The Toledo Museum of Art in Toledo, Ohio, will be host to a symposium titled A Clear Vision: Architecture, Art and a Culture of Transparency on May 9, 2005. The symposium, which is being convened by WGTE Public Broadcasting in Toledo, will include national and international architecture and humanities experts who will discuss the design and significance of the museum's new glass pavilion, which is currently under construction.

The new pavilion, slated to open next spring, includes 365 glass panels that are 8-feet wide, 13 ½-feet tall and ¾-inch thick manufactured by Pilkington North America.

The new pavilion will feature curved glass walls to divide various spaces in the building, while also connecting spaces. The building's exterior will not have any right-angled corners. Glass walls will be installed by setting one wall segment into a grooved channel in the floor. Within that channel, a compressible material will allow the wall segment to settle and move within the groove. In addition, the top of the glass panel will be held in place by a similar channel in the ceiling. This installation technique is designed to allow the glass to shift and twist without causing gaps to occur in the wall.

SANAA Ltd. of Tokyo designed the building, which is its first U.S. commission. Toledo Mirror & Glass is serving as the glazing contractor.

The symposium is free, but seating is limited and on a first-come, first-served basis. The symposium is made possible by a grant from the Ohio Arts Council.

Symposium: A Clear Vision: Architecture, Art and a Culture of Transparency

When: Monday, May 9, 2005
9 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.

Where: WGTE's Stranahan Studio
1270 South Detroit Ave.
Toledo, Ohio

To learn more call 419/380-4601.