In Kansas City, Missouri, Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art announced today a global open call. Museum officials are seeking an architect-led team to design a new addition, or multiple additions, totaling 61,000 square feet at the historic museum campus.
The proposed additions specifically entail a black box-style theater designed for digital art and immersive programming, as well as dedicated learning and engagement spaces for hands-on activities. The team will also be responsible for making partial renovations to the original Nelson-Atkins building from 1933 and enhancing its outdoor landscape.
“This expansion solidifies the Nelson-Atkins’s foundational desire to reach all audiences, particularly those for whom art is not familiar,” said Julián Zugazagoitia, director and CEO of Nelson-Atkins. “It will enable the museum to better serve our community, and I envision a vibrant space for visitors to become energized by art and immersed in new and creative experiences.”
Accommodating an Evolving Cultural Landscape
Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art houses an extensive collection with over 42,000 art objects. Plans for Nelson-Atkins’s expansion were announced last May, as reported by AN. The design competition is being managed by Malcolm Reading Consultants (MRC) and is open to local, regional, national, and international firms.
The deadline for submissions is October 29, and the construction budget is estimated to be somewhere between $160 million and $170 million. The success of the winning team will hinge on its ability to “honor and integrate both the historic and contemporary elements while creating a dynamic new addition that brings innovation and freshness,” noted Malcolm Reading, MRC founder.
No design scheme is required in the first stage. Teams are instead asked to provide information about their design philosophy, team composition, and experience. Interested parties are required to include—at minimum—a lead design architect, landscape architect, engineers (structural, services, and sustainability), and a heritage advisor, if relevant to the team’s approach.
Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art first opened its doors in 1933 with a neoclassical building by Wight and Wight, adorned with a series of sculpted panels by New York–based artist Charles Keck. The last addition there was the Bloch Building, completed by Steven Holl in 2007.
Now, museum officials are seeking an architect-led team to help Nelson-Atkins grow once again. The design brief envisions more inviting programming and visitor spaces, expanded galleries, and changes to the surrounding landscape.
Part of the open call’s goal is unifying Nelson-Atkins’s two existing buildings by Wight & Wight and Steven Holl, as well as the Donald J. Hall sculpture park, known for its holdings by Claes Oldenburg and Cooseje van Bruggen.
The submitting teams will be judged by an Architect Selection Committee chaired by Evelyn Craft Belger, Rick Green, and others. “This is a very exciting moment for the Nelson-Atkins and for Kansas City,” Belger said. “We look forward to seeing submissions from a diverse pool of architects from all backgrounds and across the world. Through this process we know we’ll identify a team that connects deeply with the museum’s vision and will be dedicated to fully realizing our mission.”
Full details can be found here.