The New Hope Arts Center continues to shed its former foundry look. But the transformation is slow, much like the molten metals that once crept into molds onsite. Bo Koltnow burnished the details for 69 News WFMZ.

The site’s renovation work won’t start in earnest until 2023.

At present, its artistic displays sit in front of black draperies, illuminated by studio lighting from above.

There are twin goals driving the effort: make the galleries brighter and outfit the building for ADA accessibility.

Architect Ralph Fey is up to the challenge.

“Windows were not important in stables and foundries,” he said, commenting on the lack of sightlines to and from the outside. “But windows and natural light are important when we’re connecting to … let natural light in.”

The $750,000 makeover will “…make us more accessible, more visible, bigger, and a more important entity in the New Hope community,” said Executive Director Carol Cruickshanks.

The property’s rebirth is reflected in the woven artwork of Rita Gekht. She likens the piece’s components to the building’s beams and metal structures.

“The color that comes in is the color of hope, rebuilding, and bringing life back,” she explains, pointing to the blues and purples that pop against the black, white, and gray elements in her creation.

More on the planned expansion and ongoing renovation of the New Hope Arts Center is at 69 News WFMZ.