In Omaha, Neb., the Joslyn Art Museum, which displays art from ancient times to the present, has announced it will reopen on September 10, following the completion of its new 42,000-sf Rhonda & Howard Hawks Pavilion. Designed in collaboration with Snøhetta and Alley Poyner Macchietto Architecture, the Hawks Pavilion is part of a museum overhaul that will expand the gallery space by more than 40%.
The Hawks Pavilion extends from the Museum’s existing buildings as a curving, low-slung structure that emerges from a new glass entry atrium joining the original 1931 building with the 1994 addition. The transparent first floor also will enclose a new museum shop and community space. As it twists upward, the structure forms the walls of the Hawks Pavilion’s second-floor, day-lit exhibition galleries.
Snøhetta’s plan for the Joslyn Art Museum
Snøhetta’s design of the expansion aims to evoke the cloud formations above the Great Plains, as well as the deep overhangs and horizontal expression of Prairie School architecture.
In addition, visitors will encounter new and refurbished gathering spaces, renovated and additional studios, enhanced amenities for public programs and art education, and new sculpture gardens. The project also updates the 1931 building’s administrative area and renovates the existing cafe.
The Hawks Pavilion will offer the first public presentation of new acquisitions from the Phillip G. Schrager Collection, which the Joslyn says is perhaps the most significant gift of art it has received. The Pavilion’s works on paper gallery will present selections from a gift by Omaha native Ed Ruscha.
After the reopening, the Joslyn will feature the first complete reinstallation of the Museum’s collections since the original building opened. The reinstallation will emphasize the relevance of art and historical objects to contemporary issues and diversify the identities and experiences represented in the galleries.
On the Building Team:
Owner: Joslyn Art Museum
Design architect and landscape architect: Snøhetta
Architect of record: Alley Poyner Macchietto Architecture
MEP engineer: Morrissey Engineering
Structural engineer: MKA
Structural engineer of record: Thompson Dreessen & Dorner
General contractor: Kiewit Building Group
Related Stories
Giants 400 | Aug 19, 2022
2022 Giants 400 Report: Tracking the nation's largest architecture, engineering, and construction firms
Now 46 years running, Building Design+Construction's 2022 Giants 400 Report rankings the largest architecture, engineering, and construction firms in the U.S. This year a record 519 AEC firms participated in BD+C's Giants 400 report. The final report includes more than 130 rankings across 25 building sectors and specialty categories.
| Aug 19, 2022
Manassas Museum renovated to reimagine a civic design & engage the community
Manassas, VA has recently added to its historic Manassas Museum.
Cultural Facilities | Aug 5, 2022
A time and a place: Telling American stories through architecture
As the United States enters the year 2026, it will commence celebrating a cycle of Sestercentennials, or 250th anniversaries, of historic and cultural events across the land.
Museums | Jul 11, 2022
Denmark opens a museum that tells the stories of refugees worldwide
Located on the site of Denmark’s largest World War II refugee camp, the new Refugee Museum of Denmark, FLUGT, tells the stories of refugees from the camp as well as refugees worldwide.
Museums | Jun 28, 2022
The California Science Center breaks grounds on its Air and Space Center
The California Science Center—a hands-on science center in Los Angeles—recently broke ground on its Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center.
Museums | May 31, 2022
University of Texas at Dallas breaks ground on new 12-acre cultural district
The University of Texas at Dallas (UT Dallas) recently broke ground on the Crow Museum of Asian Art, the first phase of a new 12-acre cultural district on campus.
Museums | Mar 16, 2022
Unpacking the secrets to good museum storage
Museum leaders should focus as much design attention on the archives as the galleries themselves, according to a new white paper by Erin Flynn and Bruce Davis, architects and museum experts with the firm Cooper Robertson.
Projects | Mar 2, 2022
Construction nears completion on $1B Grand Egyptian Museum in Cairo
At an estimated budget of $1 billion, the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) is considered the largest museum in the world dedicated to one civilization. The superlatives don’t end there: It’s also the largest museum in Egypt, the largest Pharaonic museum in the world, and one of the world’s leading scientific, historical, and archeological study centers.
Museums | Feb 25, 2022
Virginia Museum of History and Culture set to reopen after 18-month renovation
Expanded exhibits present new learning approaches.
University Buildings | Feb 18, 2022
On-campus performing arts centers and museums can be talent magnets for universities
Cultural facilities are changing the way prospective students and parents view higher education campuses.
