Museum of Nebraska Art | Past Exhibitions

Past Exhibitions

Listing begins with the most recent completed exhibitions and continues through exhibitions in 2008.

Cranes: Taking Flight: February 19 – May 12, 2013; Central Nebraska plays host to the Sandhill cranes each spring as the birds migrate from their winter habitat to their summer one. In tribute to this extraordinary natural phenomenon, the Museum of Nebraska Art presents 19th to 21st century art that shows how various artists depict and are inspired by these magnificent birds.

Art: It’s ELEMENTARY!: August 7, 2012 – April 28, 2013; Color, line, shape, form, space, value, and texture. Art: It’ s ELEMENTARY! walks viewers through the elements of art using works from the Museum of Nebraska Art collection to show how these basic visual tools are used to build and view a work of art.

Nebraska Now: Ying Zhu, Watch Your Steps: January 12, 2013 – April 7, 2013; Ying Zhu explores life’s precarious nature in her full-room installation at MONA. By utilizing architectural as well as edible elements, Zhu asks viewers to keep their “eyes open” in her aptly titled exhibition, Watch Your Steps. Now residing in Omaha, Zhu was born and raised in China, receiving her M.F.A. degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Think Big: February 8 – April 7, 2013; Size can matter in art: the larger an artwork, sometimes the greater the impact. Yet the choice to use more canvas or more space to create any type of artwork can also pose problems for an artist. Think Big highlights the large-scale works from the MONA collection and explores the various ways that artists have conquered spatial issues and how far they have successfully pushed dimension.

Art Speaks: Conversations in the Gallery: February 8 – April 7, 2013; At the end of the day, when the lights are turned off and everyone has gone home, imagine voices coming from MONA’s Postmaster Gallery. The “conversations” among the portraits are interesting and even amusing, and visitors are encouraged to join in the dialogues.

MONA’s 19th Century Artworks: August 14, 2012 – March 31, 2013; The foundational artworks of MONA’s permanent collection are the paintings, drawings, prints, and artifacts created in the 19th century that tell the story of westward expansion and the quickly changing territorial and cultural tides. Works included in this era were created by Artist-Explorers – the individuals who traveled and documented the new frontier, and the Plains Indians – the original inhabitants of the land.

Recent Acquisitions: December 11, 2012 – March 10, 2013; In the last four years, the Museum of Nebraska Art has added nearly 300 artworks to its permanent collection. The paintings, sculpture, photography, prints, and other media, created over a span of 150 years, range from representational to abstract. Every piece reflects MONA’s mission to collect artworks created by a Nebraskan or in Nebraska, or whose subject reveals the unique culture of the region. Numerous donors have made these acquisitions possible.

Spotlight on: Grant Reynard: October 30, 2012 – February 10, 2013; The illustrations of Grant Reynard capture the warmth of the season with a traditional and sentimental approach. These works welcome viewers into a nostalgic and peaceful world that is reminiscent of another time.

The Art of Living: October 5, 2012 – January 27, 2013; From hand-crafted artworks to those designed and then mass produced, The Art of Living examines the objects that inhabit our homes and adorn our bodies. A rug, book, vase, table, lamp, necklace, or garment – each work has a foundation in the practical, yet are objects created with an aesthetic intent. Featuring works created over the last 100 years, the pieces carry the mark of their maker, sometimes pushing the boundaries of “functional” art.

Nebraska Now: Mary Katherine Murphy, Paintings: October 13, 2012 – January 6, 2013; A painter’s painter, Mary Murphy is well known for her controlled yet gestural strokes and purposefully expressive use of color. Always beautiful, Murphy’s paintings are rooted in the love of applying paint to canvas. This exhibition also introduces Murphy’s experimental three-dimensional works.

Book Illustrator: Paul Goble: October 12, 2012 – January 13, 2013; Paul Goble’s life-long fascination with Native Americans of the Plains has been his inspiration for 30 published children’s books. This award-winning author and illustrator is featured in the Museum of Nebraska Art’s Postmaster Gallery with the original illustrations from Adopted by the Eagles, on loan from the South Dakota Art Museum.

Milton Wolsky: A 20th Century Modernist: August 28 – December 2, 2012; Milton Laban Wolsky was born in Omaha, Nebraska in 1916. He studied in Chicago and New York with two important American artists, Julian Levi and Hans Hofmann. A multitalented artist, he produced realist, contemporary, and abstract art with the same skill and expertise. This selection of works, never exhibited and with many considered to be some of his best, remained in the artist’s collection at the time of his death in 1981.

Spotlight on: Terrence Duren: July 6 – October 21, 2012; Very few artists have lives as interesting as Shelby, Nebraska artist Terence Duren. He was a man of eclectic and exotic tastes – often controversial – who settled into the simple life of a small rural community. Duren’s life was as theatrical as the art he created.

Book Illustrators: Selections from Nebraska Collections: July 13 – October 7, 2012; The 2012 theme for a rotating set of exhibitions in the Museum of Nebraska Art’s Postmaster Interactive Gallery is book illustrators. The third rotation features the book illustrations of C. W. Anderson, John Falter, Dale Nichols, and Grant Reynard.

Nebraska Now: Michael Flecky, Photographs: July 14 – October 7, 2012; In his first solo exhibition at MONA, Father Michael Flecky, Professor of Photography, Creighton University, documents the now-rare outdoor drive-in theatres that once populated the United States. Flecky has traveled across the country to capture both defunct and still in-use drive-ins. These black and white and color photographs are not only eloquent in their composition and presentation, but are visual records of an era in our nation’s cultural history.

Bill Ray: A LIFEtime of Photographs: June 1 – September 9, 2012; LIFE photographer and Nebraska native Bill Ray traveled across the country documenting important events in American cultural history. From small town to big city, Ray photographed Presidents, movie stars, and sports legends, capturing a generation’s hopes and dreams, trials and tribulations by visually recording the life and times of mid-20th Century America.

Sculpture Garden Series: Chad Fonfara, Glass: June 16 – September 9, 2012; The Museum of Nebraska Art introduces a new exhibition series in which artists create site-specific installations in the Museum’s Hillegass Sculpture Garden. The series showcases a selected artist’s work every year from late spring through early fall.

Contemporary Women Masters of MONA’s Collection: May 1 – August 19, 2012; A selection of women artists – all working today and represented in the Museum of Nebraska Art collection – have made important contributions to art through their diverse media. Included are internationally renowned fiber artists Sheila Hicks and Mary Zicafoose, acclaimed printmaker Karen Kunc, sculpture/installation artist Catherine Ferguson, painters Anne Burkholder, Martha Horvay, Diane Marsh, Maggie Tobin, among others.

Funding for Contemporary Women Masters of MONA’s Collection has been provided by Karen and Jim Linder.

In the Stillness: April 27 – July 29, 2012; For centuries artists have explored the still life – a purposefully composed scene of inanimate objects. In the Stillness explores the still life from its simplest and most straightforward to works that push boundaries. Comprised of pieces from the Museum of Nebraska Art collection and selected loans, artists included are Kent Bellows, Neil Christensen, Sara Shewell Hayden, Vera Mercer, Wright Morris, Marion Canfield Smith, Bryce Speed, and Carol Thompson.

Junior Curator Show: Behind the Scenes: May 11 – July 22, 2012; A select group of advanced high school students works with the Museum of Nebraska Art staff to conceptualize, choose, and install an exhibition of artworks drawn from MONA’s collection. The experiential learning also includes developing educational resources and marketing materials. Through this accredited course, the students expand their knowledge of art, museums, and careers.

Book Illustrator: Preston McDaniels: March 6 – July 8, 2012; Author and Illustrator of over 20 children’s books, Preston McDaniels grew up in Kearney, Nebraska, and many of his childhood memories of people and places are reflected in his illustrations. Featured in the exhibition are the original illustrations for A Perfect Snowman, his first book as author/illustrator.

Nebraska Now: Anthony Hawley, Le Segnavie/The Guides, Installation: April 14 – July 8, 2012; Through an ever-evolving and precarious balance, the written and spoken word take on dimensional form in Anthony Hawley’s first exhibition at the Museum of Nebraska Art. He creates a full-scale, site-specific installation that incorporates sculptural and found objects, audio visual, and traditional two dimensional artworks that finds its genesis in a 19th century quote from the Lewis and Clark journals, “I am much engaged in reriting.”

A Pow-Wow of Art: Native American Works: May 15 – July 1, 2012; The Museum of Nebraska Art features a group of works from the permanent collection created by Native Americans. The Plains tribes have a tradition of expressing their cultures in artistic forms, and the pieces on view attest to the artistic sensitivities of these native artists.

Student Art Show 2012: April 17 – May 13, 2012; Budding artists from Kearney and surrounding school districts in central Nebraska are featured for four weeks in the spring when the Museum of Nebraska Art is alive with the creativity of young student artists, from kindergarten to high school seniors. Each week a different selection of art is presented, showcasing the various age levels.

CraneStorm: Wishes in Flight: March 6 – May 13, 2012; The Brain Injury Association of Nebraska’s call for 36,000 origami cranes – one to represent each Nebraskan living with a disability due to brain injury – was answered by 1,863 Nebraskans. These hand-folded paper cranes are displayed in a colorful art installation at the Museum of Nebraska Art, and remind visitors of the power of art to raise awareness.

Cranes in Art: February 11 – May 8, 2012; Central Nebraska plays host to the Sandhill cranes each spring as the birds migrate from their winter habitat to their summer one. In tribute to this extraordinary natural phenomenon, the Museum of Nebraska Art presents 19th to 21st century art that depicts these magnificent birds. Also included are images that show an aspect of the birds’ life cycle not seen in Nebraska – the crane eggs and chicks that hatch.

Why Is It Art?: July 12, 2011 – April 29, 2012; Walking into an art museum, visitors sometimes think "I just don't get it!" Why Is It Art? takes an historical journey through selections from the Museum of Nebraska Art collection to learn how styles in art have evolved, what influences the artist, and how to look at art.

Spirit: A Celebration Of Art In The Heartland: March 24 – April 15, 2012 (Gala Events: April 13, 14,15); A biennial fund-raising benefit for the Museum of Nebraska Art, this art exhibition and gala events feature 54 artists with ties to Nebraska. On view three weeks prior to the culminating weekend of festivities, the exhibition showcases a variety of media, styles, and themes by Nebraska’s gifted artists.

Nebraska Now: Wendy Weiss & Jay Kreimer: Against the Sky: January 14 – April 8, 2012; Transforming MONA’ s Yanney Skylight Gallery, collaborative installation artists Wendy Weiss and Jay Kreimer utilize ikat weavings and discarded hollow doors to explore the Nebraska landscape. This installation is the artists’ response to the “resilience of nature” – looking to the non-native trees of the Great American Prairie and what our relationship is to them.

From the Fields to the Sky: January 17 – March 23, 2012; Since the time of the Lascaux cave drawings created over 17,000 years ago, humanity has looked to the environment for insight, inspiration, and a sense of connectivity to the natural world. From the Fields to the Sky exemplifies the diversity in which artists have chosen to investigate the flora and fauna of the land through paintings, drawings, sculptures, prints, photographs, and artists’ books from the Museum of Nebraska Art’s permanent collection.

The Oregon Trail: Illustrations from Francis Parkman’s Book: September 13 – March 18, 2012; Francis Parkman’s book The Oregon Trail, first published in 1849, recounts his adventures in the West. Throughout the years, the book has been reprinted and illustrated by different artists including Thomas Hart Benton, Maynard Dixon, William Henry Jackson, Frederic Remington, and N.C. Wyeth. A selection of original artwork for the illustrations by these artists is featured.

The Oregon Trail: Images of the Journey West: September 20, 2011 – March 11, 2012; The journey westward is experienced through the eyes of various artists. Embodying the spirit of pioneers who headed west in search of a better life and drawn from historic collections across the country, the selections range in viewpoint from artists who experienced the trail first hand to contemporary artists reinterpreting these accounts.

Book Illustrator: Henry Cole: January 13 – March 4, 2012; Henry Cole’s original illustrations for his children’s book A Nest for Celeste are featured at the Museum of Nebraska Art. The author and illustrator grew up on a dairy farm outside Purcellville, Virginia, and studied forestry at Virginia Tech. With an interest in art and science, his education required the close study of nature and his detailed observations helped him with his drawing. His mother, a professional illustrator, also gave him many pointers.

Winter Scenes: December 22, 2011 – February 5, 2012; It’s that time of year when the temperatures are falling, the days are getting shorter, and a selection of winter scenes from the Museum of Nebraska Art’s collection is on display. Included are old favorites along with seldom seen treasures. Together these images bring joy during the holiday season and rekindle memories of the past.

Grant Reynard’s Studio: October 18, 2011 – January 12, 2012; Visitors step back in time when they visit MONA’s Postmaster Interactive Gallery which has been transformed into Grant Reynard’s studio. The vignette features artworks and personal items that help viewers look into the creative mind of the artist.

From Postage to Paintings: August 30, 2011 – January 8, 2012; In celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Museum of Nebraska Art building, an exhibition featuring newly acquired photographs, many by Solomon Butcher, documents the construction of the stately structure. Accompanying the photographs are original schematics and interesting facts from the 1911 era.

Nebraska Now: Chad Fonfara, Glass: October 8, 2011 – January 8, 2012; Five years ago, artist Chad Fonfara resumed working with the glass medium when he accepted a position teaching sculpture at the University of Nebraska Kearney. He returned quickly to a deep, imbedded interest in the crafting of organic structures. What has emerged are flora or fauna-esque “vessels” that appear to be growing or breathing, pod-like and teeming with life.

The Oregon Trail: Francis Parkman s Collection of Native American Cartes de Visite: September 6 – December 17, 2011; The journals of Francis Parkman, author of The Oregon Trail, show a great interest in the lifestyles of Native American tribes. He amassed a sizable collection of carte de viste images – petite 2½ x 4" photographic trading cards – of Native Americans. Collected between 1862 and 1871, they are loaned by the Massachusetts Historical Society.

Nebraska Now: Dana Fitz, Photographs: July 9 – October 2, 2011; Dana Fritz shows recent color photographs from her Terraria Gigantica: the World Under Glass series. By focusing on three enclosed man-made landscapes, the ocean in Arizona’s Biosphere 2, the desert at Nebraska’s Henry Doorly Zoo, and the tropical rain forest in England’s Eden Project, Fritz explores “our current and complex relationship with the natural world.”

Busy Fingers: Quilts: April 26 – August 28, 2011; The collection of Nebraska’s Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer includes a large number of quilts. Fourteen that are both artistic and historic have been selected for display at the Museum of Nebraska Art through the spring and summer. The quilt tradition in Nebraska is deep and developed, spanning more than a century.

Two Kinds of Home: The Life and Works of Myron Heise: May 31 – August 28, 2011; With a career spanning over 70 years, Myron Heise has explored one theme through his life’s work: a sense of place. He focuses on two locales, both places he can call home – Nebraska and New York City. A painter’s painter, Heise is sometimes refined, sometimes loose – a realist at heart who paints the world around him in all of its facets, from country to city life.

A Pow-Wow of Art: Native American Works: May 24 – August 21, 2011; The Museum of Nebraska Art features a group works from the permanent collection that were created by Native Americans. The Plains tribes have a tradition of expressing their cultures in artistic forms, and the pieces on view attest to the artistic sensitivities of these native artists.

Our People, Our Land, Our Images: June 14 – August 7, 2011; Opportunities to view indigenous peoples through the eyes of indigenous photographers are rare and recent. Featuring artists from North America, Peru, Iraq, and New Zealand, this photographic exhibition is distinctive in its historical reach by including newly discovered 19th century trailblazers, well-established contemporary practitioners, and emerging photographers.

Nebraska Now: Claudia Alvarez, Falling, Ceramic Installation: April 16, 2011 – July 3, 2011; Omaha and New York based artist Claudia Alvarez creates ceramic installations that transform space and present timely issues of human behavior. Through hand-coiled forms of children and influences of social media, Alvarez examines the interaction of adults and their relationship with “themselves and with each other.”

Junior Curator Show: Behind the Scenes: May 10 – June 26, 2011; A select group of advanced high school students works with the Museum of Nebraska Art staff to conceptualize, choose, and install an exhibition of artworks drawn from MONA’s collection. An accredited course, the experiential learning also includes developing educational resources and marketing materials.

Enrique Martinez Celaya: The Nebraska Suite: April 19 – June 5, 2011; The Nebraska Suite, 19 drawings and paintings by internationally renowned artist Enrique Martinez Celaya, was inspired by the artist’s numerous visits to the state. Appointed by University of Nebraska President J.B. Milliken as Visiting Presidential Professor, 2007-2010, the works eloquently speak of the story of the Plains – its settling and of the country’s westward expansion.

Recent Acquisitions: April 19, 2011 – June 5, 2011; Featuring 14 of the numerous artworks collected by MONA over the last three years, the works span the eras of Nebraska art starting with the 19th century and continuing to the present. Each work chosen exemplifies the diversity and quality in the collection and further documents the rich history of the state’s visual arts.

A Flock of MONA’s Cranes: January 25 – May 15, 2011; In celebration of the Sandhill cranes that visit the Platte River in spring months, MONA showcases a selection of artworks illustrating how various artists depict and are inspired by these birds.

Student Art Show: April 19 – May 15, 2011; Budding artists from Kearney and surrounding school districts in Central Nebraska are featured for five weeks in the spring when MONA is alive with the creativity of young student artists, from kindergarten to high school seniors. Each week a different selection of art is presented, showcasing the various age levels.

The Animal Kingdom: August 24, 2010 – May, 2011; Selected artwork from MONA’s permanent collection features animals and their kingdoms from all parts of the world. Special educational activities throughout the year include hands-on workshops, February’s Family Fun Day, and spring’s MONA Crane Workshops coupled with a residency by nationally known storyteller, Brian Fox Ellis.

ESPRIT: A Taste of Art: March 26 – April 16, 2011; Initiating a year-long celebration in honor of the 100th anniversary of MONA’s building, ESPRIT features 12 artists who work in hand-crafted media. On view for three weeks prior to the culminating weekend of events, the 43 works for sale include ceramic, fiber, glass, jewelry, mixed media, and wood.

Nebraska Now: Barbara Trout, Responses in Fiber to a Long Ago Day: January 8 – April 4, 2011; Barbara Trout creates both wearable art and basketry utilizing fiber in some form. With a background in theatrical costume design history, she “convinces herself that dress and appearance hold significant power as a tool of expression relative to the self, time, and place,” and as a window into the beliefs, values, and technology of a culture.

A Greater Spectrum: African American Artists of Nebraska 1912-2010: December 4, 2010 – April 3, 2011; This first comprehensive survey exhibition documents the artwork of African American artists with ties to Nebraska. Providing an opportunity for broader awareness of the historical experience of African Americans in Nebraska, the exhibition also aims to create a deeper understanding of the power of art for personal expression and interpersonal connection between people of diverse backgrounds.

Of Pen, Paper, Pencil: December 21, 2010 – March 27, 2011; From a simple sketch to a laboriously created hyper-realist work, drawing is often the most basic form of expression for an artist. Featuring works from the Museum of Nebraska Art’s collection and those by invited artists, drawings capture either a sense of immediacy or a well thought-out composition.

The Saturday Evening Post: Holiday Images: September 28, 2010 – January 10, 2011; Several of Nebraska’s 20th century artists were noted contributors to The Saturday Evening Post, including Falls City native John Falter. The Museum of Nebraska Art counts all 129 of his Post covers among its holdings. Selected from this body of work, Holiday Images evokes reminiscences about an era that celebrated the season much as today, when joy and goodwill herald the season.

Postmaster Interactive Gallery: January 16, 2010 – January 10, 2011; The purpose of the Postmaster Interactive Gallery is to engage and educate visitors about artwork at the Museum of Nebraska Art. A quarterly rotating art selection complements the resources and activities. The 2010 selections showcase artists H.H. Bagg and Olive Bagg Dye, Terrence Duren, Birger Sandzen, and Leonard Thiessen.

Nebraska Now: Reneé A. Ledesma, Human Touch: October 9, 2010 – January 2, 2011; The art of Reneé A. Ledesma utilizes Mexican folk art imagery and processes to “explore relationships between the earthly and the divine.” Comprising both two-dimensional and three-dimensional artworks that utilize clay, paper-mâché, ink, and wood, the exhibition assembles both recent and previous works.

The History of the Indian Tribes of North America: August 31 – December 5, 2010; A three volume series published in the mid 19th century, these lithographs feature portraits of prominent Native American delegates who were invited to Washington to discuss and sign treaties. With loans from Joslyn Art Museum, this exhibition brings a grouping of these prints to the Museum of Nebraska Art.

It Figures: August 10 – November 21, 2010; Throughout the history of art, the human form has served as a source of inspiration, intrigue, and sometimes scandal. This exhibition, comprised of works from the MONA collection as well as works on loan, focuses on various ways that artists have chosen to depict the human figure, through both realism and abstraction.

Nebraska’s Heritage: June 5 – November 14, 2010; Nebraska’s Heritage celebrates our relationship with the land. From beautiful prairie landscapes, to dust bowl era “dirt farms” and images of modern agri-business, Nebraska’s agricultural heritage is seen through the eyes of the most accomplished visiting and home-grown artists.

Nebraska Now: Bradley Peters, Photographs: July 10 – October 3, 2010; Calling back to the street photographers, the work of Bradley Peters gracefully and spontaneously captures “moments in time” that lead to a world of discovery and questions. Peters completed his undergraduate degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln followed by his Master of Fine Arts in Photography from Yale University. He is a Nebraska native who currently resides in Lincoln.

Music of the Meadowlark: July 3 – September 14, 2010; In 2001, the first Meadowlark Music Festival was held in Lincoln, Nebraska. Each year, a Nebraska artist is commissioned to create an artwork with the Festival as inspiration. This exhibition honors the 10-year anniversary of the Festival and brings together the commissioned works from these artists.

Face to Face: Portraits: April 27 – August 15, 2010; This exhibition focuses on the known and unknown individuals whom artists have chosen to capture in a portrait. Selected from the Museum of Nebraska’s Art’s collection, the works vary in approach from traditional to non-traditional, with some challenging our ideas of what comprises a portrait.

Sights & Sounds: August 25, 2009 – August 8, 2010; Senses collide in this year-long exhibition filled with sights and sounds that come to life in the art. The interplay of line, color, and shape provokes auditory nuances that offer viewers a new approach to experiencing the art. A lesson plan for use by classroom teachers is an added component.

“They Spoke to Me, or Did Not Speak:” Wright Morris’s Images of America: April 20 – July 26, 2010; Wright Morris, the noted Nebraska author of over 30 award-winning books, essays, and criticisms, offered that not all images were describable through the written word. His moody, singular photographic vision proves this; his black and white images elevate insentient Americana to spiritual phenomenon.

Nebraska Now: Michael Strand, Ceramics: April 17 – July 3, 2010; The ceramic pieces of Michael Strand find inspiration from such seemingly diverse sources as Japanese architecture and Norsk mythology. His works are graceful objects with a concentration on tactile surfaces and a contrast between “organic form and tightly articulated areas of color.”

A Pow-Wow of Art: 19th Century Chiefs: May 29 – June 27, 2010; In celebration of the various tribes who called Nebraska home in the 19th century, the Museum of Nebraska Art features a group of lithographic images from McKenney and Hall’s History of the Indian Tribes of North America, published between 1836 and 1844. These portraits of Chiefs who visited Washington, D.C. beginning in 1821 are often the only remaining portrayals of these tribal leaders.

Birds and Burrowers: Audubon Selections: January 19 – May 23, 2010; Traditionally we think of birds nesting in trees, but some birds choose other locales. For instance, where does a whooping crane raise its family? Exactly where can you find burrowing owls, and what kinds of mammals compete with them for valuable real estate? This exhibition features birds and mammals that live life on the “down low.”

Student Art Show: April 19 – May 16, 2010; Budding artists from Kearney and surrounding school districts in Central Nebraska are featured for five weeks in the spring when MONA is alive with the creativity of young student artists, from kindergarten to high school seniors. Each week a different selection of art is presented, showcasing the various age levels.

Spirit: A Celebration of Art in the Heartland: March 20 – April 10, 2010 (Gala Events: April 9, 10, 11, 2010); A biennial fund-raising benefit for the Museum of Nebraska Art, this eighth Spirit event features 50 Nebraska-connected artists. On view three weeks prior to the culminating weekend of festivities, the exhibition showcases a variety of media, styles, and themes by a selection of Nebraska’s gifted artists.

Selections from Celebrating Darwin’s Legacy: Evolution in the Galápagos Islands and the Great Plain: January 29 – March 21, 2010; Photographic images and handcolored drawings were created on a 2005 observational voyage to the Galapagos Islands by Dr. Paul Johnsgard and a team of three naturalists. The Museum of Nebraska Art exhibition shows selections from a larger exhibition celebrating the 2009 bicentennial of Charles Darwin’s birth and the 150th anniversary of his pinnacle publication, The Origin of Species.

Nebraska Now: Elizabeth Ingraham, Fiber: January 9 – April 11, 2010; The work of Elizabeth Ingraham combines fiber arts and the human figure. By transforming various fabrics into life-size suspended, primarily female “skins,” the artist investigates, as she states, “how expectation, desire, and convention – our own and others – form casings which shape our deepest selves and which become so familiar they seem like our own skin.”

Nebraska Travels: December 15, 2009 – March 15, 2010; From South America, Europe, and Asia to this country, artists have found inspiration in the sights, sounds, people, and places of the world. In Nebraska Travels, the drawings, photographs, paintings, and prints exhibited are directly created from such experiences.

Academia Invitational: October 3, 2009 – March 7, 2010; A hand-selected mix of sculptures, paintings, prints, ceramics, and other art forms provides a rare chance to view works together by University of Nebraska artist/educators from the Kearney, Lincoln, and Omaha campuses.

Currier & Ives: Winter Wonderland: October 27, 2009 – January 10, 2010; Referred to as the “Printmakers to the People,” the works of Currier & Ives provide a pictorial history of American life in the 19th century. On loan from ConAgra Foods, this collection of enchanting winter scenes recalls the charm of a bygone era.

Nebraska Now: Christina Narwicz: October 10, 2009 – January 3, 2010; For the first time, Omaha artist Christina Narwicz brings her large-scale oil paintings to MONA’s Yanney Skylight Gallery as part of the Nebraska Now series.

Cover to Cover: Artists Books: September 22, 2009 – January 24, 2010; Traditional and nontraditional books have always held a significant interest for artists. They are where illustrations are featured, have served as sketchbooks, and have even become solely sculptural objects in and of themselves. This exhibition brings together anything “bookish” from the MONA collection and provides conventional and unconventional ideas on what we think is or is not a book.

Some Assembly Required: 2009 – December 6, 2009

On the Hoof: Audubon Selections: July 28 – October 18, 2009; Prints from the Museum of Nebraska Art and Joslyn Art Museum feature fleet-footed hooved inhabitants of the plains. Occasional cloven-hooved visitors from the north and west are also represented along with animal specimens that provide reference for the Audubon images.

Nebraska Now: Francisco Souto, Printmaking: July 11 – October 4, 2009; Francisco Souto specializes in mezzo-tints, and has recently been mixing and experimenting with print processes that are both pushing the boundaries of printmaking and creating exceptional works of art that are a blend of representational and non-representational imagery.

MONA’s 19th Century Images of Pawnee: June 16 – July 19, 2009; In honor of the Pawnee tribe, the Museum of Nebraska Art showcases a selection of images from its permanent collection featuring depictions of Pawnee by 19th century artists.

Pushing Paint: May 23 – September 20, 2009; Featuring four artists who are true “painter’s painters,” this invitational exhibition is a glimpse at paintings by these non-representational artists and the diverse ways they utilize their medium.

Nebraska Now: Mary Zicafoose, Fiber: April 18 – July 5, 2009; Omaha fiber artist Mary Zicafoose shows her well-known and intensely colored tapestries and rugs. Originally inspired by ethnic cloths, Zicafoose creates bold weavings akin to large abstract paintings that still find their source in the patterns of fiber works found throughout the world.

Student Art Show: April 14 – May 10, 2009; Budding artists from Kearney and surrounding school districts are featured for four weeks in the spring when MONA is alive with the creativity of young student artists, kindergarten through high school seniors. Each week a different selection of art is presented, showcasing the various age levels.

From Crafts to Creation: Wood Works from MONA”s Collection: April 7 – September 6, 2009; Featuring wood objects from the Museum of Nebraska Art’s collection, diverse and distinct best describe the various sculptures, assemblages, and constructs that are tied together by their use of the wood medium.

An Intentional Novice: The On-Edge Felt Mosaics of Jean Thiessen: April 7 – September 6, 2009; The on-edge felt mosaics by Jean Thiessen are true “"gems” of the Museum of Nebraska Art collection. Exploring the traditions behind the rugs and wall hangings created by this self-taught yet intentional artist who worked at the end of the 19th century and well into the 20th, these fiber pieces are a significant legacy from this woman of the Plains.

From East to West: ANAC’s Best: March 31 – July 26, 2009; East to West: ANAC’s Best features the Museum of Nebraska Art’s Purchase Award collection in its entirety – artworks presented annually as gifts from the Association of Nebraska Art Clubs. Currently numbering 39 works, this collection reflects the over 30-year history of the relationship between MONA and ANAC.

MONA’s Crane Images: January 24 – June 7, 2009; Showcasing MONA’s magnificent menagerie of images featuring the crane – one of the world’s oldest and most majestic birds, visitors to Nebraska’s Platte River Valley not only experience an amazing live crane experience, but also the Museum’s cranes. Included are Gary Zaruba’s Carousel Crane and John James Audubon’s handcolored octavo crane prints.

No Conservative Measures: Art and Nature Collide: January 20 – April 5, 2009; No Conservative Measures: Art and Nature Collide focuses on artwork that forces us to pause and consider our relationship with nature and our impact on it. Reflecting the on-going effort to bring attention to the plight of our land through the visual arts, the exhibition shows the power that art has to bring about change.

Nebraska Now: Bonnie O’Connell, Bookmaking: January 17, – April 12, 2009; Associate Professor of Art and Art History at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, Bonnie O’Connell specializes in book arts. For her Nebraska Now exhibition, O’Connell brings her non-traditional books that incorporate printmaking and letterpress.

Postmaster Interactive Gallery: January 16, 2009 – January 10, 2010; The Postmaster Interactive Gallery is a space to engage and educate visitors about artwork at the Museum of Nebraska Art. Quarterly art selections complement the resources and activities. With Seasons as the theme, the 2009 art selections showcase a variety of artists from MONA’s permanent collection.

Nebraska Photography and Photographers: December 16, 2008 – March 15, 2009; With works drawn principally from the permanent collection, this exhibition focuses on the photographs and photographers connected to Nebraska that were created throughout the last 100+ years.

William Henry Jackson: Vistas de Mexico: December 9 – March 22, 2009; William Henry Jackson is renowned for his photographs of our nation’s natural treasures, undertaken for the United States Geological Survey. These photographs as well as his lesser-known paintings and illustrations portraying the history of the old west are on view in this comprehensive exhibition.

Voices of American Farm Women: October 21 – November 30, 2008; A group of photographs by Cynthia Vagnetti presents a contemporary perspective on females in agriculture, documenting women from across the country whose farming techniques promote environmental responsibility, economic stability, and community well-being.

Nebraska Now: Marlene Mueller, Drawings: October 18, 2008 – January 4, 2009; Fire is the impetus for this new body of work by Wayne State College Professor of Art Marlene Mueller. As a volunteer for the Wayne Fire Department, Mueller has been investigating minute detail within fire and the sense of order that it holds even in the midst of its destructive nature. The black and white drawings are realist in approach yet, through their careful dissection of form, they can, in part, carry a sense of abstraction by the artist's use of line, composition, and value.

Postmaster Interactive Gallery: October 14, 2008; The purpose of the Postmaster Interactive Gallery is to engage and educate visitors about artwork at the Museum of Nebraska Art by offering a variety of resources and activities that appeal to all ages. Included is a rotating selection of artwork, changed quarterly, along with activities to help the public enjoy their time at MONA.

Rattling Home for Christmas: October 7, 2008 – January 11, 2009; In celebration of the Sandhill cranes that visit the Platte River in spring months, MONA showcases a selection of artworks showing how various artists depict and are inspired by these birds.

Across the Lands and to Nebraska: The Photographs of Andrew Moore: September 13, 2008 – January 4, 2009; New York-based artist Andrew Moore creates beautifully composed and quietly discriminating large-format color photographs of places and people throughout the world. Included with images from Bosnia-Herzegovina, China, Cuba, Russia, Sweden and Vietnam is his series on the Great Plains and particularly the sandhills of Nebraska.

Traces of Our Past: Artifacts by the First Nebraskans: August 26 – December 7, 2008; Generously on loan from a private collection, Traces of Our Past: Artifacts by the First Nebraskans focuses on Plains Indian objects of the 19th and early 20th centuries. While utilitarian in nature, the works are examples of cultures that valued craftsmanship and aesthetics as evident in apparel and necklaces, knives and sheaths, parfleche and other bags, drums and dolls, pipes and saddles.

Stories Behind the Art: August 26, 2008 – August 9, 2009; This year-long exhibition features artwork from the Museum of Nebraska Art's collection selected to emphasize a narrative theme. Images from 19th century artists through artists of today allow visitors to engage with the art, and serve as inspiration to develop personal stories, proving that a picture is truly worth Òa thousand words.Ó A lesson plan for use by classroom teachers has been developed, and is available online.

Edutivities: August 18, 2008 – August 16, 2009; Edutivities, located in the Museum's lower level corridor, is a space dedicated to a variety of educational visual activities designed to aid visitors in learning about art.

Nebraska Now: Susan Knight, Cut Paper: July 26 – October 12, 2008; Trained as a painter, Omaha artist Susan Knight has shifted to paper-cutting to create small- and large-scale works. For her first solo exhibition at the Museum of Nebraska Art, Knight utilizes cut paper to explore water - its geography, patterns, and effects on the environment and the environment's effects upon it.

A Treasury of Murals: Nebraska’s Post Office Legacy: June 17 – October 12, 2008; Between 1938 and 1942, twelve new post offices in small Nebraska communities were the sites of interior murals. The artists and their mural designs were chosen through competitions, making this Department of Treasury program unique among other government art programs of the era that provided work-based relief. This exhibition provides a historical look at the selection process of, the public's reactions to, and the general history behind Nebraska's post office murals.

19th Century Works from MONA’s Collection: June 3 – August 17, 2008; The Museum of Nebraska Art has embarked on an art acquisition campaign to add several significant artworks to its 19th century collection - a period in which artists of the day ventured to the western territories to record what they found. Works MONA hopes to acquire include those by artists William H. Beard, Albert Bierstadt, Alfred Jacob Miller, Henrich Balduin Mšllhausen, and Jules Tavernier.

RSVP/MONA: Contemporary Art Invitational: May 17 – August 31, 2008; This third version of RSVP/MONA features current work by artists who have called Nebraska home but who are presently living and working elsewhere. The exhibition features artwork in all media, styles, subjects, and formats.

The Eyes Have It: April 25 – October 5, 2008; A small group of portraits, selected by visitors to MONA in early 2008, form the inspiration for short written comments contributed by various individuals about the artworks. With several commentaries about each piece, visitors learn how differently we all view an artwork. Comment books are also available so guests may share their thoughts.

Nebraska Now: Lisa Bang Hoffman, Photographs: April 19 – July 20, 2008; Lincoln artist Lisa Bang Hoffman creates universally appealing photographs of her children. With soft, intimate, and sometimes close-up images of her daughters and son, viewers are reintroduced to the quiet, loud, wondrous, and fleeting moments that occur in the seemingly mundane.

Recent Acquisitions: April 15 – June 8, 2008; MONA acquires nearly 100 artworks each year, most of which are given by generous donors. A selection of artworks acquired in the last several years showcases a variety of artists, media, and styles.

Student Art Show: April 8 – May 4, 2008; Budding artists from Kearney and surrounding school districts are featured for four weeks in the spring when MONA is alive with the creativity of young student artists, kindergarten through high school seniors. Each week a different selection of art is presented representing the various age levels.

19th Century Images of Nebraska: April 8 – August 17, 2008; Teliza V. Rodriguez, Curator; Focusing on the artists who found their way in and through Nebraska in the 1800s, this exhibition honors Gary Zaruba and Larry Peterson, collectors of Nebraska historical prints and experts on the artists and their work depicting Nebraska from the 1800s to the early 1900s.

Spirit: A Celebration of Art in the Heartland: March 15 – April 5, 2008; A biennial fund-raising benefit for the Museum of Nebraska Art, this seventh Spirit event features 72 Nebraska-connected artists. On view three weeks prior to the culminating weekend of festivities, the exhibition showcases a variety of media, styles, and themes by a selection of Nebraska's talented artists.

Birgit Freybe Bateman: Demoiselle Cranes at Keechan: March 11 – 16, 2008; In images photographed in northern Rajasthan, India, Birgit Freybe Bateman captures the quintessence of the demoiselle - the world's smallest crane in stature, and the second most populous species. The demoiselle cranes breed on the grasslands of central Asia, migrating to northeast Africa and India for the winter.

Audubon Selections: Canids from the Wilds of Nebraska: January 15 – September 28, 2008; Featuring a selection of John James Audubon's lithographic prints, viewers see these famous mammal images through the eyes of this famous 19th-century naturalist-artist.

Joel Sartore Photographs: On the Land: January 15 – March 9, 2008; On the Land features photographs by National Geographic contributing photographer Joel Sartore and commentary by Lincoln author Dan Semrad. The exhibition's theme deals with our relationship with the earth, using four different regions of the world in various stages of conservation development.

Nebraska Now: Leslie Iwai, Installation: January 12 – April 13, 2008; As an installation artist, Leslie Iwai approaches her exhibition spaces in a purposeful manner that is acutely sensitive and responsive to the emotional and spiritual pulse of a society. Based on the fairy tale “Jack and the Beanstalk,” Fee! Fie! Foe! Fum! is the title of Iwai's installation at MONA.

20th Century Nebraska Printmakers: January 8 – March 12, 2008; A collection of etchings, lithographs, woodcuts, and other print forms selected from the Museum of Nebraska Art collection is exhibited alongside several borrowed works to highlight a century of printmaking in Nebraska.

Museum of Nebraska Art: discover the story behind the art of Nebraska

Past Exhibitions

Listing begins with the most recent completed exhibitions and continues through exhibitions in 2008.