The Great Plains Art Museum is open late on Dec. 6, 5-7 p.m. Visit the museum for three exhibitions, light refreshments, and an all-ages Great Plains ornament making activity.

Exhibitions:

“Contemporary Indigeneity 2024”
This exhibition features over 25 Native American artists from across the Great Plains. For the fifth iteration of “Contemporary Indigeneity,” the Great Plains Art Museum sought Native American artists addressing any issues and themes relevant to the contemporary Indigenous experience on the Great Plains. A panel of Native American art professionals reviewed the submitted work and made selections based on the artwork’s aesthetic merit and contribution to the field of contemporary art.

“Dear Great Plains” is a postcard-writing campaign created by Great Plains Student Storyteller in Residence Karla Hernandez Torrijos. The project hopes to tell a different story of the Great Plains: more complex, more diverse, and more nuanced. Karla asked letter writers to consider their bond with the Great Plains and spent time collecting them from various communities and online. Visit the Mezzanine gallery to read these postcards and add yours to the exhibition.

“Confronting the Legendary West”
This exhibition continues the themes of the Center for Great Plains Studies’ 49th annual conference, “Confronting the Legendary Great Plains,” by focusing on the complex mythology of the American West. “Confronting the Legendary West” includes works from the Great Plains Art Museum’s extensive collection of western art and considers the perspectives that have—and have not—been included in the art that tells the stories of this region.