Anne Hawley is the Norma Jean Calderwood Director of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is at once an intimate collection of fine and decorative art and a vibrant, innovative venue for contemporary artists, musicians and scholars. Housed in a stunning 15^th-century Venetian-style palace with three stories of galleries surrounding a sun- and flower-filled courtyard, the museum provides an unusual backdrop for the viewing of art. The Gardner Museum's preeminent collection contains more than 2,500 paintings, sculptures, tapestries, furniture, manuscripts, rare books and decorative arts. The spirit of the architecture, the personal character of the arrangements and the artistic display of the enchanting courtyard in full bloom all create an atmosphere that distinguishes The Gardner Museum as an intimate and culturally-rich treasure.

Hawley visits the IMA to speak about an extension of the museum designed by Pritzker Prize-winning Renzo Piano, and preservation of the historic tapestry room, unveiled in January 2012. Hawley speaks about the challenges and excitement of marrying historical integrity with modern form in museum architecture.

Talk made possible by the Carl J. Weinhardt, Jr. Memorial Lecture Fund, in partnership with the IMA Alliance.