Abu Dhabi courting prestigious neighbors for NYU
Amanda Sakuma
Issue date: 2/26/08 Section: University
It will have the Guggenheim Museum, the New York Film Academy and possibly the Lincoln Center - but it's not New York City.
Half a world away, the government of Abu Dhabi - the capital of the United Arab Emirates - is looking to bring many of New York's cultural landmarks into the desert, putting NYU's planned new regional campus in the middle of what could soon be a cultural capital in the Middle East.
The Guggenheim Museum, for example, will not only reside by Central Park but also on Saadiyat Island. Plans are being made for a 320,000-square-foot museum to be constructed by legendary architect Frank Gehry, according to the island's website.
Other institutions, like the New York Film Academy, already have branches in Abu Dhabi.
And the emirate isn't done.
It has approached other New York landmarks such as the Lincoln Center, the Metropolitan Opera and the New York Public Library about potential branches abroad.
Despite these talks, much of the conversation is preliminary.
A Lincoln Center spokesperson confirmed the group is speaking with Abu Dhabi, but said that "no plans are imminent."
Anthony Clanek, the New York Public Library's vice president for communications, said a representative of Abu Dhabi's government visited the library for a general tour, but there has been no further planning.
Abu Dhabi's plan reaches beyond New York City.
The Arab nation has also recruited the Sorbonne to build a French-language university and the Louvre to build an art museum, according to City Journal. The emirate plans on footing a $27 billion bill for this cultural expansion.
NYUAD, which is supposed to open in fall 2010, supports the development, said Mariët Westermann, vice chancellor of NYU Abu Dhabi.
"We are thrilled that our campus will have such distinguished neighbors as the Louvre and the Guggenheim on Saadiyat Island," she said. "The potential for cooperation is vast ... We are eager to bring experience and expertise to Abu Dhabi."
But some students said they worry it would be too much like home.
"The whole point of studying abroad is not to go to a place like New York," Tisch freshman Keely Maherty said at an information session on studying abroad.
Amanda Sakuma is a staff writer. E-mail her at university@nyunews.com.
Half a world away, the government of Abu Dhabi - the capital of the United Arab Emirates - is looking to bring many of New York's cultural landmarks into the desert, putting NYU's planned new regional campus in the middle of what could soon be a cultural capital in the Middle East.
The Guggenheim Museum, for example, will not only reside by Central Park but also on Saadiyat Island. Plans are being made for a 320,000-square-foot museum to be constructed by legendary architect Frank Gehry, according to the island's website.
Other institutions, like the New York Film Academy, already have branches in Abu Dhabi.
And the emirate isn't done.
It has approached other New York landmarks such as the Lincoln Center, the Metropolitan Opera and the New York Public Library about potential branches abroad.
Despite these talks, much of the conversation is preliminary.
A Lincoln Center spokesperson confirmed the group is speaking with Abu Dhabi, but said that "no plans are imminent."
Anthony Clanek, the New York Public Library's vice president for communications, said a representative of Abu Dhabi's government visited the library for a general tour, but there has been no further planning.
Abu Dhabi's plan reaches beyond New York City.
The Arab nation has also recruited the Sorbonne to build a French-language university and the Louvre to build an art museum, according to City Journal. The emirate plans on footing a $27 billion bill for this cultural expansion.
NYUAD, which is supposed to open in fall 2010, supports the development, said Mariët Westermann, vice chancellor of NYU Abu Dhabi.
"We are thrilled that our campus will have such distinguished neighbors as the Louvre and the Guggenheim on Saadiyat Island," she said. "The potential for cooperation is vast ... We are eager to bring experience and expertise to Abu Dhabi."
But some students said they worry it would be too much like home.
"The whole point of studying abroad is not to go to a place like New York," Tisch freshman Keely Maherty said at an information session on studying abroad.
Amanda Sakuma is a staff writer. E-mail her at university@nyunews.com.
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