Stone Hill Center

The Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute opened Stone Hill Center, designed by Tadao Ando, on June 22, 2008. Located on a wooded hillside, Stone Hill Center houses two new galleries in which the Clark will present exhibitions highlighting its collection as well as works representing periods and cultures not currently shown at the Clark. A terrace affords magnificent views of the Taconic Range and Green Mountains, and a new network of scenic trails and walking paths integrates the building into the landscape.


Stone Hill Center also houses the Williamstown Art Conservation Center (WACC), the largest regional conservation center in the country. WACC treats objects ranging from historic artifacts, antiques, and heirlooms to some of the most important paintings, watercolors, drawings, photographs, sculpture, and furniture in the United States. Well-known works of art conserved at WACC include Vincent van Gogh's Irises, Thomas Hart Benton's America Today murals, and Jackson Pollock's Number 2, 1949.

The Clark has established a vision for the future that allows for physical expansion, improves circulation, and dramatically expands the public use of its sweeping 140-acre campus. Since its opening in 1955, the quality of its collections, the depth of its scholarly and public programs, and the natural beauty of its setting have made the Clark a unique institution and a favorite destination. With its dual mission as both an art museum and center for research and higher education, the Clark is known as one of the world’s most vibrant centers for exploring issues in the visual arts. As its programs and global impact have grown over the last decades, the Clark’s facilities were increasingly taxed to provide the space and services necessary to meet the demands of these initiatives and future goals.

In 2001 the Clark approved a master plan developed by Cooper, Robertson & Partners that dramatically reconceived the Clark campus. Pritzker Prize-winning architect Tadao Ando and landscape architects Reed Hilderbrand Associates were selected to articulate this campus plan, including pivotal decisions to remove the current maintenance building and relocate the main parking areas in order to make way for significant landscape and architectural changes. Architect Annabelle Selldorf was commissioned to renovate the original museum building and the Manton Research Center (built in 1973) in a way that respects the original architecture, repurposes spaces to better serve both the museum and research and academic programs, and enhances the visitor experience.

In 2008 Stone Hill Center opened, a new building affording panoramic views from its location on a previously undeveloped portion of the campus. The facility has been cited for its stunning gallery spaces, community meeting rooms, outdoor café, and walking paths. Additionally it houses the state-of-the-art facility for the Williamstown Art Conservation Center. In summer 2010 work began on the infrastructure for the next phase of the project, the construction and renovation of the main campus buildings and grounds. Work is now complete on a new loading dock, food service and core mechanical facilities, and other back-of-house spaces. The models and interpretive materials here provide a look at the entire project, focusing primarily on the current construction, renovation, and campus landscape that will open to the public in June 2014. We look forward to sharing the next chapter of the Clark’s history with you.