Snøhetta Breaks Ground on Joslyn Art Museum Expansion and Site Design in Nebraska

Omaha, Nebraska – Snøhetta has unveiled its design for a new expansion and site redesign at the Joslyn Art Museum, developed in partnership with local architects Alley Poyner Macchietto Architecture (APMA). The new 42,000-square-foot pavilion will add light-filled galleries designed to meet the demands and explore the possibilities of a growing permanent collection, including works from the nationally renowned Phillip G. Schrager Collection of Contemporary Art. In addition to the new gallery spaces, the architectural team will design more than three acres of rejuvenated public gardens and outdoor spaces on the Museum site and will restore and modernize existing office spaces in the Joslyn Memorial building. The expansion, which broke ground on July 27, 2021, renews Joslyn's status as Omaha's premier cultural hub for the visual arts by reorienting the Museum grounds around a reimagined public arrival anchored by new community spaces that support the galleries.

Nebraska’s largest art museum first opened its doors in 1931 with the iconic Joslyn Memorial building – a gift to the city of Omaha from Sarah Joslyn in memory of her husband, George. Over its 90-year history, Joslyn Art Museum has remained committed to a public-facing mission, with free general admission for all, and stands among the most important cultural institutions in Omaha and the region at-large. Its architectural heritage is no less significant. The original Memorial Building, clad in vibrant Georgia Pink marble and designed by the father-and-son architects John and Alan McDonald, is regarded as one of the finest historical examples of the Art Deco style. The building found its distinctly modern counterpart in Lord Norman Foster’s 1994 expansion, the Scott Pavilion, the architect’s first built project in the United States. In 2009, two new sculpture gardens further expanded Joslyn’s exterior spaces for art, adding much-needed outdoor experiences; however, the accumulation of discrete additions over time divided the site, creating a series of obstacles for easy public arrival and pedestrian connectivity that the current plan seeks to remedy.

Snøhetta and APMA’s design for the new building expands the existing gallery space by more than a third with newly intertwined indoor and outdoor art experiences and a fully reimagined public arrival sequence. The expansion building springs from the current glass atrium as a curving, low-slung volume that gradually twists from glass-to-solid, transforming the existing atrium’s horizontal skylights into solid, vertical walls that hold the expansion’s new day-lit galleries on the second floor. While the existing monolithic buildings are anchored more heavily to the ground, the new building floats atop two granite garden walls, with a transparent first floor enclosing a new atrium lobby, Museum store, and a multi-function community space. These ground floor spaces gradually rise to the level of the existing buildings via a gently sloping, accessible walkway. The weightless effect of the hovering expansion recalls the striking cloud formations that blanket the Great Plains as well as the deep overhangs and horizontal expression of regional Prairie Style architecture. The horizontal texture of the new façade takes its cue from the stacked stone steps of the Memorial Building’s monumental Grand Staircase that emerge from the East side of the existing buildings in parallel with the expansion. The façade’s light-colored precast panels are embedded with vibrant pops of pink aggregate that reflect the rich, rose-colored marble of the existing buildings.

When the expansion is complete, returning visitors to Joslyn Art Museum will immediately notice important changes to the grounds that clarify their arrival and increase the connectivity between existing spaces. The primary access to Joslyn has been relocated to the northern edge of the site, off Davenport Street, leading to a redesigned entry drive that sits on axis with a new, raised sculpture garden and Museum entrance, creating a clear sense of front and a new beginning for the Museum experience. The expansion relocates the front door, from its more hidden location inside the existing glass atrium to the edge of the entrance drive. In inclement weather, Museum visitors may take advantage of the new covered drop-off area sheltered from the elements by the galleries cantilevered overhead. New sculpture gardens have been reimagined as a sweeping collection of landscape spaces and outdoor “rooms” that wrap the site, weaving the buildings and outdoor spaces together around a spine formed by the existing installation The Omaha Riverscape by sculptor Jesús Moroles.

At the southeast corner of the site on Dodge Street, the visual barrier of the existing retaining wall has been lowered to reveal the Memorial Building and its Grand Staircase, a change complemented by a new Great Lawn framed by native grasses and vibrant meadow plantings that will create colorful variation throughout the seasons. The existing Discovery Garden is reconnected to the museum and other gardens by a new landscape for pedestrians with paths that reveal sculptures and native plantings along the way. Honoring Joslyn’s identity while opening a more porous, inviting front, the expansion marks a new chapter in the Museum’s vision for public access to the arts through a comprehensive redesign. The galleries showcase a range of new art while allowing for increased public access to more of Joslyn’s collections, which span 3,000 years of art, and include Native American objects and works on paper. New classrooms and public spaces support a greater breadth and depth of public programming and art education. The expansion builds upon Joslyn’s rich history as an iconic landmark and cultural hub as it creates a dynamic, inclusive design that is open to all.

The pavilion will be named after Rhonda and Howard Hawks of The Hawks Foundation. The Hawks Foundation provides grants for higher education, social services, Christian organizations, and the arts. 

Describing how the expansion will benefit the Museum, Jack Becker, Ph.D., Joslyn Art Museum Executive Director and CEO, said, “Joslyn Art Museum is one of Nebraska’s greatest assets, and Snøhetta’s energized, inspired work on our twenty-first century expansion has set the stage for the next phase of the Museum’s life while honoring its storied past. Snøhetta’s visionary design celebrates what Joslyn means to us, to our city, and to Nebraska. This project will allow us to show more art, welcome more people, elevate the Museum visitor experience, and strengthen community connections in a space sure to become one of the most celebrated and beloved buildings in the region.”

Kate Larsen, Snøhetta Director and architect / landscape architect said, “It is an honor to design and now build an expansion to the Joslyn Art Museum. Working with the Joslyn team and APMA to think about the ways that the outdoor and indoor galleries can weave together has pushed us to reconsider how the Museum relates with its site and the public; we hope that the project will create a beautiful and welcoming new front door to the museum, inviting in many generations to come.”

Aaron Dorf, Snøhetta Director and architect, said, “Our goal is to see a well-loved place through the eyes of a visitor, which is a learning process that’s only possible with great collaborative partners like the Museum, APMA, and a friendly and engaging community like Omaha. We’ve tried to create something uniquely tailored to the Joslyn Art Museum that both reflects and reinvents its surroundings and hope that the expansion, renovations, and site redesign will be transformative for Omaha and all who enjoy the Museum.”

Site work for the expansion has begun and construction will occur in phases. For the safety of visitors, staff, and the art, the Museum will undergo a necessary period of closure beginning May 2022 through reopening in mid-2024. While temporarily closed to visitors, Joslyn staff will continue its curatorial and research work while exploring new possibilities for engagement with the community leading up to reopening.