Cozad Robert Henri Museum

The mission of the Robert Henri Museum and Art Gallery is to promote the legacy of Robert Henri, one of America’s most important art instructors and artists. The museum and gallery serves as the center for Henri studies and accomplishes this by exhibitions, programming, publishing and disseminating information, and maintaining an archive. The museum also preserves the history of the Cozad family and its role in the history of the community. The museum was established in 1985 and purchased the former Hendee Hotel and renovated it into a museum, Then, in 2014 the museum built a gallery for its painting collection.

Front of new Robert Henri Museum and Art Gallery

The museum has been planning for the construction of a new gallery since 2019. The project will expand our ability to display and collect the work of Robert Henri, the world renown artist who spent his boyhood in Cozad. It will allow us to expand our collection from our current seventeen paintings to more than thirty paintings. This new building will include state of the art climate control, fire protection, and security systems along with educational and exhibition space. It will include an outdoor patio area, gift shop, office and a serving kitchen. The $3.5 million expansion will be paid for by grants, contributions and a very generous donation and matching commitment from Larry and Tammy Paulsen for $2 million. Tammy and Larry, our patrons have made our artwork and exhibitions in our gallery possible. As many know, Larry’s mother, Shirley, was one of the founders of our museum in the early 1980s. The funding raised by the Give Big program will allow for the purchases of exhibit supplies and fabricated materials that will enhance the visitor’s experience in the new gallery. These items will include signage, exhibit panels, exhibit hanging systems, and electronic displays. The museum staff will construct much of the exhibitions in house. The 2014 gallery will be used as an archive and library.

Floor Plan for new exhibition fabricated by museum staff.

The museum attracts several thousand people annually to its various programs and about 75% come off the interstate to see our gallery with Robert Henri’s paintings and sketches. This generates interest and income for the museum and fulfills our mission, but it also is an economic boost to Cozad as visitors are often asking for places to eat, shop and visit while they are in town.

Planning work has been underway on the exhibitions since the fall of 2023 and the major exhibition will be installed in the late fall of 2024. There will be a ribbon cutting at the new facility shortly thereafter. The museum has cut back on its activities this year as it has been planning and creating the new exhibitry for the gallery. In 2025 the museum is anticipating an increase not only in visitors but also activities and events held at the museum and new gallery.