Here I am at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH), on behalf of wHY-site Architecture design team, taking part in a historical moment for AMNH where the Great Canoe (63-foot long) of Northwest Coast is being placed inside the Northwest Coast Hall. Its last move took place in 1960 when it was displayed in the Grand Gallery of this museum. AMNH is one of the most interesting museums that you may find in New York city, famous for the real scale whale model or the Great Canoe, while wHY Architecture is contracted to design the Northwest Coast Hall which is currently the oldest exhibition hall in the museum and contains artifacts and exhibits of the tribes of the North Pacific Coast cultural region. The museum was founded in 1869 and contains over 33 million specimens of plants, animals, fossils, minerals, meteorites, human remains, and human cultural artifacts while welcoming 5 million visitors annually.
(Children viewing North West Coast Canoe, 77th Street Foyer, 1962, American Museum of Natural History, Photographer: Alex J. Rota. Image and original data provided by Library, American Museum of Natural History)
I started at wHY just 3 months ago and since the first day I was fully immersed in their working process, experiencing a completely different work environment compared to what I was used in Albania, with almost 10 years of work experience. With a very diverse portfolio and an extensive experience in museums, galleries and cultural objects, wHY is a multidisciplinary architecture and design firm ranked in top 100 of world design firms. Kulapat Yantrasast, Founding Partner and Creative Director is a well – known architect and designer with a brilliant career. I would point out his experience working as Tadao Ando’s close associate for eight years in Japan, and being named one of the art world’s 100 Most Powerful People in 2012.
For every architect, planner or designer, but not only, I believe, the excitement and the challenge I faced since the first beginning of working at wHY is understandable. I was assigned to work in different projects and American Museum of Natural History is one of them. wHY New York has a very dynamic and vivid environment which means working around the clock – a typical New York firm. Almost every day of the first month I have been learning something new related to my work and architecture business in United States. Besides that, my colleagues are very friendly and helpful, while the directors and Kulapat know how to be inspiring and how to motivate the staff. Likewise, I am really satisfied that so far, I have been helpful and that my knowledge and experience have been put into work, making me feel more comfortable, confident and inspired to work at wHY.
There is a different responsibility while working on a museum. Every type of project or design is “cooked” with the artist’s dedication, respect and responsibility. Not only that, but there is a different approach intervening in an object like AMNH, that has been standing there for 150 years and will continue to do so for decades and centuries. It is not only affecting some walls, the ceiling, or tiles, or even in the museum’s building tradition, but also dealing with millions of eyes that will be looking there continuously makes it really specific and special. Looking now at the Great Canoe being placed into “her” new space, in which probably it will stay for a long long time, makes me honored and proud of being part of wHY design team. Although I am fully convinced in wHY design success the real challenge has to come, time will tell and that’s part of the process when history and design will continue working together.
This Master and Internship Program offered by Albanian American Development Foundation is a unique opportunity given to young Albanian professionals who wish to experience working in an US company or who are seeking for challenges in an international foreign environment. I have been living for a few months in New York City, and actually I don’t know how it would have been in some other cities in United States (I know for sure I wouldn’t have walked that much…), but to be honest I don’t wonder about that because I believe that this journey is one of the best experiences in my life. I have been embracing every moment of it, and it is my journey. What will your journey be?
Jetlir Gjergji