Enfilade

Proposals by the six finalists for The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, aimed at integrating the campus, the Donald J. Hall Sculpture Park, and the two existing buildings into a cohesive experience for new wider community engagement.

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It’s not an 18th-century story per se, but interesting to see a museum engage a strong classical facade and an iconic landscape in the 21st century. From the press release (13 March) for the exhibition, which includes an online component:

Building Belonging: Designing the Future of the Nelson-Atkins

The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, 15 March — 1 June 2025

The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art this week revealed the concepts from six finalist teams in the competition to transform the museum with a dynamic, open, and inviting design. The expansion project’s goal is to attract new audiences by creating vibrant spaces for hosting more art, along with new immersive and interactive experiences for the community. The concepts—devised by some of the most respected designers working in museum architecture today—are now available to view in an online gallery here. They can also be seen in a free exhibition at The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Building Belonging: Designing the Future of the Nelson-Atkins, until 1 June 2025. The public is invited to comment at the exhibition or through the portal available here.

The museum’s Architect Selection Committee (ASC) will meet in late spring to interview the finalists and make a recommendation to the Board of Trustees. Following ratification and the winning team’s appointment, the chosen design will be refined in close partnership with the museum and its stakeholders, including local communities. The Board of Trustees aims to broaden the conventions of the museum—which offers free general admission—so it continues evolving as a place where everyone feels they belong. The project will integrate the campus, the Donald J. Hall Sculpture Park, and the two existing buildings into a cohesive new experience. The first stage of the competition, which launched in October 2024, attracted 182 teams from 30 countries on six continents.

“These six concept designs articulate six unique visions of a new and even more dynamic Nelson-Atkins.” said Evelyn Craft Belger, Chair of the museum’s Board of Trustees and the Architect Selection Committee. “This is a thrilling moment for the museum and our community when we start to visualize an identity that will carry us through the coming decades. We encourage our community to visit the exhibition and share your thoughts—which proposal best realizes your aspirations?”

“We asked for bold, inspiring moves that also respected the existing museum campus and I’m so happy to say we’ve received them in these initial designs,’ said Julián Zugazagoitia, Director & CEO of the Nelson-Atkins, “Each is a fascinating response to a complex project brief, together they bring myriad perspectives. The teams have shone their beams of thought on our big questions: how do we synthesize our existing icons with a new proposition? How do we modernize and embrace the future but keep the best of our history? And, most of all, how do we create a museum that is transparent for all and instills a sense of belonging and well-being?”

In conjunction with this exhibition is the release of Director’s Highlights: Celebrating 90 Years of The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, which captures the richness and variety of the museum’s collection told through the eyes of the curators and Zugazagoitia himself. It includes about 200 works of art organized by the decade in which they entered the museum. Engaging stories, images, and colorful anecdotes accompany each work, along with historic photos and plans. The publication is available for purchase online and in the museum store.

More information about the six finalists can be found here»

• Kengo Kuma & Associates
• Renzo Piano Building Workshop
• Selldorf Architects
• Studio Gang
• Weiss/Manfredi Architecture/Landscape/Urbanism
• WHY Architecture

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Note (added 25 April 2025) — Weiss/Manfredi will lead the expansion, as announced in the press release:

The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art has unanimously selected WEISS/MANFREDI Architecture/Landscape/Urbanism as the lead architect for the museum’s upcoming expansion and transformation project. Their guiding theme united the trilogy of architecture, landscape, and community as reciprocal elements that work together while maintaining the majestic south lawn view into the Donald J. Hall Sculpture Park. WEISS/MANFREDI’s concept is aligned with the museum’s goals for a dynamic, open, and inviting design that will create more spaces to present all forms of art, as well as new opportunities for immersive and creative experiences for audiences of every age. The museum’s Architect Selection Committee made the recommendation of WEISS/MANFREDI, describing the project as the best to fulfill the museum’s aspirations, and the team as sensitive to Kansas City while being engaging, smart, creative, and curious. The choice was ratified by the Board of Trustees shortly thereafter. Having selected the lead architect, the museum will now begin the months-long process of turning the concept into more specific and detailed plans to meet the long-term needs and goals of the community. . . .

The full press release is available here»