Fine Arts Exchange

The 402 Arts Collective is a vibrant network of trained musicians, visual artists, actors, performers, writers, and other creatives who are committed to impacting the culture and serving the Omaha, Nebraska community. We cultivate a vibrant community of artists dedicated to enriching the lives of students, partners, and collaborators.

Experience the 402 Arts Collective: Helping Artists Find Their Voice!

For more information contact:
Ben Shafer, Executive Director
Steve Hydeen, Education Director

402 Arts Collective
16909 Lakeside Hills Plaza, Suite 119
Omaha, NE 68130

African Culture Connection (ACC) empowers people of all ages everywhere with the knowledge and understanding to deepen connection with Africa’s rich cultural legacy and the global community.

Be sure to check out the vibrant student performances, along with the dance and drumming workshops!

For more information contact:
Charles Ahovissi, Executive/Artistic Director
Lulu-A-Ferdous, Administrator and Assistant Executive Director

African Culture Connection
8031 W. Center Road, Suite 207
Omaha, NE 68124

The Bess Streeter Aldrich Foundation honors Nebraska Hall of Fame author Bess Streeter Aldrich by promoting her works, hosting events/field trips, and providing a wide variety of free teacher resources to help students of all ages be better readers, writers, and patrons of the arts.

The Aldrich Foundation is pleased to provide free resources for teachers. New this fall is three to five day curriculum related to Mrs. Aldrich’s short stories. Teachers who use it can host a Character Actress to their school for free! Other resources include field trips, A Lantern in Her Hand curriculum, traveling trunks, summer camps, an educational mural, and a number of other engaging resources. Check out the website for full details.

For more information, contact:
Kurk Shrader, Director

Bess Streeter Aldrich Foundation
204 East F Street
Elmwood, NE 68349

BLIXT ARTS LAB is a nonprofit organization that produces new works for the theatre, inspired by true Nebraska stories. BLIXT ARTS LAB also runs an education incubator, mentoring university students to lead creative after-school clubs. Check out the website to get involved!

For more information contact:
Corben Jacobe, Executive Director
Shelby Bauer, Director of Community Impact

BLIXT Arts Lab
2626 N 48th Street
Lincoln, NE 68504

Bluebird Cultural Initiative is a youth development organization focused on revitalization of Native American arts and culture of the Plains Tribes. There are workshops, lectures, camps, and school visits.

Be sure to look for founder and cultural specialist, Steve Tamayo, on the Nebraska Arts Council’s Artists in Schools and Communities roster for partial funding of week-long residencies at your school!

For more information, contact:
Steve Tamayo, Culture Bearer
Nicole Benegas, Executive Director

Bluebird Cultural Initiative
3260 N. Davenport Street
Omaha, NE  68103

Blue Cat offers a variety of opportunities and experiences for students of all ages through drop-in workshops, classes, and private events. Blue Cat also features two-month exhibits by local, regional, and national artists.

Be sure to check out the website for details on exhibits and educational opportunities!

For more information, contact:
Carolyn Albracht, Owner/Director

Blue Cat Gallery and Studio
114 W 3rd Street
Wayne, NE 68787

The Calibraska Arts Initiative uses the arts to build community, culture, and inclusive educational exchanges between Nebraskans and California/Los Angeles-based professionals and students in the creative industries. Calibraska focuses on reaching rural and/or disadvantaged communities where access to technology, cultural institutions, professional mentorship, and resources to the creative industries is limited. Be sure to look for Calibraska’s summer programming that includes virtual workshops with Nickelodeon Animation!

For more information, contact:
Erica Larsen-Dockray, Founding Director and Teaching Artist

Calibraska Arts Initiative
3701 South 35th Street
Lincoln, NE 68506

Carnegie Arts Center serves the community with arts education, public art, and art exhibitions. Experience exhibition and arts education opportunities for youth and adults at the Carnegie Arts Center.

For more information contact:
Kyren Gibson, Executive Director

Carnegie Arts Center, Inc.
204 W 4th Street
Alliance, NE 69301

Crane River Theater believes lifting up the arts will create richer and more vibrant communities. Crane River Theater serves the community of Kearney and surrounding areas as a professional theater production company providing a home for the presentation, education, and promotion of the arts. Experience a variety of arts education programs for youth of all ages!

For more information contact:
Corey Urbanek, Managing Director

Crane River Theater
PO Box 2141
Kearney, NE 68848

El Museo Latino is the only Latino art and history museum within a 500-mile radius from Omaha. Open year-round, the museum features exhibitions, educational programs, and special events highlighting Latino culture. Experience culture and tradition through the visual and performing arts at El Museo Latino!

For more information, contact:
Silvia Wells, Director of Education

El Museo Latino
4701 South 25th Street
Omaha, NE 68107

The Eloise Kruger Gallery of Miniatures offers a unique opportunity to connect art, history, and design with classroom learning. Students can explore craftsmanship, architecture, and cultural traditions—while also thinking about storytelling, creativity, and how big ideas can be expressed in the smallest details.

For more information, contact:
Linda Kohlstaedt, Collection Specialist
Dr. Sophia Perdikaris, Director Eloise Kruger Gallery of Miniatures and School of Global Integrative Studies

The Eloise Kruger Gallery of Miniatures
School of Global Integrative Studies
660 N 12th St, OLDH 831
Lincoln, NE 68588

“School to Screen” is Film Streams’ free program inviting middle and high school classes to integrate film into their learning. Educators and their classes visit a Film Streams theater to attend a screening, enjoy a free lunch, and engage in a critical discussion about film as an art form.

Discover film screenings that to integrate into your curriculum at Film Streams!

For more information, contact:
Paul Sanchez, Education Manager

Film Streams
1340 Mike Fahey Street
Omaha, NE 68102

The Fremont Area Art Association promotes a culture of art and education in our community and beyond with monthly exhibits, art classes, and art experiences for the community. Each year the Fremont Art Association features Sheldon Statewide, a traveling from the Sheldon Museum of Art in Lincoln, Nebraska. Be sure to come and visit all of the exhibits, including the children’s exhibit and monthly exhibits of quality visual art, at the Gallery 92 West in Fremont.

For more information, contact:
Lindi Janulewicz, Executive Director

Fremont Area Art Association
92 W. 6th Street
Fremont, NE 68025

Good Vibrations and Omaha Chamber Music Society breathes life into instruments and kids by refurbishing donated musical instruments and providing them to students in need so they can experience the joy of learning and making music. Visit Good Vibrations’ and Omaha Chamber Music Society’s websites and discover the various outreach and programs that are offered.

For more information, contact:
Judy Divis, Good Vibrations Founding Director

Omaha Chamber Music Society – Good Vibrations
7914 West Dodge Road #364
Omaha, NE 68114

The Great Plains Art Museum, an extension of the Center for Great Plains Studies at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, collects, preserves, exhibits, and interprets art and literature that cultivate awareness and engagement of the people, cultures, and natural environments of the Great Plains. Visit the Great Plains Art Museum for featured rotating exhibits. The museum is also open late on First Fridays.

For more information, contact:
Dominique Ellis, Education and Outreach Associate

Great Plains Art Museum
1155 Q Street
Lincoln, NE 68508

See what makes Hot Shops one-of a kind! Hot Shops offers educational programing and experiences, thought guided tours, live art demonstrations, hands on art experiences, and opportunities to see artists working in real time. Hot Shops is the place where you can see the tools, ideas on sketch pads, scale models, mistakes, and do-overs that make art come to life. At Hot Shops ideas, dreams and what-ifs are explored, created and shared.

For more information, contact:
Josephine Langbehn, Education and Program Manager

Hot Shops Art Center
1301 Nicholas Street
Omaha, NE 68102

The Institute for Holocaust Education (IHE) invites middle school art teachers and students to participate in “Art and the Holocaust,” an annual educational and creative initiative. This powerful project begins with a lesson provided by IHE and is designed to deepen students’ understanding of individual experiences during this tragic period in history.

Following the lesson, students engage in meaningful art projects such as literature inspired murals, artifact collages, or charcoal portraits of Holocaust victims or others with shared experiences. Students also write reflections exploring the personal impact of their work. Participating teachers receive curriculum resources and a $2 stipend per student to support project implementation and art supplies.

Visit the Eisenberg Art Gallery at the Jewish Community Center in Omaha to view the student exhibit on display throughout April!

For more information, contact:
Jane Nesbit, Education Director

Institute for Holocaust Education
333 South 132nd Street
Omaha, NE 68154

Building a global collection and audience that celebrates the cultural and significance of quilts is the mission of the International Quilt Museum (ICM). With a variety of programs, come create with ICM.

Experience sewing classes for children and adults. Check out the upcoming sewing class for a child plus adult Holiday Table Runners or join ICM for an open-sew, come and go class–perfect for the sewing beginner

For more information, contact:
Lindy Clausen, Education Coordinator

International Quilt Museum
1523 N. 33rd Street
Lincoln, NE 68503

The Iron Horse Arts District creates a vibrant and attractive destination for residents and visitors and celebrates the entrepreneurial spirit and artistic roots of the Holdrege community. Be sure to check out the monthly Pop-Up Art Galleries featuring local and regional artists.

For more information, contact:
Cassie Ehrenberg, Executive Director

Iron Horse Arts District
504 4th Avenue
Holdrege, NE 68949

The Joslyn—5,000 years of human creativity in art across three buildings. With so much to see and do, visit The Joslyn, where there’s free general admission to all, always.

For more information, contact:
Laura Huntimer, Head of School & Teacher Programs
Sarah Carter, School Programs Assistant

Joslyn Art Museum
2200 Dodge Street
Omaha, NE 68102

The Lied Center for Performing Arts educates, inspires, and entertains the people of Nebraska through the performing arts. Discover the many programs and opportunities available for educators and students.

For more information, contact:
Jane Schiermeyer Hansen, Education and Community Engagement Director
Sasha Dobson, Education Outreach Manager

Lied Center for Performing Arts
301 N 12th Street
Lincoln, NE 68588

Lincoln’s Symphony Orchestra presents inspiring experiences that welcome all members of our community to discover and cultivate a profound, personal connection with live orchestral music. Don’t miss the Young People’s Concerts! They are a great way to connect students with music!

For more information contact:
Hannah Bell, Community Partnerships Manager

Lincoln’s Symphony Orchestra
233 South 13th Street, Suite 1702
Lincoln, NE 68508

The Little Red Hen Theatre, located in northeast Nebraska, serves audiences of all ages through theatrical productions, educational offerings, and other arts-based activities. Be sure to check out the fall 2025 and spring 2026 student shows!

For more information contact:
T. Adam Goos, Managing Director

The Little Red Hen Theatre
PO Box 256, 316 Main Street
Wakefield, NE 68784

The Merryman Performing Arts Center in Kearney presents the Scott D. & Rochelle Morris Matinees to 5,500 Kearney area students each year. The free Morris Matinees present arts and culture experiences of theater, music, and dance for a broad educational experience. Explore the student matinees available to area students at the Merryman Performing Arts Center in Kearney.

For more information, contact:
Dakota Empfield, Box Office Manager

Merryman Performing Arts Center
225 West 22nd Street
Kearney, NE 68845

The Museum of Nebraska Art (MONA) is dedicated to providing quality educational programming to students and educators throughout the state. MONA believes every student deserves opportunities to explore and experience art within a museum setting. With a permanent collection of over 5,000 works, MONA engages students and teachers in immersive programming that enhances their art education.

Throughout the year, MONA offers three types of school visits. Check out the self-guided or guided tours, as well as the learning workshops that include hands-on artmaking in MONA Community Studio.

For more information, contact:
Becky Puls, Learning and Engagement 

Museum of Nebraska Art
2401 Central Avenue
Kearney, NE 68847

Created in 1955, the Willa Cather Foundation is a not-for-profit organization that owns and operates the National Willa Cather Center. It is the nation’s largest collection of nationally designated historic sites dedicated to an American author. Check the events page for the latest information on opera house shows and art gallery exhibits!

For more information, contact:
Rachel Olsen, Director of Education and Engagement

The National Willa Cather Center
413 N. Webster
Red Cloud, NE 68970

The Nebraska Art Teachers Association is a community of art education professionals who support the growth and development of art education in Nebraska. Be sure to check out our conference and youth art month pages for big updates!

For more information, contact:
Samantha Ashcraft, President

Nebraska Art Teachers Association
1109 Howard Street #308
Omaha, NE 68102

The Nebraska Arts Council (NAC) aspires to positively impact the lives of Nebraskans through the power of art. NAC provides programming, grants, and opportunities to foster creative innovation statewide. Discover the grants and programs that the Nebraska Arts Council has to cultivate and sustain the arts for the people of Nebraska.

For more information, contact:
Anne Alston, Arts Education Program Specialist
Joshua Brown, Program Coordinator

Nebraska Arts Council
1004 Farnam Street, Lower Level
Omaha, NE 68102

Nebraska Cultural Endowment is the first and only cultural endowment in the nation to sustain both arts and humanities through privately-supported and publicly-matched resources. It is made possible by the Nebraska Legislature. The Endowment earnings support the annual budgets of the Nebraska Arts Council and Humanities Nebraska. Explore the Humanities Nebraska and Nebraska Arts Council websites to see many ways endowment funds impact Nebraska.

For more information, contact:
Maggie Smith, Executive Director

Nebraska Cultural Endowment
1004 Farnam Street, Lower Level
Omaha, NE 68102

The Nebraska Department of Education (NDE) leads and supports the preparation of all Nebraskans for learning, earning, and living. The NDE serves as a champion, regulator, capacity builder, connector, and change agent for education across Nebraska. Discover the resources for teachers and teaching artists from NDE Arts Education.

For more information, contact:
Cody Talarico, Arts Education Specialist

Nebraska Department of Education
PO Box 94987
Lincoln, NE 68509-4987

For more information, contact:
Debbie Martinez, President
Angela Wright, President-Elect
Cheyenne Grannan, Executive Director

Nebraska Music Educators Association
PO Box 576
Boystown, NE 68010

View Nebraska Public Media’s video.

For more information, contact:
Jessica Mitchell-McCollough, Senior Director of Education
Matt Heusman, K-12 Education Specialist

Nebraska Public Media
1800 N. 33rd Street
Lincoln, NE 68503

For more information, contact:
Mike Koch, President
Ashley Leader, Membership Chair

Nebraska State Bandmasters Association
PO Box 760
Elkhorn, NE 68022

For more information, contact:
Brooke Phillips, Co-Chapter Director
Emily Mokrycki, Co-Chapter Director

Nebraska Thespians
PO Box 24341
Omaha, NE 68124

For more information, contact:
Dr. Lance Nielsen, NFTA Executive Director
Danielle Laurion, Vice President and Chair, NFTA Arts Education Committee

Nebraskans for the Arts
PO Box 8517
Omaha, NE 68108

For more information, contact:
Madison Roman, Director of Education
RJ Noriega, Education Coordinator

Omaha Community Playhouse
6915 Cass Street
Omaha, NE 68132

For more information, contact:
Taylor Wyatt, Senior Education Manager
Bill Grennan, Senior Education & Engagement Manager

Omaha Performing Arts
1200 Douglas Street
Omaha, NE 68102

For more information, contact:
Liz Kendall Weisser, Director of Education and Community Engagement

Omaha Symphony
1905 Harney Street, Suite #400
Omaha, NE 68102

For more information, contact:
Lauren Medici, Director of Partnerships and Programs

Opera Omaha
1850 Farnam Street
Omaha, NE 68102

For more information, contact:
Carmen Brennan, PSKOR President

Plains States Kodaly Organization
Omaha, NE 68127

For more information, contact:
Kati Larson, Director of Education

Samuel Bak Museum: The Learning Center
2289 S. 67th Street
Omaha, NE 68106

For more information, contact:
Matt Boyd, Manager of Community Learning and Engagement

Sheldon Museum of Art
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
12th and R Street
Lincoln, NE 68588

For more information, contact:
Stephanie Coley, Program Manager

West Nebraska Arts Center
106 East 18th Street
Scottsbluff, NE 69361

For more information, contact:
Mary Gibilisco, Executive Director

WhyArts, Inc.
6001 Dodge Street, UNO CEC 126E
Omaha, NE 68182