WILLIAMSTOWN Mass. — It is unfortunate that the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute did not have its grand opening scheduled for this weekend instead of July 4: The summer solstice was a day tailor-made to enjoy the Clark’s new galleries.

The Clark’s new galleries and refurbished 1955 building are designed to maximize the use of natural light. Fortunately, there are plenty of long days -- even if it's not the longest day -- left this summer to take it all in.

Anyone who has been to the Stone Hill Center since its debut in 2008 knows how well architect Tadao Ando brings the great outdoors to interior spaces.

His design the Clark’s new visitor and exhibition promises more of the same, and the “old” space in the museum’s original home has a bright new look with a cleaned and refurbished skylight.

The improved lighting in the Clark’s well-loved Renoir gallery may make a trip to the marble “white building” more enjoyable than ever. But the most noticeable change on campus is the new visitor center, which offers two new galleries -- one at ground level and one below grade.

Both maximize the use of sunlight to show off the artwork to be exhibited in the sleek new structure.

David Breslin, the Clark’s associate curator of contemporary projects, said that even though his August installation, “Make It New: Abstract Paintings from the National Gallery of Art,” is going to be downstairs, it will have plenty of daylight.

“I think this is one of the things that excited Harry,” Breslin said, referring to Harry Cooper, the curator of modern art at Washington, D.C.’s, National Gallery of Art. “Three of the galleries are absolutely drenched with natural light. You wonder how this happens underground, but these light wells do an amazing job.”

The well is a vertical shaft outside the building that runs to the floor of the subterranean level. Light comes into the shaft and spills into the galleries -- and a new cafeteria.

“It’s like the light wells provide a big account of light you can draw on, and it’s an even light,” Breslin said.

Breslin said the use of sunlight will make visiting the gallery a unique experience for visitors depending on when they see the works on display.

“When a visitor comes back at different points in the run of the show it will be a different exhibition at different times,” he said. “It’s different in the morning than it is at 1 p.m. or at twilight late in the day in the fall.

“Harry and I are thinking about what works in different locations so the drama of the day has a reflection on what one sees.”

Upstairs on July 4, one will see treasures dating from as early as 1800 B.C. in “Cast for Eternity: Ancient Ritual Bronzes from the Shanghai Museum.”

Clark Associate Director Tom Loughman is curating the summer-long exhibit along with the Clark’s partners from Shanghai.

Loughman said Ando’s creation had the same impact on Chinese officials as it did on the National Gallery’s Cooper.

“I’ve been in love with this space for well over a year, and our colleagues from the Shanghai Museum came on various visits since last spring, and they fell in love with it, too,” Loughman said. “It’s a marvelously proportioned space for looking at works of art, particularly in the third dimension.”

The Clark pulled out all the stops to make sure the first use of Ando’s new gallery space was one to remember.

“We asked Annabelle Selldorf, who in addition to designing buildings is quite noted as an installation designer for exhibitions -- to take a look at these objects and develop the right language for showing them in terms of casework and fabrics and other things that set the mood in the gallery,” Loughman said.

Selldorf, who is the architect behind the refurbishment of the 1955 building and the Manton Research Center. Loughman said she created a memorable look for Cast for Eternity.

“It’s bold, but I think it’s pretty fantastic,” he said.

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