Mar. 11, 2010: The MFA's new wing

>> ITS HAS BEEN 11 YEARS AND
ROUGHLY 500 MILLION DOLLARS.
NOW MOSTLY ALL THAT IS LEFT
TO DO IN THE MUSEUM OF FINE
ART ITS GRAND NEW WING IS
INSTALL THE ARTS.
THAT PROCESS IS UNDER WAY
AND JARED BOWEN IS INVITED
FOR AN EXCHRUF-- EXCLUSIVE
LOOK.
>> BY ALL OUTWARD
APPEARANCES THE MUSEUM OF
FINE ARTS NEW ART OF THE
AMERICA'S WING IS COMPLETE.
IT'S MASSIVE GLASS AND
GRANITE FA SAAD SANING SOLID
AND IN HARMONY WITH THE
BUILDING.
BUT THE EMPTY QUIET BELIES
WHAT IS HAPPENING DEEP
INSIDE WHERE WE WERE GIVEN
FIRST TELEVISION ACCESS.
>> TELL ME I THINK WE WERE
LEAD BLINDFOLDED THROUGH THE
BOWELS TO GET HERE SO WHERE
IN THE NEW WING ARE WE?
>> WE'RE ON LEVEL ONE.
THE FOUNDATION FOR THE
ENTIRE WING.
THERE ARE FOUR LEVELS IN THE
WING.
60,000 SQUARE FEET OF
GALLERIES.
WE HAVE 63 GALLERIES
OVERALL.
>> THIS IS THE FIRST GALLERY
TO BE INSTALLED IN ADVANCE
OF THE NEW WING'S PLANNED
NOVEMBER OPENING.
THE SHIP MODELS AND MARITIME
ARTS GAL RE.
>> IT IS ONE OF THE RARE
OCCASIONS THAT A MAJOR
MUSEUM, HERE WE ARE IN
BOSTON WITH A GREAT MARITIME
HISTORYS WILL A COLLECTION
OF SHIP MODELS.
>> IT A GOOD REPRESENTATION
OF LATE 17th, 18th, 19th
CENTURY SHIP MODELS OF BOTH
AMERICA AND EUROPE INSTALLED
IN A RICH MANNER EVAC
DIFFICULT OF BUILDERS,
CABINET OR YACHT ROOM.
>> THERE ARE 20 SHIP MODELS,
INTRIDATA PIECES THAT IN
SOME CASES TOOK YEARS TO
RERIG AND CONSERVE.
ALSO IN THE NEW WING
VISITORS WILL BE ABLE TO
CRAFT THEIR OWN EXPERIENCE
FINDING THEIR WAY THROUGH
DRAWERS.
>> WE HAVE SOME WONDERFUL
DRAWERS HERE THAT SIMULATE
THOSE KINDS OF SELECTORS
CABINETS THAT INCLUDE A
SCRIMSHAW OR DIFFERENT KINDS
OF NAVIGATIONAL DEVICES OR
WORK OS ON PAPER.
>> IN NEAR BREATHLESS
SILENCE WITH GREAT
CHOREOGRAPHY THE OBJECTS ARE
GINGERLY FALLING BACK INTO
VIEW AFTER NEARLY NINE YEARS
IN STORAGE.
>> I HAD NERVES JUST
WATCHING PEOPLE VERY
DELIBERATELY AND CAREFULLY
CARRYING THE PIECES IN AND
PUTTING THEM INTO THE CASE
IT HAS GOT TO BE
NERVE-RACKING I WOULD
ASSUME.
>> IT'S LIKE MAKING SAUSAGE.
YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE IT
HAPPENING.
BUT WE HAVE AN EXCEPTIONALLY
SKILLED CREW OF FACILITIES
WHO HAVE HANDLED THESE
BEFORE.
THEY WERE INSTALLED WITH THE
INSTALLATION AND WONDERFUL
MAKERS, CONSERVATIVES T IS A
TEAM EFFORT.
>> FOR THE NEXT NINE MONTHS
THOSE TEAMS WILL MOVE FROM
GALLERY TO GALLERY,
METHODICALLY COMPLETING
INSTALLATION.
>> IT IS A LOT LIKE MOVIE
PRODUCTION.
YOU TRY TO BE EFFICIENT
WHERE YOU CAN.
EVERYBODY IS LOOKING FOR
SOMETHING SLIGHTLY
DIFFERENT.
FACILITIES ARE HELPING US
GET AN OBJECT FROM PLACE TO
PLACE.
COLLECTIONS CARE MIGHT BE
LOOKING AT THE INTRICATE
ASPECTS OF HOW IT IS PACKED
SO WE DON'T DAMAGE IT
GETTING IN AND OUT OF
PACKING.
THE CURATORS ARE LOOKING HOW
OBJECTS ARE WORK MAGAZINE IN
RELATION TO ONE ANOTHER.
>> AND SO IT WILL GO UNTIL
NOVEMBER WHEN EIGHT YEARS
AFTER THE MUSEUM'S EXPANSION
PLANS WERE UNVEILED AND FIVE
YEARS AFTER GROUND WAS
BROKEN THE MFA SAYS THE WING
WILL OPEN ON SCHEDULE.
>> AND JARED BOWEN JOINS ME.
SO I DON'T REALLY HAVE MY
BEARING THE IF I WALK IN THE
FRONT DOOR HOW DO I FIND IT.
>> IF YOU GO IN THE
HUNTINGTON ENTRANCE YOU WILL
GO TO THE RIGHT TO GO INTO
THE NEW ART OF THE AMERICA'S
WING AND THEN WHERE WE WERE,
I GUESS WAS ALL THE WAY IN
WHAT YOU MIGHT CONSIDER THE
BASEMENT.
ALL THE WAY UNDER, I BELIEVE
IT IS UNDERGROUND.
>> I BELIEVE IT GOES ALL THE
WAY UP.
>> AND THE EXHI BUSINESS
WING WHERE WE USED TO HAVE
THINGS LIKE THE RALPH LAURYN
CARS OR DAVID HOCKNY WHAT IS
THAT GOING TO BE.
>> THAT WAS IN THE WEST WING
THAT NOW MOVES OVER A
BRAND-NEW SPACE THAT WILL
ALSO BE IN THE ART OF
AMERICA'S WING.
IT IS ALL PART OF I BELIEVE
130,000 SQUARE FEET THAT
THIS ENTIRE WING IS.
AND SO IT WILL HOUSE ALL THE
ART OF THE AMERICA'S
COLLECTION, NORTH, CENTRAL,
SOUTH AMERICA, IN ADDITION
TO THAT SPACE AND TAN
ENCLOSED COURTYARD.
THERE IS A LOT OF OTHER
SPACE AND VIEWING SPACE AND
PATRON SPACE IN THIS WING.
>> WE MUST BE PLANNING SOME
GRAND AMERICAN ARTIST
PREMIER FOR NOVEMBER.
WOULDN'T IT BE ACCESSIBLE.
>> THEY ARE PRETTY
TIGHT-LIPPED.
>> WHAT IS IT GOING TO BE.
>> I DON'T KNOW.
IT WAS SUCH AN ENDEAVOR TO
GET IN THERE TO BE ABLE TO
SHOOT THAT FOOTAGE SO I
COULDN'T GET THEM OUT OF
THEM AS WELL.
>> BECAUSE PEOPLE HAVE BEEN
SPECULATING DA VINCI BUT YOU
KNOW, YOU THINK IT WOULD
HAVE TO BE AN AMERICAN.
>> IT GOING TO BE A HUGE
CELEBRATION, HUGE
CELEBRATION OF ART AND FOR
THE MUSEUM ITSELF.
>> Rooney: CAN'T WAIT.
OKAY, GREAT.
THANKS, JARED.
THAT IS IT FOR GREATER
BOSTON.
A REMINDER TO TUNE INTO THE
NEW 89.7, WGBH AT NOON FOR
MY RADIO SHOW FOLLOWED BY
CALLIE CROSSLEY AT 1:00.
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THE PRESS.
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STATION IS BANNING NEWS
SPEAK.
THAT IS ALL TOMORROW AT 70
CLOCK.
I'M EMILY ROONEY
GOOD NIGHT