MONA (Museum of Nebraska Art)

The reimagining of a century-old museum in central Nebraska began with a fundamental question: how can an institution rooted in regional identity become more open, legible, and welcoming to the public it serves? The project transforms a formerly opaque, inward-focused building into a civic anchor—one that invites entry, reveals its collections, and extends its presence into the landscape. The client’s objectives were both cultural and spatial. They sought expanded galleries for a growing collection, visible art storage to democratize access to works not on display, improved environmental performance, and a universally accessible experience throughout the building and site. Equally important was a renewed public identity: the museum needed to shift from a formal destination to an everyday place of encounter. The primary constraint was how to build this future in careful dialogue with the existing historic structure. Rather than treating the addition as separate, the design establishes a clear yet deferential relationship—preserving the original building’s material presence while introducing a mass timber expansion that is warm, precise, and environmentally responsible. This strategy reduced embodied carbon, accelerated construction, and created galleries defined by structure, light, and proportion. Within the public spaces, the ceiling becomes a narrative surface—quietly expressive and deeply rooted in place. Inspired by the Sandhill crane migration across the Nebraska plains, its folded wood geometry evokes both the birds’ shifting flight formations and the abstracted form of an origami crane, a symbol of transformation. Subtle articulation allows light to drift across the surface, casting patterns that animate circulation and mark moments of pause. More than an overhead plane, it orders movement, frames programmatic zones, and unifies the museum’s diverse spaces while remaining a calm backdrop for the art. Process was essential. Early programming reframed the museum as both cultural repository and civic living room, leading to new education spaces, public amenities, and a reconfigured arrival sequence that clarifies orientation and supports evolving leadership. The landscape became a parallel act of making. A new prairie garden replaces conventional perimeter treatments, extending the museum experience outdoors and rooting the project in its ecological context. Together, building and site form an accessible public plinth for gathering and daily use.