The Pavilions
Francis Greenburger’s most recent major project…
Over the course of his career, Francis Greenburger has founded and supported a remarkable range of cultural institutions, each shaped by a deep belief in the power of artists to define our shared future. From Art Omi to the Greenburger Prize, his work has consistently centered artists’ voices and long-term impact. The Pavilions is perhaps the most ambitious expression of that commitment so far.
Through decades of close relationships with artists and collectors, Greenburger observed a recurring concern: once an artist’s lifetime has passed, they often lose agency over how their work is contextualized, interpreted, and remembered. Collections face a similar fate, frequently dispersed across institutions, stored out of view, or presented selectively as curatorial priorities shift.
The Pavilions was conceived as a response to this challenge. Currently being built on land Greenburger acquired decades ago in Chatham, New York, the project imagines a constellation of purpose-built spaces dedicated to individual artists and private collections. Each pavilion is designed in close collaboration with its participants, ensuring that legacy, scholarship, and presentation remain intentional, coherent, and alive.
Developed alongside Co-Executive Director Natalie Diaz, The Pavilions brings together an extraordinary group of collaborators. Participating artists include Alice Aycock, Torkwase Dyson, and Rakuko Naito and Tadaaki Kuwayama, joined by collectors such as Michael and Susan Hort and Ariel Aisiks of the Institute for Studies of Latin American Art. Leading architectural firms—including BKSK, Gluckman Tang, SO-IL, SKOLNICK Architecture + Design Partnership, Jahn/, and unit a—have designed spaces that respond to both the landscape and the unique needs of each pavilion.
The multi-phase project will ultimately include 16 artist and collection pavilions, a Visitor Center with education and exhibition spaces, a Biennale Exhibition Pavilion for long-term rotating shows, and a series of intimate Mini Pavilions designed to present a single artwork at a time—encouraging slow, focused looking.
The Pavilions builds on Art Omi’s 33-year history as one of Columbia County’s most vital cultural institutions. In addition to extending Art Omi’s tradition of visionary exhibitions, the project significantly expands year-round education programming, with new classrooms and resources for students of all ages. It also introduces an innovative exhibition model—one in which artists and collectors help shape the narratives surrounding their own work, while rotating pavilions provide ongoing cultural dialogue and context.
Construction began in summer 2024, with a groundbreaking ceremony that brought together artists, local residents, elected officials, and partners including Empire State Development and the New York State Council on the Arts. The Pavilions has already garnered national and international attention across art and architecture publications and has received generous state support.
The campus will open to the public in phases beginning in fall 2026, with a full public opening planned for spring 2027.
At its heart, The Pavilions is about stewardship—of land, of ideas, and of artistic legacy. It reflects Francis Greenburger’s enduring belief that artists deserve not only space to create, but also a lasting voice in how their work is experienced by generations to come.
