Joslyn Art Museum To Close for 2 Years

Published by Nikki Palmer on Tue, 03/08/2022 - 1:00am

Sophie Wilson and her daughter Coco, 1, walk past “David with the Head of Goliath” at the Joslyn Museum in Omaha, Wednesday, March 2, 2022. The museum will close on May 2 for about two years to facilitate construction of a new $100 million pavilion. (Chris Machian/Omaha World-Herald via AP)

The Associated Press

Omaha’s premier art museum is set to close its doors later this spring and stay closed for about two years as a new multi-million-dollar pavilion is constructed.

The Joslyn Art Museum near downtown Omaha will close on May 2 for construction of a new $100 million pavilion, which has already begun, the Omaha World-Herald reported.

The pavilion is set to open sometime in 2024 and will be named for philanthropists and longtime museum supporters Rhonda and Howard Hawks. Howard Hawks is a founder of Omaha-based energy company Tenaska and is a former member and chairman of the University of Nebraska Board of Regents.

The project will add 42,000 feet to the museum. Joslyn executive director and CEO Jack Becker has said the closure in necessary for the protection of staff and valuable art during the height of the construction phase.