Ideas for teapot project are discussed Tuesday

In a meeting described as the beginning of the architectural process, community leaders had a chance Tuesday to air ideas and questions about the future museum that will house the Kamm teapot collection in Sparta. Architects Wendy Evans Joseph and Frank Harmon and teapot collection owners Sonny and Gloria Kamm were among about 50 people at the meeting, held at the Blue Ridge Business Development Center.

The heart of the five-hour meeting was a brainstorming session led by Harmon, an acclaimed North Carolina architect who lives in Raleigh and teaches at N.C. State University. He will design the museum along with Joseph, an internationally-renowned architect who lives in Manhattan. Harmon said architects have to know how people in the community want to use the museum and what their ideas and priorities are before they can begin a design.

It's part of the "predesign" phase, Joseph explained. "Today we're looking to bring things to the table. We're not looking for answers, we're really blazing a trail," she said.

Tossing out ideas and questions were representatives of local government, the Sparta Museum Project board of directors, leaders of the New River Community Partners (NRCP) and Sparta Museum Project, interested citizens, the Sparta Revitalization Committee and others. County Commissioner Sandy Carter Herndon asked whether it would have space for visiting exhibits, and whether people would consider it fun to visit.

Harmon said plans are to have adequate space for visiting exhibits. "We have a special tool we use when we design called a fun-o-meter," he quipped. "We always look for an eight to 10 rating on the fun-o-meter." Stephen Whitlow of the Sparta Revitalization Committee wanted to know whether the building would clash with the surrounding mountain environment.

"We're definitely not plop architects," said Joseph, alluding to a remark the NRCP staff members have made about not wanting the museum to look like somebody landed a spaceship in Sparta.

"It's very important to understand a place. I believe in the history of a place, knowing the past, understanding the past and learning about that," she said.

And while the museum will be designed with these things in mind, she said, architects also have to be concerned about issues like fire safety when they're considering building materials.

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