Blog @ the Nelson-Atkins

Today kicks off three days for Museum members to preview the new Bloch Building. Members of the Business Council and Society of Fellows were treated to a fabulous "21st-century tea" hosted by Kansas City SPACES magazine.

Friends of Art members will have two days on June 7 and 8 to enjoy the gorgeous galleries, taste the new Museum Cafe and peruse the products in the Museum Store. A special members-only party on Friday, June 8th will give members even more time to enjoy time before the Bloch Building opens to the public on June 9th.

The Bloch Building is open to the public! The official ribbon-cutting ceremony took place this morning and the doors to the eagerly anticipated Bloch Building are open! Come out and enjoy the festivities all day today, June 9th and tomorrow, June 10th.

Music outside of the Bloch Building invites visitors in through the large revolving doors. Be sure to grab a free ticket to the special exhibitions in the Bloch Building: Manet to Matisse and Developing Greatness.

The Contemporary Galleries in the Bloch Building (now open!) are full of visitors who have been waiting to set foot in the new expansion of the Nelson-Atkins. Come take a look at new artwork, new spaces, and artwork previously on exhibition in a new light. The doors to the Bloch Building are open all week-end to the public with music, live entertainment, and great art!

Noguchi Court in the just opened Bloch Building has wonderful fountains and sculptures that give an air of peacefulness and tranquility...however today, with all of the visitors attending the Bloch Building's Opening, it has all of that plus music, excitement and people as everyone enjoys the Grand Opening! Come on out for the fun - beautiful skies and a beautiful building make a wonderful time. Events run all day today and tomorrow, so don't miss it!

The Contemporary Sculptures in the Bloch Building - which by the way, is OPEN! - give visitors new perspectives on art. Whether the sculptures are on the walls, in the middle of a room, or encompassing an entire room, guests will experience something new with different angles and perspectives depending on their approach.

The crowds keep on rolling in to see the brand new Bloch Building, and they will continue to do so tonight and tomorrow. Everything is free, and we hope to see everyone enjoying the new building throughout the week-end!

The Cafe in the new Bloch Building is a very cool and relaxing place to stop for a bite to eat. Light pours in through the glass walls to provide an elegant and yet hip venue for dining. Guests also have the choice to step outside to eat on the patio, giving views of the original Nelson-Atkins building while still being surrounded by the "feather"-like feel of the newly opened Bloch Building.

If you have been reading the New York Times lately, you already know that the Bloch Building has received wonderful reviews across the globe. Upon entering the building, one might be surprised to see the astounding quality of the architecture - the interior of the building is what one would call asymmetrical, with no two ceilings of the Bloch Building exactly the same. This is in contrast to the building's exterior, which is comprised of what Steven Holl (architect) calls "lenses" - the blocks of building that extend upwards through the earth.

Today is the second day of the Grand Opening of the Bloch Building. Events go from 10am to 9pm today (Sunday, June 10th). Come on out to see this highly praised new building! Everything is free to the public.

Noguchi Court has perhaps the best views from the Bloch Building - allowing one to feel as if the building and the landscape are one. A fountain sculpture that extends out through the glass really brings the two areas together, offering the visitor a light and airy quality while standing in the Noguchi Court and at the same time giving the visitor a fresh outdoor feeling from the exterior.

At the opening events today, guests can enjoy music and lots of fun all day long!

Steven Holl, architect of the Bloch Building, has truly created a museum that will be studied and revered around the world. The great thing about it is that that museum is right here in Kansas City! Even better is that the museum is free for everyone.

Today we are celebrating the Bloch Building's opening with fun events, great art, and amazing architecture. Everything runs from 10am to 9pm today, and all events and exhibitions are free. Don't miss it!

This photograph truly exemplifies what the Bloch Building is all about: making the architecture and the landscape merge together to form a tranquility that will give visitors a feeling of lightness and a feather-like quality. The light from the exterior changes the Bloch Building from day to night, affecting not only the way the building feels on the outside, but also on the inside. Visitors can enjoy and experience the Bloch Building differently each time they set foot in the building.

Today couldn't be a more perfect example of the versatility of the Bloch Building. Whether sunny or overcast, the building is beautiful from the inside out. Come out today to experience this with exciting events to celebrate the Grand Opening.

The years and months leading up to the opening of the Bloch Building were exciting and terrifying at the same time. There were many people who not only didn't like the new building, the flat out hated it. There are some that still do. Fortunately, a whole lot of people love it. The reviews from The New York Times, Time Magazine, The New Yorker, The Washington Post and many others have been overwhelmingly positive.

We have had plenty of reporters, photographers, donors, etc. through the building before the public opening. For me, the most rewarding days were June 9 and 10 when the general public was allowed in for the first time. I saw people of all ages, races and types throughout both buildings, on the south lawn, on the north plaza and on the roof of the Bloch Building, and they all were very happy.

Here are some pictures from the weekend:

Jasper Cropsey’s painting, The Backwoods of America (1858), is on display in the Rotunda of the Nelson-Atkins Building thanks to the Crystal Bridges Museum of Art. Crystal Bridges is a museum under construction in Bentonville, Ark., which will be dedicated to American art and artists.

In addition to this generous loan, the Nelson-Atkins dedication to American art continued with the publishing of the Museum’s first major catalogue of its American Paintings Collection on June 1st. This catalogue is the fourth and most extensive in a series of Nelson-Atkins catalogues. Totaling over 800 pages between two volumes, The Collections of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art: American Paintings to 1945 profiles over one hundred works while incorporating biographical information on the artist, and providing insights into the mysteries of the painter’s processes. The catalogue is available in the Museum Store.

Another opportunity to learn about our American paintings collection is the American Painting Symposium on Oct. 20.

The new Bloch Building has garnered some outstanding national and internation publicity in print. There's a lot being said on blogs as well. Here are a few of my faves:

Architecture for Art (AforA) has some kind words to say about the staff and volunteers of the Nelson-Atkins. Their team was here for opening weekend and got a personal tour from the man of the weekend, Steven Holl. (It was interesting to see the reaction to him as he wandered the Museum, mostly unaccompanied. People treated him like a celebrity, asking him to autograph copies of The Stone and the Feather, their lecture tickets and anything else they could find.)

In case you missed the review in Time on June 11, you can read it online at Richard Lacayo's blog. Lacayo is the one who named Steven Holl America's Best Architect in 2001. I think he was on to something...

One I just found today is Apartment Therapy: New York City which has some nice comments from Kansas Citians living in the Big Apple as well as some local folks.

Another nice one for the local peeps is Studio 109 with their report from the opening black-tie gala. It was a beautiful evening. The pictures (although beautiful) don't do the Museum justice. You must see it in person to get the full effect.

Finally, a nice post from our friends at the Crystal Bridges Museum and their brand new blog.

On the longest day of the year (June 21), be sure to come visit the Nelson-Atkins for a chance to reflect on our connection to the universe. Friends of Art members at the Associate level will enjoy a special program related to Kiki Smith: Constellation.

All members can enjoy a special Know Your Museum Tour at 6 p.m. This month, the tour will focus on the Architecture and Art of the Bloch Building.

With free admission everyday, everyone is welcome to enjoy the first day of summer at the Nelson-Atkins. Bring a picnic and enjoy this special evening in the Kansas City Sculpture Park.

The new Bloch Building has caused quite a bit of conversation from glowing reviews in major publications to letters to the editor of The Kansas City Star to neighbors/total strangers telling me what they think of it (including comments on this blog).

The Kansas City chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) wants to know what people think of it too. They have this poll on their website. Jump in and give your two cents.

If you've only seen pictures of the Bloch Building, here's your chance to see inside with this segment by the News Hour with Jim Lehrer. Correspondent Jeffrey Brown spoke with architect Steven Holl and Museum Director Marc Wilson during opening weekend.

About 50 students from Skills USA visited the Museum today. They are in Kansas City for the National Leadership and Skills Conference. The students are competing in a photography contest and the chosen site was the Nelson-Atkins. The SkillsUSA Championships is the national-level competition for public high school and college/postsecondary technical students enrolled in trade, technical, and skilled service profession instructional programs including allied health occupations. The students were allowed two hours to photograph both inside and outside of the Museum. After the two hours, the students were treated to a visit to the Museum's featured exhibition of American phogotraphy, Developing Greatness: The Origins of American Photography, 1839-1885. We wish them luck and hope they enjoyed their visit to the Nelson-Atkins!