By Shawn King
Borough President Helen Marshall announced Aug. 15 that the city Office of Management and Budget approved the $1.6 million renovation of the sculpture garden at the Noguchi Museum.
The $1.6 million is part of the $2.4 million total renovation of the museum. The monies will be used to prevent damage to the artwork from future storms such as Hurricane Sandy, which last October caused the removal of more than 100 pieces to another location.
Named after world-renowned Japanese sculptor and political activist Isamu Noguchi, who died in 1988, the museum will be receiving a new irrigation system and security lighting in the sculpture garden. The garden wall will also be rebuilt.
“The Noguchi Museum is a cultural treasure that pays tribute to the life and legacy of an artist whose work continues to have a major impact today,” said Marshall. “The upcoming renovation will help preserve this unique setting for future generations.”
Noguchi was a California native of Japanese decent. His works have been displayed in public areas worldwide, including in front of the Associated Press building in Rockefeller Center.
The renovations are set to begin in 2014 and run until 2015, in time for the museum’s 30th anniversary.
