The Glenstone Museum Integrates Art, Architecture and Landscape

Glenstone Museum

The Glenstone Museum revealed the results of a five-year expansion on Oct. 4. Glenstone Museum, located at 12100 Glen Road in Potomac, encompasses two buildings, several outdoor sculptures and more than 230 acres of landscape.

Established by Emily Wei Rales and Mitchell P. Rales, Glenstone opened in 2006 and now includes a new 204,000-square-foot museum building called the Pavilions, designed by Thomas Phifer of Thomas Phifer and Partners. It also includes an additional 130 acres of rolling meadows, woodlands, and streams, designed by Adam Greenspan and Peter Walker of PWP Landscape Architecture; an Arrival Hall and bookstore; and two cafés.

The original 30,000-square-foot museum building, called the Gallery, was designed by Charles Gwathmey of Gwathmey Siegel & Associates Architects and opened in a 100-acre setting. With the addition of its new facilities, Glenstone now offers a total of 59,000 square feet of indoor exhibition space in two buildings, with all works drawn from its own renowned collection of modern and contemporary art, and 230 acres of serene, unspoiled landscape incorporating installations of major works of outdoor sculpture.

To fully experience Glenstone, visitors should be prepared to spend considerable time on foot, and comfortable walking shoes are recommended. The first of the Museum buildings is a seven-minute walk from the Arrival Hall.

Admission to Glenstone is always free. Glenstone Museum is open Thursday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. with visits scheduled on the half hour until 3 p.m. February tickets will be released on Dec. 1 at 12:01 a.m. More information is available here.

The Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation talks with the Glenstone Museum staff to learn how this gift to Montgomery County beautifully integrates art, architecture and landscape in this video.

Think Arts: Glenstone Museum from MCEDC on Vimeo.