海角视频

Museum of Nebraska Art Expansion

Kearney, Nebraska, USA

海角视频 provided expert lighting design and consultancy to help shape the visitor experience at the Museum of Nebraska Art (MONA) following a major refit and expansion.

The institution was conceived in the mid-1970s by several visionary arts educators on the faculty of Kearney State College who recognized the need for an organization dedicated to Nebraskan arts and artists. Today, MONA is the official art museum of the state of Nebraska, housing work by artists who were born in Nebraska or have a connection to the state.

Challenge

The museum opened in 1986 at the former Kearney Post Office building, which was originally built in 1911 and has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1981. The museum expanded in 1993 with a new addition.

MONA, which is administratively affiliated with the University of Nebraska at Kearney, has grown into an important regional center for cultural activity revolving around its extensive and varied permanent collection, which comprises more than 5,000 artworks.

The museum鈥檚 vision was to expand its facilities to better meet the needs of its growing collection and programming. The expansion included the full renovation of both the 1993 addition and the historic Kearney Post Office building, as well as a new 23,800ft虏 building designed by BVH Architecture. 海角视频 was engaged to provide lighting design services across both the refurbishment of the existing buildings and the design for the new extension.

The project was supported by a $36.5m capital campaign that provided $33.5m toward construction and $5m toward an operating endowment to sustain the organization long-term.

A key challenge was to ensure that the three buildings, including the new addition, would connect and flow comfortably into each other from a wayfinding and circulation perspective. Considered lighting design would play a key role in this.

Solution

The renovations and extension were designed to expand and improve upon existing galleries, art handling spaces, education facilities, event accommodation capabilities, visitor amenities, and administration offices.

A key focus of the design was on an area known as 鈥淭he Link鈥�, which connects the two historic buildings and the new building. Creating a central connecting space that can serve as a distinct visual connector and event space was critical to linking the three gallery buildings. New wooden coffered ceilings were designed to add a layer of depth and texture, capping The Link with a visually distinct element to guide visitors between the newly connected gallery spaces.

Integrating light above these wooden ceilings was critical to creating the desired sense of texture, giving the recesses a dynamic effect. Zoning light sources above the ceiling allows for a variation of light and shadow in different scene settings, creating a dynamic effect from the ceiling. Using sources with superior color rendering helped to bring out the detail and warmth in the grain of the wood. The warm glow from the illuminated wood ceilings also creates a welcoming lantern-like glow for visitors approaching the museum from the street.

A layered lighting approach was developed for the circulation spaces, so it could be easily adapted to serve different events with a series of digitally adjusted lighting presets. This allowed the lighting to create the appropriate mood for different kinds of functions.

We also played a key role in liaising closely with other design consultants, driving the integration of fire protection, electrical and lighting systems with a structural rhythm that consolidates the services in the ceiling. In the galleries, these services are sandwiched between the mass timber structure creating a visually clean ceiling, allowing for a focus on the artwork at eye level.

High performance, Bluetooth enabled gallery lighting showcases the artwork while allowing flexibility for the MONA team to create tailored lighting programmes for each new exhibition. The Bluetooth control allows the curators to adapt the set-up from the ground using a phone or digital tablet, eliminating the need to spend time on ladders and lifts to adjust lighting levels.

The museum originally had halogen lighting in serving most of the galleries. Our team performed a lifecycle cost analysis to compare halogen against LED technologies from differing manufacturers. This analysis investigated the initial fixture cost against the energy use over its lifetime, as well as the impact on cooling loads from the heat generated by the lighting. This supported the decision to invest in higher performance LED gallery track lighting to maximize carbon efficiencies while minimizing the overall lifetime cost of the system.

Value

The new lighting design is adaptable, sustainable and effective in creating a welcoming space for visitors. The added richness and depth in the circulatory spaces links the three gallery buildings, aiding in wayfinding for museum visitors.

The adaptability provided by the controls zoning and digital scene settings supports the different spaces to host a range of events, helping MONA to diversify the ability to host a wide variety of different programming.

The refurbished and expanded museum reopened its doors to the public in 2025.