Wight & Company designs the expansion project of Cleve Carney Art Gallery

The Wight & Company is a design and architecture firm based in Chicago. The company has designed an expansion to the existing Cleve Carney Art Gallery for the upcoming Frida Kahlo 2020 exhibition. The gallery is located at the College of DuPage in Glyn Ellyn. The Frida Kahlo 2020 will be the largest show in Chicago in the past four decades.

The Wight & Company designed the original gallery back in 2015 and it will now be renamed the Cleve Carney Art Museum. A new space and museum-quality mechanism system will be added to the gallery as a part of the expansion project. Kevin Havens is the executive vice-president and director of design the Wight & Company. He said, “Being a part of this project to expand and upgrade the Cleve Carney facility at the College of DuPage is especially satisfying.”

The Wight & Company has a history with the building. The company reimagined the original design for creating a larger space for the accommodation of bigger exhibitions like the Frida Kahlo 2020 exhibition. It also focused on what could be done with the exterior for attracting more people. The current space will be changed from a gallery to a museum in a budget of $3 million. The standards set by the American Alliance of Museum will be accomplished in the expansion project.

An additional 1000 sq. ft. space will help in the accommodation of more visitors. The works collected in the space will be kept under constant temperature and humidity level. The advanced mechanical system will provide better security. Diana Martinez, the director of the McAninch Arts Center at the College of DuPage, said, “This transition from a gallery to a museum was a key factor in securing the Frida Kahlo 2020 exhibition.”

The previous experience of the Wight & Company provided aid to the gallery management in achieving their goal of elevating their status as an arts destination. Cleve Carney was an iconic Philanthropist and the gallery was named after his name.