Learning and Engagement Center

Newark Museum of Art and L+M Development Partners

Simplified Functional Design Creates Connectivity Among Spaces Old and New

Learning and Engagement Center

Newark Museum of Art and L+M Development Partners

Newark, NJ

6,000 SF

The Opportunity

KSS Architects recently completed a renovation of the Learning and Engagement Center at the Newark Museum of Art (NMOA). Originally designed by Michael Graves in 1990, the center, located in the building’s South Wing, serves as a venue for events, studios, and classrooms. Completion of the Learning and Engagement Center builds on NMOA’s mission of providing dynamic spaces to its campus, a phased approach that includes the development of new public art and green space, a new progressive gallery, an outdoor sculpture garden, and Museum Parc, neighboring mixed-use residential and retail buildings developed by LMXD, MSquared, and MCI Collective.

Our Approach

The renovation fosters a more inclusive public space that ensures access to art for all community members. It encompassed approximately 6,000 square feet of interior public spaces, striking a perfect balance between function and design. KSS focused on bold, simple moves with a big impact, strategically removing physical barriers, including portions of walls and stairwells, to create open, airy, and welcoming spaces that strengthen the museum’s identity and mission through community engagement. The redesigned learning engagement center invites visitors in, while improved vertical access now connects previously hidden and hard-to-reach educational spaces, including classrooms, the auditorium, gallery, and multi-use event spaces, allowing all community members to explore, enjoy, and be inspired.