A fresh year has arrived, and we are seeing and feeling the results of our first five months of building. A new Joslyn is emerging in front of our eyes and, with it, a growing sense of excitement to welcome you again to your Museum. Major construction and renovation milestones will be reached over the course of 2023. We will continue to share those highlights with you. Behind the scenes, we are making steady progress on our work plan toward reopening and beyond. The physical expansion, coupled with our closure to keep art and people safe, creates a rare opportunity for a broad assessment that we typically would not have during periods when we are open. We are seizing this moment and taking a deep dive into many aspects of the Museum's operations, services, technology, and programs.

As noted, a terrific amount of work has been done on the building, and it appears to have just sprung up, seemingly overnight. The entire structure is clear now, and I encourage you to enjoy a walk or drive around the block to check it out. Reopening is on track for 2024, and we will announce an exact date as early as possible, but only when that date is certain. Stay tuned!

As we undergo our ambitious expansion and renovation, we have sought opportunities to share selections from our galleries with museums around the country. This now includes an unprecedented tour of works from Joslyn's internationally recognized collection of European art. From Titian’s commanding Portrait of a Man of the Cornaro Family with a Falcon from the late 1520s to a beautiful seventeenth-century floral still life by the Dutch painter, Maria van Oosterwyck; from Claude Monet’s idyllic The Meadow (1879) to Jean-Léon Gérôme’s compelling Orientalist vision, The Grief of the Pasha (1885)—we are delighted to share these paintings, many of which never leave permanent display in Omaha, with new audiences. The exhibition is on in Virginia; next stop is Oklahoma. We also welcome you to send us a note or tag us on social media if you have the opportunity to visit Joslyn works in other museums. It is fun to see our members checking in on their favorites as they travel.

Our collection continues to grow through gift and purchase—including work from many artists and periods, with emphasis on artists who are women and artists of color. The latest acquisitions include a French painting with a fascinating story; a painting by the first Black artist to professionally depict landscapes of the American West in the nineteenth century; an exceptional Native American object—a rawhide container from the Plateau region; and three works by BIPOC artists who are women. One of these is Simone Leigh's (American, born 1967) Sphinx (2021). Leigh works in various media including sculpture, installations, video, performance, and social practice. She was selected to represent the United States at the 59th International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia in 2022.

There are a number of outstanding programs upcoming for kids, teens, and adults—opportunities to connect in person with our curators and education staff at locations around town for book discussions, music performances, art discussions, classes, and more. Continue to follow Joslyn on social media @joslynartmuseum for updates during closure.

All of us at Joslyn Art Museum look forward to the year ahead, and we wish you and yours health, happiness, and prosperity.

See you around town!