April 2025
We have compiled a list of First Friday participants to allow you to experience the art of downtown! Please remember to follow each individual gallery's in-person policies & be sure to use #LNKFF when you post pictures to share your night!
101 N 14TH ST. | 6 PM
First Friday Makers Market
We will be joined by local artists of all kinds. Come check out this wonderful spring market and support local art.
Free event. All ages welcome.
118 N 14TH ST. | 5:30 PM - 7 PM
Write Your Reps! ⭐ Contact elected officials about what matters to you!
On April 4th, from 5:30 to 7:30pm, we're teaming up with the Lincoln-Lancaster County League of Women Voters to encourage civic engagement!
We’ll have tables outside with information on a variety of issues, along with postcards, notecards, pens, clipboards – and addresses for your Congressional Representatives.
Learn about local government and how YOU can help shape policies that affect our local community!
Burkholder Art Studio & Galleries
719 P ST. | 5 PM - 8 PM
Show runs April 4th-26th
Join us for our newest shows, including John Nollendorfs and Pam King in the Main Gallery. In the Outback Gallery we will have Jeanne Baer, with Cortney Elznic in the Skylight Gallery. We have guest artist Cyd Gottlieb in the Special Exhibit Space.
119 S. 9TH ST. | 5 PM - 8:30 PM
Five Clements Noyes members and seven guest artists will show new work in a wide range of media and styles. A live stream of the opening and brief artist talks will broadcast on Clements Noyes Gallery Facebook page at 7 p.m.
The exhibit is curated by Clements Noyes artist Lou Sylvan whose unique paintings often break the traditional rectangular frame. Sylvan also focuses on single subjects such as eyes and cats, developing moody depictions exploring different color themes. The other artists featured in this show are: Curtis Adams (sculpture), Livi Ahlrichs (painting), Anna Alaine (cards, stickers & prints), Abby Carey (stained glass), Erin Darby (collage & prints), Jayme Dawn (mixed media), ), Cody Grape (sculpture), Maddy Kivett (painting), Mya Miller (pottery), Cherie Miner (needlework & mixed media), and Kit Shields (painting & crafts).
Enjoy the art at the April First Friday event at 119 S. 9th St. While there, sign up for one of the gallery’s upcoming workshops, First up is Kids Art (a class for children) with artist Dawn Worthington on Sat., April 12, 10-11:30 a.m. The $30 fee includes all supplies. Next is Color Excitement with artist Julia Noyes on Sat., April 26, 10 a.m.-12 noon or 1-3 p.m. The $45 fee includes all supplies. Please call Clements Noyes Art Gallery at 402-475-1061 to pre-pay and reserve your spot for these workshops.
2055 O ST. | 6 PM - 8 PM
Exhibition February 7 - April 25
February First Friday, Equilibrium: The Influence of Caretaking on Printmaking Practices
Artists:
Blake Sanders, Cape Girardeau, Missouri
Hannah March Sanders, Cape Girardeau, Missouri
Kristen Martincic, Columbia, Missouri
Laura Berman, Kansas City, Missouri
Liz Ferrill, Snowmass Village, Colorado
Taryn McMahon, Kent, Ohio
Serhat Tanyolacar, Tampa, Florida
Susan Martin, Raleigh, North Carolina
Caretaking often brings about a profound shift in perspective. Artists who become parents or caretakers may find themselves noticing different aspects of life, experiencing emotions more deeply, and seeing the world through the eyes of their children. This shift can deeply enrich an artist's practice, offering new perspectives, themes, and sources of inspiration, while also shaping their approach to time management, adaptability, and community engagement.
This gathering of works by artists that are in this dual role brings interesting works and perspectives in a variety of print media, and innovations, related to how artmaking is accomplished alongside caregiving.
We all can equally identify to the juggle and joys of responsibility, closeness, commitment as expressed by these artists through their work and life stories.
Exhibition curated by Anne Burton and Melanie Finlayson, where discussions during an artist residency of their similar situations sparked these issues and the value of time.
140 N. 8TH ST. | 7 PM - 9 PM
Artist Liz Costello & music with The Brad Colerick Band
Liz Costello is a Lincoln-based music photographer drawn to the chaos and beauty of live performances. Her work explores the interplay of light, movement, and emotion, capturing fleeting moments that feel both raw and surreal. Through abstract lighting effects and atmospheric post-processing, she transforms concerts into immersive, dreamlike experiences.
1100 E O ST. | 5 PM - 9 PM
More details to come.
STADIUM DR. & T ST. | 5 PM - 7 PM
More details to come.
The Eloise Kruger Gallery of Miniatures
RM 831 of Oldfather Hall on UNL City Campus | 3 PM - 6 PM
The Eloise Kruger Collection of Miniature Furnishings and Decorative Arts comprises about 20,000 pieces of 1:12 scale furniture and accessories of historically accurate American, English, French, and Asian designs make up this collection, and about 2,500 pieces are on display. The handmade miniatures were collected and commissioned by Eloise Kruger and made by renowned model artists.
Join us on Friday, April 4th for Downtown Lincoln's First Friday Art Walk! Our featured artist this month is Kinzee Hillis.
Artist’s Bio
I have lived in Lincoln, Nebraska my whole life but I love to travel and see new things. I graduated from Nebraska Wesleyan University in 2020 with a major in studio art. I have focused on using acrylic paint as my medium while emphasizing texture/color. After graduating, I completed an internship at the Bemis Center for art. I continue to volunteer at The LUX Center for the arts and show my work in local stores, antique businesses, and other spaces around the Lincoln area. If I am not working on art I work for Oak Creek Plants and Flowers. My job title is Plant Maintenance which means I water, replace, and clean plants. The more I learn about plants the more they have become a part of my life and art.
Artist Statement
My artwork is whimsical and bold but has a depth that rewards close looking. Sometimes it is overwhelming to think about what is going to happen next when we do not have a lot of answers to our questions. Different emotions and anxiety can overwhelm our lives. I make the art I do to create a glimpse of joy. It is important to me that people have something to turn to and get lost in. Something that is not telling them about a diagnosis or receiving bad news. Letting a person just be able to reflect and meditate. Something that is not asking us to do anything but look, and let our mind wander.
Artist information obtained from: kinzeehillisart.weebly.com
124 S. 9TH ST. | 5 PM - 8:30 PM
Join us April 2-27 for DYSTOPIAN ONSLAUGHT, an outstanding new solo show by sculptor and mixed media artist Brook Taylor! Opening reception Friday, April 4 (5-8:30pm).
1300 P Street | 5 PM - 9 PM
More details to come.
1155 Q ST. | 5 PM - 7 PM
The Great Plains Art Museum is open late on First Friday, April 4, 5-7 p.m., for the opening reception of “Watershed" from 2025 Elizabeth Rubendall Artist-in-Residence Amanda Maciuba. The event will feature light refreshments and an all-ages watercolor activity in the lower-level education studio.
Maciuba’s work is an exploration of the visible and invisible marks of human hands on the landscape. Her practice investigates human relationships with the environment over time, forefronting the impacts of human-driven climate change. She exposes and reconsiders the layered histories of specific locations: from the geologic forces that shaped the land, to impacts of Western colonialism, to the current practices of development, destruction, and restoration by the local communities she interacts with every day. Bodies of water often act as anchors for Maciuba’s creative investigation. "Watershed" is an exhibition of prints, artist’s books, and installations that consider how water shapes human life and how our actions impact river environments in return.
Maciuba is the Great Plains Art Museum’s 2025 Elizabeth Rubendall Artist in Residence. Visit the artist during her residency at the museum from April 8 to 19.
Also on view:
"The Journey: Documented Items/Undocumented Souls"
In collaboration with the Nebraska Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired and Tactile Images, a subsidiary of 3DPhotoWorks LLC, "The Journey" presents a photographic essay chronicling the immigrant journey from Latin America to the United States through a deeply moving and impactful series of images by Getty Images Senior Special Correspondent John Moore. Moore captures the story through items that have been lost or discarded—and later documented—along the way. He also talks about his experiences and these photographs as part of the audio included in the tactile displays.
"Dear Great Plains"
This postcard-writing campaign created by Great Plains Student Storyteller in Residence Karla Hernandez Torrijos 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.
The Great Plains Art Museum, 1155 Q St., is open to the public 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Admission is free.
1208 O ST. | 7 PM
We’re excited for April First Friday, happening this Friday, April 4th, from 5-8 PM! Stop by to view new arrivals, highlights from our upcoming auction, and three floors of gallery space—plus, enjoy a cash bar. We hope to see you!
Lincoln Marriott Cornhusker Hotel
333 S. 13th St. | 6 PM - 9 PM
More details to come.
800 Q ST. | 5 PM - 7 PM
More details to come.
701 P St SUITE 102 | 5 PM - 8 PM
More details to come.
More details to come.
131 CENTENNIAL MALL N | 5 PM - 7 PM
More details to come.
More details to come.
325 S 11th St. | 7 PM - 9 PM
Mark your calendars for First Friday with @bfraaank 🩵
1410 O St. | 5 PM - 7 PM
4:30pm meet up at Barrymore’s (124 N 13th St, Lincoln, NE 68508)
5pm-7pm Explore First Friday at Parrish Studios
Join us for an insiders guide to the Parrish Studios. We will meet up at 4:30pm for a beverage at Barrymore’s (in the alley behind the Rococo Theatre across from Union Bank Place). We will have nationally renowned local artist Nolan Tredway talk about Tugboat Gallery and a little background on the Parrish Studios. We will also talk about the upcoming Downtown Music District and the upcoming improvements on 14th Street. Then we will head across the street to the Tugboat Gallery and other artist studios for First Friday.
More details to come.
Saint Paul United Methodist Church
Saint Paul United Methodist Church continues their Spring 2025 First Friday Concert Series with a performance by PANgea at noon on Friday, April 4.
Founded in 2003 by LPS music educator John Scofield, PANgea is a steel drum band and the only group of its kind in Nebraska. PANgea is an entity of Lincoln Public Schools, consisting of members in grades 6-12. Nearly all LPS middle and high schools are represented in their membership. PANgea was created to give percussionists more opportunities than they would find in a traditional concert band setting.
Saint Paul UMC celebrates local musicians and artists on the first Friday of the month with concerts and displays. These concerts are FREE and open to the public. There is an optional light lunch served before and after the performance (11:30-12 and 1-1:30) for $5 per person.
Explore the exhibitions, participate in creative activities, and socialize with friends.
At 5:30 PM, student composers and musicians from the Glenn Korff School of Music will perform new compositions in the galleries as part of the Flyover New Music series.
140 N 8TH ST | 6 PM - 8 PM
More details to come.
"Between Here and Elsewhere" featuring @erincross and @katiebtempleart - opens First Friday, April 4th from 7-10 with DJ ol' moanin'
210 Architecture Hall (HDR Pavilion Lobby) | 4 PM - 7 PM
This exhibition by Professor Emeritus Mark Hoistad explores the concept of placemaking through a curated collection of ink drawings that capture the cultural landscapes of China and Japan. Based on photographs taken by the artist between 2008 and 2019 and completed as drawings in 2024, the series reflects the intersection of natural landscapes, designed structures, and the people who shape them. The exhibit features thirty black-and-white ink drawings, ranging in size from eight inches square to ten by thirteen inches. With a disciplined focus on light, texture, and patina, the works emphasize structure and nuance over personal interpretation, offering a bridge between traditional realism and abstract minimalism.
Professor Emeritus Mark Hoistad is an internationally respected urban designer whose work spans five continents, earning numerous design awards and publication in professional journals. His projects range from large-scale urban design in the U.S., Africa, and Asia to commercial, residential, and institutional architecture, as well as liturgical furniture and decorative arts.
Throughout his career, Hoistad has held key administrative roles, including founding the Landscape Architecture Program and serving as Associate Dean. He has fostered interdisciplinary collaborations across the university and developed a semester-long study program in China—both central to his career and legacy.
“Native Wars/New Perspectives,” aerial panoramic photographs and text by Bill Ganzel, opens Friday, April 4 at WallSpace-LNK Fine Art Gallery, 1624 S. 17th Street, Lincoln. A reception from 5-8 p.m. will showcase large format color photographs, many of them aerial, of sites of conflicts between indigenous people who were already living here and the other groups who were trying to colonize this land, to eke out a living using the land in different ways. Ganzel notes that violence confrontations among small groups quickly evolved into military campaigns that by 1890 had decimated native peoples. “What remains today of places where pitched battles were fought are often prosaic landscapes of farm or ranch land. There may be an historic marker along the highway, most often barely noticed and passed at lightning speed. But that was the point – to make the land into farms in the European tradition and using new technologies.” These images are part of a project include sites across Nebraska and other parts of the American West.
Viewers are encouraged to view the work and offer their perspectives on the images and their history, and how those impacts are still felt today. The work is available for viewing and purchase Friday-Sunday, April 4-27 from 12-5 p.m. or by appointment. Email bganzel@ganzelgroup.com to arrange a time to see the work and converse with the artist.
Have an art show in downtown Lincoln you'd like added to our monthly list?
Email Maia at maia@downtownlincoln.org.