More Than a Museum: Creating Community Space at MONA

Art is not just something to observe—it’s something that connects us.

Yet until recently, the Museum of Nebraska Art (MONA) lacked spaces where that connection could truly take shape. There were no dedicated studios for hands-on workshops, no flexible venues for community events, and no places to linger and gather informally. For all its strengths as the steward of Nebraska’s artistic legacy, MONA had not yet become a place that could fully serve as the heart of its community. The recent transformation changed that—not by simply adding rooms, but by reimagining the museum as a civic and cultural commons.

The Challenge: A Museum Without a Civic Heart
For years, MONA, like many museums, asked its galleries to do too much. Exhibitions, lectures, and public events often overlapped, creating logistical constraints and limiting opportunities for inclusive engagement. The absence of dedicated community space meant:

• School groups had no gathering point before or after tours.
• Public lectures were wedged between art installations.
• Creative workshops lacked a proper studio.
• Visitors had no place to sit, reflect, or connect over coffee.

It was a museum that inspired—but couldn’t always hold—its audience.

The Response: Designing for Connection
The reimagined MONA introduces a series of community-centered spaces designed with purpose and care:

• A light-filled community studio supports workshops, art-making, and youth programming.
• A multipurpose event space provides a flexible venue for lectures, performances, and celebrations.
• An outdoor terrace café and elevated gathering areas offer informal spaces to connect, reflect, and stay awhile.

These additions are not peripheral—they are integrated into the museum’s core experience. They extend MONA’s mission by making space for participation, dialogue, and everyday presence.

A Museum That Belongs to Everyone
By creating spaces for being—not just for viewing—MONA has redefined its role in downtown Kearney. It is no longer simply a destination for exhibitions, but a civic anchor. A place where someone might attend an opening one evening, return for a workshop the next week, or stop by for an afternoon coffee under the honeylocust trees.

Most importantly, it is a place that signals to every visitor: you are welcome here, whether or not you came for the art.

That kind of openness—spatial, emotional, cultural—is what transforms a museum into a civic heart.

A New Model for Regional Museums
In rural and regional communities, where gathering places are often limited, museums like MONA can play a vital role—not only as keepers of culture, but as conveners of community. By designing with that responsibility in mind, MONA sets a powerful precedent.

It’s not just a museum that holds art. It’s a museum that holds people.

 

Photo: Nic Lehoux