Handsome Hardcover Book About The REACH
The Kennedy Center Gift Shops and online store have a handsome book dedicated to the new, modern expansion of the Kennedy Center – the REACH. Providing a new topology for performing arts centers and an up-close view of how art is made, the REACH was designed by one of America’s most influential architects and opened to acclaim in September 2019.
The REACH: The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts / Steven Holl Architects offers a comprehensive look at the history of the project and includes programming initiatives by the Kennedy Center to memorialize President Kennedy and his significant contribution to the arts and American culture. Hundreds of beautiful photographs show the beauty of the REACH, both inside and out, and highlight its varied programs.
Barry Bergdoll, the Meyer Schapiro Professor of Art History at Columbia University and a specialist in modern architectural history, authored an essay “Reaching for New Artistic Paradigms: Steven Holl Architects and the Transformation of the Kennedy Center.” Deborah F Rutter, President of the Kennedy Center, David M Rubenstein, Chairman of the Kennedy Center, Steven Holl, Noel Morris, Chris McVoy, and Garrick Ambrose provided insight to the project. Special reflections by Rose Kennedy Schlossberg, Jason Moran, and Yo-Yo Ma add a historical and artistic view.
As the first major expansion in Kennedy Center history, the REACH breaks down boundaries between audience and art. Set adjacent to the Kennedy Center along the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. Steven Holl’s expansion connects community with art, and art with nature through three interconnected pavilions with high ceilings and floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Potomac River. Visitors can walk through a grove of thirty-five ginkgo trees, watch a free outdoor simulcast performance projected on a wall in a public park, or look out at the Potomac from a river pavilion cafe.
Come visit the REACH and take home memories of the experience, featured in this impressive new book.