The Bass Museum of Art has appointed the Los Angeles-based architecture practice Johnston Marklee to lead the expansion of its campus in Collins Park, Miami Beach, advancing a long-term vision that integrates architecture, landscape, and contemporary art. Founded in 1964 following the donation of the John and Johanna Bass collection, the museum is housed within a 1930s Art Deco building originally designed by Russell Pancoast as the Miami Beach Public Library and Art Center. Over time, the institution has evolved through architectural interventions, most notably the campus framework introduced by Arata Isozaki, which establishes a dialogue between the historic fabric and contemporary additions.
Led by founding partners Sharon Johnston and Mark Lee, Johnston Marklee brings an approach grounded in formal clarity and contextual responsiveness. Their portfolio includes cultural and academic projects such as the Menil Drawing Institute, the renovation of the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, and the adaptive reuse of the Roy Lichtenstein Studio for the Whitney Museum of American Art's Independent Study Program.
The proposed expansion extends Isozaki's vision of a porous campus through a series of interconnected architectural and landscape elements. Central to the project is a new pavilion occupying approximately 22,000 square feet on the southwest edge of the site. The structure will accommodate a flexible, state-of-the-art exhibition gallery designed for contemporary and experimental media, alongside spaces that support public engagement and institutional programming. Elevated to meet resiliency requirements, the gallery integrates advanced environmental and display systems, aligning technical performance with curatorial needs.
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The project also introduces a multipurpose outdoor patio embedded within Collins Park, conceived as a transitional space between architecture and landscape. Combining shaded and open areas, the patio is designed to host community events, while an adjacent outdoor screening zone enables film projections, performances, and other time-based cultural activities.
In related developments, London's National Gallery has selected Kengo Kuma & Associates, in collaboration with BDP and MICA, to design a new wing following an international competition. In New York, the New Museum recently opened its 60,000-square-foot expansion, a project led by Shohei Shigematsu and Rem Koolhaas of OMA in collaboration with Cooper Robertson. Meanwhile, the Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art has announced a major campus expansion by Lina Ghotmeh – Architecture, signaling a shift toward an expanded role as both exhibition venue and site of artistic production.
