Congratulations the following awardees of the State’s Arts Awards, given out by the Nebraska Arts Council:
Access to Arts
- WhyArts, Inc., Omaha
- Ruth Davidson Hahn, Lincoln
Excellence in Arts Education
- Cody Talarico, Bellevue
- Lorinda Rice, Lincoln
Leadership in the Arts
- Gretchen Peters, Gering
- Audrey Kauders, Kearney
Heritage Award
- Whiteclay Makerspace, Lincoln
- Bluebird Cultural Initiative, David City
Organizational Achievement
- International Quilt Museum, Lincoln
- Bone Creek Museum of Agrarian Art, David City
Outstanding Artist
- Daniel Martinez, Lincoln
- Sarah Rowe, Omaha
Thomas C. Woods III Partner in the Arts
- Mid-America Arts Alliance, Kansas City, MO
The Leonard Thiessen Award
- Rich Vierk, Lincoln
The biennial awards program is Nebraska’s premier event in recognizing individuals and organizations that shape our state’s artistic landscape. The impact of the arts, and these honorees, is felt in the classroom, the economy, and the community.
Film Streams’ Feature event is coming back for the first time since 2019, and they are thrilled to announce that Academy Award-winning filmmaker Spike Lee, cultural icon and a defining figure in American cinema for over three decades, will be the special guest for Feature 9, the latest fundraising event in support of our nonprofit’s mission and programs.
Mark your calendars, Feature returns on Sunday, November 16 at the Holland Performing Arts Center.
The Omaha Community Playhouse has announced the opening of The River Bride, a hauntingly beautiful love story steeped in Brazilian folklore, opening August 15 and running through September 14, 2025 in the Howard Drew Theatre. Performances are Thursdays – Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m.
Written by Marisela Treviño Orta and directed by Alex Rodriguez, The River Bride blends myth, romance, and mystery in a poetic tale set along the Amazon River. The play follows two sisters in a Brazilian fishing village whose lives are forever changed when a mysterious stranger is pulled from the river—setting off a chain of events that challenge love, loyalty, and destiny.
The Durham Museum has announced a new coffee table book, entitled Ak-Sar-Ben: Looking Back & Leading Onward, which captures more than a century of Ak-Sar-Ben’s influence on Nebraska through parades, pageantry, philanthropy and progress. Produced in partnership with the Aksarben Foundation and the museum’s On Track Guild, the book is a visual and narrative journey featuring hundreds of rarely seen photographs and newly uncovered stories, all made possible by The Durham’s commitment to preserving Nebraska’s rich cultural heritage.
Omaha Performing Arts has added two new events to the performance calendar:
Creole + Cocktails, a special dining event, will be offered in Zinc at the Holland Center on Friday, Aug. 15 at 6 p.m. Tickets are $85 per person and are on sale now through opentable.com.
Tyler Hubbard comes to Steelhouse Omaha on Saturday, Sept. 13 at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $52.30 and go on sale Friday, Aug. 1, at 10 a.m. through steelhouseomaha.com.