The Robert Henri Museum and Art Gallery in Cozad will mark a major milestone this Saturday, August 16, with the grand opening of its new state-of-the-art art gallery. A ribbon-cutting ceremony will take place at 10:30 a.m. at the new gallery, located at 207 East 9th Street. The event will open a new chapter in the museum’s decades-long effort to preserve and share the life and work of internationally acclaimed artist and Cozad native Robert Henri.
Following the ceremony, visitors will be invited to tour all three of the museum’s facilities — the new gallery, the library and archives, and Henri’s boyhood home — until 5:00 p.m. Guides will be on hand, and refreshments will be served at the new gallery throughout the day.
Executive Director Peter Osborne says the occasion is not just a construction milestone, but a landmark moment for the museum and the region.
“This is an amazing moment in not only the region’s history but in our museum’s history and in our community’s history,” Osborne said. “So it’s a big, big deal for us.”
The new 5,000-square-foot gallery replaces the museum’s previous 900-square-foot display space, which opened in 2014. Built on the site of the former American Legion building, the facility includes a limestone veneer exterior, state-of-the-art climate control, fire protection, and security systems, as well as modern lighting designed specifically to protect and showcase valuable works of art. Inside, visitors will find expanded exhibition space, a gift shop, director’s office, reception hall, serving kitchen, and restrooms. The building also opens onto a large patio area that will be developed for outdoor seating and potential dining service in partnership with local businesses.
Funding for the $3 million project came from grants, community contributions, and a major gift and matching commitment from Larry and Tammy Paulsen, whose family has been connected to the museum since its earliest days. Larry’s mother, Shirley Paulsen, was one of the founders in the early 1980s, leading the purchase and restoration of Henri’s boyhood home with the help of volunteers.
“It’s a great family legacy,” Osborne said. “Every time I walk into our buildings, my mind goes back to Shirley Paulsen and what she started here, because I don’t think she could have ever imagined that it would become the important place it has become. We are now going to be, without a doubt, the national center for Robert Henri.”
The opening also unveils a significant new exhibition, Painter, Teacher and Pioneer: A Journey Through the Life of Robert Henri. This is the first major exhibition on Henri in Nebraska in 35 years, and one of only four such shows ever mounted nationally. It combines biographical materials with paintings, sketches, and insights into Henri’s artistic philosophy and his influence on more than 1,000 students over his career.
The museum complex offers visitors the chance to explore Henri’s Nebraska roots alongside his artistic legacy. The newly repurposed library and archives building, converted from the old gallery, houses the Impact Nebraska Artist Exhibition as well as climate-controlled storage for the museum’s growing collection. The boyhood home remains the heart of the historical story, linking Henri’s early life as Robert Henry Cozad to his rise as a leader of the Ashcan School and one of America’s most important early 20th-century painters.
With more than 30 Henri works on display — the largest such collection in the United States — the museum serves as a unique cultural destination in Nebraska. Osborne believes the expansion puts Cozad on the map alongside much larger institutions.
“What we have here, and what we’re going to have, is really very, very unique for the country,” he said.
For more information, visit RobertHenriMuseum.org or follow the museum on Facebook for updates and event details.
Listen to our full interview with Peter Osborne here:
