On September 10th, Snøhetta's expansion for the Joslyn Art Museum opened its doors to the public for the first time.
In partnership with local architects, Alley Poyner Macchietto Architecture (APMA), Snøhetta designed a 42,000-square-foot addition with light-filled galleries planned to meet the demands and explore the possibilities of a growing permanent collection. In addition to the expansion, they conceptualized more than three acres of rejuvenated public gardens and outdoor spaces on the site as well as restored and modernized existing spaces within the Joslyn Memorial building.
With the new expansion, 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. Immersive sculpture gardens decorated with native plants have been reimagined as a vast congregation 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. Before even entering the building, visitors are met with a sweeping collection of visual art, allowing for a natural transition to the pieces housed indoors.
While the existing monolithic buildings carry a heavy, anchored presence, Snøhetta's new addition 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 through a gently sloping, accessible walkway. The weightless effect of the hovering expansion is a nod to the striking cloud formations that blanket the Great Plains as well as the deep overhangs and horizontal expressions of regional Prairie Style architecture.
Once entering the building from the low-slung entry canopy, you are then pulled into a spacious light-filled atrium offering a range of different spaces for relaxing, people-watching, and gazing out at the gardens.
The two-level addition sweeps around and frames the existing structures, honoring the Joslyn’s previous identity while opening a more porous, inviting front that marks a new chapter in the Museum’s vision for inclusive, dynamic public access to the arts.
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Press release and photos courtesy of Snøhetta
Photos by Nic Lehoux
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