Museum of Nebraska Art
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U.S. Post Office
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| Location | 2401 Central Ave., Kearney, Nebraska |
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| Coordinates | 40°41′59″N 99°4′52″W / 40.69972°N 99.08111°WCoordinates: 40°41′59″N 99°4′52″W / 40.69972°N 99.08111°W |
| Built | 1911 |
| Architect | James Knox Taylor |
| Architectural style | Neoclassical Revival |
| Website | https://monet.unk.edu/mona/ |
| NRHP Reference # | 81000368 |
| Added to NRHP | September 17, 1981 |
The Museum of Nebraska Art (MONA) is the official art museum of the state of Nebraska. The museum is located in Kearney, Nebraska, and is administratively affiliated with the University of Nebraska at Kearney. The official charter of MONA makes it home to the Nebraska Art Collection, which is home to works by artists who were born in Nebraska, have lived in Nebraska, or have some connection to Nebraska. MONA also hosts regular rotating exhibitions by living or historic artists who have some connection with the state of Nebraska.
The Nebraska Art Collection was first created in 1976 but initially lacked a permanent home. In 1985 a state-appointed commission settled on a historic post office building in Kearney which was built in 1911 but was badly outmoded and slated for demolition. The Neoclassical architecture, marble interiors, and spacious, well-lit rooms attracted the attention of museum officials, who purchased the disused building and refitted it. In 1986 MONA opened there in its new permanent location.
The post office building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1981 as a fine example of the Neoclassical style, and is believed to be the oldest of its type in Kearney.
The Nebraska Art Collection covers over 175 years of art and art history. Many historic artists with Nebraska connections have their work in the permanent collection, such as Alice Eliza Cleaver, Robert Henri, John Philip Falter, and Frank Rinehart. MONA is also home to works by more modern artists, like Thomas Hart Benton, Wright Morris, and Leonard Thiessen, as well as living artists such as Jun Kaneko and Jane Golding Marie.
Additionally, the Collection includes works by artist explorers who documented early Native American life and natural history in Nebraska, including George Catlin, John James Audubon, and Karl Bodmer. Exhibitions of these artists are often supplemented with art and historical artifacts from other Nebraska museums, including the Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer, Joslyn Art Museum, and the University of Nebraska State Museum.
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