In May, Vermont Shelburne Museum engaged the architecture firm of London, New York and Accra, Ghana Adjaye Associates to design his new Perry Center for Native American Art. But next serious allegations of misconduct against the founder and main architect David Adjayethe museum will find a new architect to lead the project.

Three former employees have accused Adjaye, 57, of sexual harassment and sexual assault. He denied the allegations, describing the sexual encounters as consensual, but apologizing that the relationship “blurred the lines between my professional life and my personal life”. (Adjaye married Ashley Shaw-Scott in 2014.)

“The recent allegations of sexual misconduct against David Adjaye, and his admission of inappropriate behavior, are inconsistent with our mission and values, which have left the museum with no alternative but to immediately sever ties with the architect and his cabinet,” Thomas Denenberg, the museum’s director and CEO, said in a statement. “We remain committed to moving the project forward and the many other partners and collaborators who have been involved since its conceptualization.”

Inspired by Shelburne Museum founder Electra Havemeyer Webb’s early interest in Indigenous art, the center is set to be the institution’s largest expansion since it opened in 1947, offering tribal members and scholars the opportunity to engage and study his collection of Native American art. and artifacts.

Formerly known manufacturer [Haak’u (Acoma Pueblo)], Polychrome water jar (ca. 1880–90), detail. Perry Collection of Native American Arts. Photo courtesy of the Shelburne Museum, Shelburne, Vermont.

“Our team is inspired by the potential of the Perry Center to not only enhance the Shelburne Museum as an educational destination, but also to amplify and empower the Indigenous communities represented by the collection and to reconceptualize the role of a museum facility in the 21st century. . “said Adjaye a statement after being named the center’s architect. “We intend to cultivate opportunities for transformation, storytelling and cross-cultural dialogue, ensuring that the Perry Center contributes to the unique eclecticism and mission of the Shelburne Museum.”

The Shelburne Museum’s $12.6 million project was to feature a sustainable design for a 9,750 square foot pavilion. The Museum of Art and History has a 45-acre campus that houses 39 buildings and 22 gardens, with a collection of over 100,000 objects.

At press time, Adjaye Associates had not responded to request for comment on the company’s withdrawal from the project.

A rendering of David Adjaye’s now canceled design for the Holocaust Memorial and Learning Center in London. Image courtesy of Adjaye Associates and the UK Department for Housing, Communities and Local Government.

Other establishments has already cut ties with Adjayeincluding the UK Holocaust Memorial in London; THE Africa Institute in Sharjah, UAE; THE Multnomah County Library in Portland, Oregon; and the Workshop Museum in Harlemwhere members of Adjaye’s New York office will lead the project through to completion with Cooper Robertsonthe appointed architect.

from New Jersey Princeton University Art Museum will complete work on its new Adjaye-designed building, which is due to open next year, but museum director James Steward told the New York Times that “the accusations [are] extremely disturbing” and “it is fair to say that most of our work with Adjaye is behind us”.

THE fromCordova Sculpture Park and Museum in Lincoln, Massachusetts, also canceled plans to exhibit the Adjaye sculpture this fall, and the architect resigned as architectural adviser to the Mayor of London and city administrator. Serpentine Galleries.

View of the main entrance and courtyard garden of the Edo Museum of West African Art (EMOWAA) in Benin City, Nigeria. Image ©Adjaye Associates.

THE National Museums of Liverpoolwhere Adjaye must oversee the redevelopment of the International Slavery Museum And Maritime Museumsaid Museum Journal it takes[s] the allegations described very seriously” but could not yet comment on the progress of the project.

Several of Adjaye’s upcoming projects have yet to release statements regarding his involvement, including the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art in Delhi, which is currently under construction; THE National Cathedral of Ghana in Accra; and the Edo West African Art Museum in Benin City, Nigeria, which appointed Adjaye as architect in 2019.

Adjaye Associates has already completed a number of high-profile projects in the art world, including the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C.; THE Museum of Modern Art in Denver; and the Sugar Hill Children’s Art and Storytelling Museum in Harlem.

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