 2023
John Flavin artwork on display at Dia Chelsea
Watch – ARO Joins AIANY Panel: Dia Chelsea Engaging Art and Architecture
Dia Chelsea, featuring Lucy Raven's Ready Mix installation
Private: Dia Chelsea Wins a 2022 American Architecture Award
Dia Chelsea, featuring Lucy Raven's Ready Mix installation
Private: Dia Chelsea Wins a 2022 NYCxDesign Award
Private: Dia Chelsea Reopens
Press
Woman walks in front of new Dia Chelsea.
Dia Chelsea in The New York Times
Dia Chelsea in Architectural Digest
Dia Chelsea in Architectural Digest
Dia Chelsea featuring the inaugural exhibit - Ready Mix by Lucy Raven
Dia Chelsea in Oculus Magazine
Photo of a Dan Flavin installation at the entry of Dia Chelsea
Dia Chelsea in Robb Report
Dia Chelsea in Architect's Newspaper
Dia Chelsea in The Architect’s Newspaper
Dia Chelsea in The New Yorker
Dia Chelsea in The New Yorker