The Bass in Miami Beach, Florida, has revealed that Johnston Marklee & Associates will design its planned addition. The Los Angeles–based firm has realized numerous cultural projects, including Houston’s Menil Drawing Institute (2018) and the UCLA Margo Leavin Graduate Art Studios (2019).

“We are delighted to partner with Johnston Marklee on this next chapter for the Bass, advancing a campus vision that seamlessly connects architecture, landscape, and contemporary art,” said the museum’s executive director, Silvia Karman Cubiñá, in a statement. “Having just celebrated our 60th year, we are firmly focused on the future, and this expansion is a vital part of that vision, allowing us to deepen our engagement with artists and our community by creating new, flexible spaces to gather, reflect, and experience art in meaningful ways.”

 In November 2022, the Bass was allocated just over $20 million from a General Obligation Bond, which was approved by Miami Beach residents with a 65 percent approval rate. The bond, totaling $159 million, supports city-owned arts and cultural institutions in addressing infrastructure enhancements, implementing resiliency measures, and bolstering the impact of the arts on the surrounding community.

With this funding, Johnston Marklee will add an elevated exhibition space, as well as an outdoor patio, to the southwest of the Bass’s campus at Collins Park, which comprises a historic Art Deco building by Russell Pancoast that was later expanded by Japanese Pritzker Prize laureate Arata Isozaki and his protégé David Gauld. The addition will encompass approximately 22,000 square feet. 

The gallery pavilion will house the art museum’s growing permanent collection and integrate advanced systems to display experimental media and installations. The multipurpose plaza will feature a screening area and a mix of shaded and open spaces to support community programming. Outdoor sculptures will be placed throughout the new areas.

“Through careful analysis of light and shadow, space and volume, and the surrounding park and urban context, we are planning a transformative project that will increase public access to the museum’s programs and artworks,” elaborated Johnston Marklee founding partner Sharon Johnston, who is serving as lead architect of the expansion project.

An opening date for the expansion has not been announced.