The Owensboro Museum of Fine Art (OMFA) broke ground Wednesday morning on its Artland 2 Education Annex, the museum’s first capital expansion in more than three decades.
Executive Director Jason Hayden said the project will allow OMFA to double its capacity for free art instruction and expand programming to serve thousands more children, teenagers, and even adults.
“Today, as we turn the first shovels of earth, we mark the beginning of a new chapter in the life of the Owensboro Museum of Fine Art,” Hayden said. “This is an expansion not of walls alone, but a vision of imagination and opportunity. It is the dawn of a new era of community engagement through the arts.”
The project was made possible in part by nearly $300,000 in funding from Daviess County Fiscal Court. Judge/Executive Charlie Castlen praised the museum’s impact on the community, noting his own family’s connection to the arts.
“I’ve been a supporter of the fine arts museum and a lover of it for a long time,” Castlen said. “I know this is going to be a great addition to our community, and I’m glad Fiscal Court was able to help you financially on this project and over the years.”
Education Director Rebecca Stoen said Artland 2 reflects OMFA’s long-standing commitment to accessible art education.
“We break ground not just on a building, but on a bold and exciting new chapter,” Stoen said. “This new space represents growth, possibility, and our enduring commitment to arts education in Owensboro and the surrounding region. With this expansion, we will be able to serve twice as many children and teenagers and even launch adult programming.”
Hayden added that the annex will feature open floor space designed for creativity, including art camps that historically fill with long waiting lists. Several of the spots in those camps are reserved for children served by local social service agencies such as Girls Inc., the H.L. Neblett Community Center, the Cliff Hagan Boys & Girls Club, the Mary Kendall Home, and Wendell Foster.
“Artland 2 will rise as a vibrant hub of creativity and lifelong learning,” Hayden said. “It’s more than bricks and mortar. It’s a promise, a beacon, and a legacy.”
OMFA Board Chair Dr. James Naas closed the ceremony by reflecting on the site’s history and the role of leadership in shaping the community’s future.
“We are standing on foundational growth ground for Owensboro and Daviess County,” Naas said. “Right here was the trace over which thousands of buffalo found their way to the refreshment of the river, and here we grow where thousands of our fellow citizens and world visitors have found their way to the unexcelled cultural invigoration of the Owensboro Museum of Fine Art for almost 50 years. Leadership is the pathway to progress. There are bold leaders here today among us, and I’m grateful for them. Let me say this again — here we grow. Now, let’s get to digging.”
The annex is projected to open in fall 2026, weather and construction permitting.
The museum previously expanded in 1993, connecting its antebellum mansion with a new wing that now houses the Medley Decorative Arts Wing.
