TYLER, TX.- East Texans now can put the faces with the names of the award-winning personnel who will be responsible for shaping the Tyler Museum of Art’s new home.

Yo Hakomori and Kulapat Yantrasast and other team members from principal design architect wHY Architecture of Los Angeles have arrived in Tyler to meet the TMA’s members, Director Kimberley Bush Tomio said. The wHY team joins representatives from associate architect Fitzpatrick.Butler of Tyler and landscape architecture firm Reed Hilderbrand Associates of Massachusetts for a “meet the architects” weekend to help the Museum’s supporters get acquainted with the process of shaping the organization’s new location at the corner of Lazy Creek Drive and University Boulevard in Tyler.

At a press conference held Aug. 8 at the TMA, the wHY representatives and Brian Phillips of Fitzpatrick.Butler were among the architects on hand to outline the vision for the project, which will include a physical plant and grounds significantly larger than the current TMA location adjacent to the Tyler Junior College campus.
“The vision for this project is nothing less than a major cultural arts center that will service the entire East Texas region,” said Yantrasast, partner and creative director for wHY Architecture. “We project not only a structure that will be of a considerably enhanced size to meet the Museum’s immediate needs, but a total environment that will take full advantage of the natural beauty of East Texas and the building’s surrounding area to make the new location an inspiring and inviting destination for everyone.”

The press conference also marked the public introduction of a key member on the project team in Reed-Hilderbrand, a company that will collaborate closely with wHY Architecture on the overall aesthetics and external functionality of the new TMA location. Reed Hilderbrand principal Douglas Reed and associate Adrian Nial were on hand to represent the firm, whose project history includes the Phoenix Art Museum; the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Ark.; and the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, Mass. The latter design marked the beginning of the firm’s relationship with Yantrasast, who was then an associate of Pritzker-Prize winning design architect Tadao Ando.

Once designs for the new TMA are approved and final costs are determined, the Museum will announce the construction schedule for the project, Mrs. Tomio said.