Peeler Art Center at DePauw University, Greencastle, IN (1997-2002)
The Peeler Art Center is sited on a corner property at the western edge of the main campus. The building’s primary elevation faces north where three large window monitors single out the painting and drawing studios at the top level. Distributed on two floors and a full basement, the 87,000 sq. ft. art facility covers a variety of programs, from ceramics to photography, from painting to curatorial studies, from art history to sculpture. The Peeler has two types of galleries, an informal one for exhibiting the works of degree students, and a larger “museum quality” gallery dedicated to regional and national traveling exhibitions. The building’s layout allows direct access to both galleries from the corner entrance and lobby without interrupting the art department’s other academic activities. A wedged courtyard works as a central light well and feature to the design. The exterior materials reflect the university’s trustees desire that the building make some reference to the material palette of the existing campus. Thus the use of an orange-red brick with matching mortar, Indiana limestone panels, and anodized aluminum wall and roofing panels, materials that retain a textural continuity with other university buildings while asserting the individual character of the Peeler Art Center.
