The Nevada Museum of Art completed a $60 million expansion and renovation in August, nearly doubling the museum’s overall footprint; adding important exhibitions, artwork, and educational resources; and expanding to fill one city block in the California Avenue neighborhood. The expansion also created more space to showcase permanent and visiting works, updated energy-saving aspects of the building, and unveiled a new café operated by Perenn.
The Charles and Stacie Mathewson Education + Research Center—the expansion’s official name—was made possible mostly by private donations, allowing the museum to grow its community offerings without incurring any debt.
“The museum has always been a welcoming place where art sparks ideas and conversation, but now we have the space and resources to do even more,” says David Walker, CEO of the Nevada Museum of Art. “Every element of this $60 million project was designed to benefit our communities and deepen our shared cultural experience.”
Overall, the completed project added 50,000-square-feet of additional space designed by renowned, award-winning architect Will Bruder. It also boasts a new research library, more than 20,000-square-feet of added gallery space, a rooftop garden, a new classroom, and increased access to the Museum’s extensive permanent art and archive collections. With more room comes more opportunity to serve Reno and the larger Great Basin region by providing educational opportunities, research resources, and increased access to permanent collections—some of which were previously stuck in storage—because art is meant to be seen, not stored.
“I am filled with immense pride and gratitude for all we’ve collectively accomplished to envision and build our Charles and Stacie Mathewson Education + Research Center,” says Walker.
While what’s inside the museum matters most, the team is equally excited about the physical beauty of the new build. Bruder hinted this may be his last major project and spent five years collaborating with local museum executives to get just the right aesthetics. In addition to creating an airy and modern overall space, Bruder took great care to include special details like windows throughout.
The mechanics of the building are also something to be proud of. Walker mentions the installation of a large solar array, significant mechanical upgrades, and new LED lighting specifically as ways the museum has reduced its carbon footprint.
And while it may sound silly, one aspect of the remodel guests of the museum might be most excited to learn about is the enlarged parking lot with a bike rack, quite literally making the museum more accessible.
Floor by Floor
Over three floors, the museum made significant improvements to each level of the museum. The ground floor enjoys the largest physical expansion with a new wing of the museum accessible beyond the café. This space houses the Bretzlaff Book Shop, which sells art, design, and architecture books, and the Thomas and Pauline Tusher Research Library, a collection of rare and historic books related to art and the environment). The new lobby hosts a permanent 11-foot bristlecone clock art installation created by artist and philosopher Jonathon Keats and clockmakers Phil Abernathy and Brittany Cox, inspired by the enduring bristlecone pine trees of the Great Basin.
On the second floor, there are two new galleries, the Thomas Lee Bottom Gallery and the Jeffrey Morby Family Gallery, the latter of which is a feature gallery inaugurated by The Art of Judith Lowry and The Lowry & Croul Collection of Contemporary Native American Art. Near Then there is the new Clarence and Martha Jones Family Foundation / Charlotte and Dick McConnell Art +Environment Education Lab, where University of Nevada students can attend classes in the fields of art, science, and interdisciplinary environmental studies. Lastly more than 1.6 million items are located within The Institute for Art + Environment archives.
Finally, on the third floor, the museum shows off an impressive collection of Indigenous Australian works including those featured in Eternal Signs, a gift from Robert Kaplan and Margaret Levi. This specific collection, housed inside of the E.L. Wiegand Feature Gallery, makes the Nevada Museum of Art’s Indigenous Australian collection the fourth largest in the U.S. The outdoor rooftop space is also home to a collection of Great Basin Native American Basket Plantings showcasing indigenous plants and representing the art of basket weaving while also creating a greenspace within the Thomas and Pauline Tusher Sculpture Garden. According to a press release from the Museum, “The garden offers visitors an opportunity to see and learn about plants of our region and connect them to the museum’s Great Basin Native basket collection, while also serving as a space for reflection, storytelling, and cultural exchange.”
While many of the spaces are new, remodels were a large part of the plan, as well, providing a much-needed refresh to existing spaces, including The Power of Pollinators (And Other Living Things), an indoor wallpaper and drapery installation in the museum’s atrium and as Monument to Sharing, an outdoor garden installation adjacent to the Museum that celebrates community, generosity, and biodiversity.
A New Exhibition
While all of these upgrades may sound like a lot, it’s only the beginning for Nevada’s only designated state art museum. In spring, the museum will unveil a new collection taking over some of that additional space; Into the Time Horizon will be the museum’s largest exhibition to date.
Utilizing 35,000 square feet of gallery space and featuring nearly 200 renowned artists (including a significant number of Indigenous artworks drawn from the museum’s own permanent collection), Into the Time Horizon is slated for a spring unveiling and will begin the installation process this month, with the first part opening to the public before November ends. The works tell a story of conservation and environmentalism with every piece speaking to the current climate crisis.
“The Nevada Museum of Art is a true gem in Northern Nevada, with a mission to spark creativity and lifelong learning for people of all ages and providing unprecedented access,” says Jackie Kane, Chairman of the Board of Trustees. “It’s clear we are now well positioned to expand our unique programs and services into the future.”