Drawing from Romanesque and Cistercian religious architecture, Ellsworth Kelly designed this 2,715 square building with thirty-three vibrant glass windows structured into three unique designs: “tumbling squares,” “starburst,” and “color grid.” This luminous work provides viewers the opportunity to contemplate the transcendent qualities of light, color and form -- motifs Kelly continually explored over the course of his life. The windows that span three facades of this monumental building are layered mouth-blown colored glass. Each gem-like color was carefully crafted in the Franz Mayer of Munich studio to precisely match Kelly’s vivid multi-hued palette. Artisans in Munich worked closely with Kelly, staying true to every aspect of his vision for the project. Each window consists of multiple layers of different colored glass resulting in a progressive and dynamic spectrum of color. Kelly wanted to create an architectural structure which viewers can inhabit; a place where they can directly experience tangible manifestations of shape, light, and color. He hoped viewers would find peace and tranquility in this meditative space. The artist gifted this design concept to the Blanton Museum in January 2015: the first and only building he ever designed, as well as the last project before his death in December 2015.

Harry Cooper writes in Art Forum about the project, "Kelly has brought the cathedral down to earth. He has left us with a human work."