KC’s Nelson-Atkins Art Museum eyes $170M campaign for big expansion. What’s in store?
The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art has announced plans for a large expansion and fundraising campaign with a budget that could reach $170 million.
Officials with the Kansas City museum are eyeing plans for a 61,000-square-foot expansion in the form of one or more additions, with space for a primary entrance, a welcome foyer, a photography center, new exhibition galleries, learning and engagement areas for hands-on art activities, a black box-style theater and a restaurant, according to a description of the project released by the group Malcolm Reading Consultants, which is assisting on the effort.
The project would also include “repurposing, reconfiguration and renovation” of 74,000 square feet of existing museum space and “activating and amplifying” outdoor areas on the museum’s campus.
The project’s estimated construction budget is $160 million to $170 million, which museum officials said would be funded entirely by private donations and be the “single biggest investment in the arts in Kansas City in recent years.” A capital campaign is expected to launch next year.
“Strategically, the museum’s Board of Trustees is intent on expanding the conventions of the museum, so it becomes a more dynamic, open, and inviting place; a place where everyone feels they belong,” museum officials said in a press release, noting the effort would join the campus, its sculpture park and two existing buildings into a “cohesive new experience.”
“This expansion solidifies the Nelson-Atkins’ foundational desire to reach all audiences, particularly those for whom art is not familiar,” said museum director and CEO Julián Zugazagoitia in the news release. “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.”
The museum is kicking off planning for the expansion with a competition to find the group that will design the project. Eventually, up to five teams will be shortlisted and receive $75,000 for their design work. Concept designs from finalists will be displayed publicly in the spring, and the museum will ask for community feedback then.
Kathleen Leighton, a spokesperson for the museum, said a timeline for the fundraising campaign will be established depending on the results of the design competition and the museum’s other needs.
For more information about the project, visit competitions.malcolmreading.com/nelson-atkins.
This story was originally published October 1, 2024 at 3:26 PM.
