Press Kit: Building the Buffalo AKG Art Museum

Aerial view of the museum's campus with a rendering of the new north building in the upper left corner — Aerial view of the museum's campus, including a rendering of the new Gundlach Building, Great Lawn, and indoor Town Square covered by Olafur Eliasson and Sebastian Behmann's *Common Sky*. Photo: Blake Dawson for Buffalo AKG Art Museum | Rendering courtesy of OMA

For more than a decade the museum has explored the possibility of expanding and upgrading its facilities. These enhancements are urgently needed to properly house the museum’s growing collection, mount rotating special exhibitions, and present a dynamic range of complementary educational programs. In 2014, the museum’s Board of Directors unanimously resolved to initiate the ambitious campus development and expansion project.

In June 2016, the museum announced its selection of OMA/Shohei Shigematsu as its architectural design partner. Since that time, the museum’s leadership has been engaged in a capital campaign to raise the necessary funds for the project. In September 2016, Jeffrey Gundlach, a Buffalo native, donated an unprecedented $42.5 million to the campaign.

In June 2018, the museum announced the creation of a new work of signature architecture on the north side of the museum's historic campus. The new building will add 30,000 square feet of space for displaying special exhibitions and the museum's world-renowned art collection.

In April 2019, artist Olafur Eliasson and architect Sebastian Behmann, founding partners of Studio Other Spaces, proposed a breathtaking work of art to cover the museum's new indoor Town Square.

On November 4, 2019, the museum's Elmwood Avenue campus closed for construction and on November 22, museum leaders and elected officials broke ground on the project. Our construction partners include Gilbane Building Company, ARC Building Partners, and Cooper Robertson.

The museum's Elmwood Avenue campus is temporarily closed for construction. The Buffalo AKG Art Museum is scheduled to open on May 25, 2023. Learn More