August 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
More details to come.
118 N 14TH ST. | 12 PM - 7:30 PM
First Friday at A Novel Idea Bookstore!
- Free $5 gift card with every $25 you spend on books & gifts
- Free 'GBR' magnet with your purchase
- Will also be offering sweet treats from 5:30-7:30 pm
Come celebrate Late Summer with us!
Burkholder Art Studio & Galleries
719 P ST. | 5 PM - 8 PM
Shows run August 1st-30th
Join us for our newest shows, including Anne Burkholder in the Main Gallery. Duane Adams and Alan R. Smith in the Outback Gallery. Diane Reiber will be on display in the Skylight Gallery. We have guest artist Taylor Craig in the Special Exhibit Space.
119 S. 9TH ST. | 5 PM - 8:30 PM
August First Friday "Telephone" curated by Dana Clements
Featuring: Lola Agena, Sophia Baker, Brooke Dlouhy, Dana Clements, Taylor Powell, Alex Renbarger, Niko Rurik, Taryn Sakry, and Amy Xu
2055 O ST. | 6 PM - 8 PM
More details to come.
140 N. 8TH ST. | 7 PM - 9 PM
"Hi! I’m Judson, a self-taught photographer and bird lover from Lincoln. I grew up in Nebraska and have always appreciated the natural beauty of this state, especially the parts that often go unnoticed. In honor of that, every bird in this exhibit was photographed right here in Nebraska.
This is my first public showing and I’d like to dedicate it to my late grandmother, Jean Rumsey, who first sparked my love of birdwatching."
"After a decade of putting out albums and touring, Nebraskan singer-songwriter Orion Walsh has released “Walking Through the Forest” with new label Fair Vaux Records. Brimming with vivid storytelling, this is truly a mature step forward for this well-traveled troubadour. Walsh has previously released eight albums with independent labels Sower Records & Indie Vision Music, including “The Hitchhiker’s Son” produced by AJ Mogis (Bright Eyes, Monsters of Folk). He also released two full length albums with his previous band Slow Coming Day (Tooth & Nail Records) which had major label distribution.
Walsh has been touring for over a decade and has performed over 1,000 concerts all over the United States as well as multiple tours to Europe both as a solo artist and with his band. Orion has performed his music in 15 different countries and opened up for artists in the past such as Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Magic Slim, David Dondero, Mae, David Bazan, The Mynabirds, Wild Child, Samantha Crain, Wayne Hancock, 6′ 10″, etc. Several of his songs have been used on television and independent films in the past, including “Skins” (UK), “Pawn Stars”, “NY Ink” (TLC), “What Not to Wear”, & “America’s Next Top Model” of international fame. Expect to see more from this free-spirited traveler and songwriter in the years to come."
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.
130 S 13TH ST | 5:30 PM - 7 PM
Join us as we welcome back beloved local artist Tom Sheppard as he shows his watercolor collection inspired by the landscape and culture of New Mexico. We will be open late, until 7:30, for a reception during Lincoln’s First Friday Art Walk on August 1st! We can’t wait to see you there!
About the Show:
“The watercolors in this show are primarily from a trip I took with my son, Aaron, the summer after he graduated from high school. We went to Santa Fe, Taos, Abiquiu (home of Georgia O’Keeffe) and many out of the way places in New Mexico, Colorado and Nebraska. On that trip we painted various locations, wrote poetry and prose, and sampled an excellent assortment of food. We were fortunate enough to be able to rent a 120 year-old adobe in the hills above Abiquiu that had been modernized recently (painting of it is in this show). There will be a book of our trip on display as well.”
About the Artist:
Tom Sheppard grew up in Harvard, Hastings, Fullerton, Neligh and Kearney, Nebraska, as well as Culver City and Monrovia, California. He graduated from Manilla (IA) High School in 1964 and then attended Hastings College, graduating with a B.A. in Art Education with supporting areas in English and coaching (physical education). In art he studied under Richard Brink, Gary Coulter and Anne Kingsbury. He has taken numerous hours of studio art from the University of Iowa (Iowa City), the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and Concordia University (Seward, NE). He received his M.A. in Art Education from UNL, and spent many years teaching art, coaching, and painting.
Note from the Artist:
“After graduating from Hastings College I began my teaching career but I also began painting in earnest, having discovered it to be the most enlightening activity I had encountered. I began entering competitions with my paintings and maintained as rigorous of a schedule as I could, trying to experiment and refine my work. I have always considered watercolor a favorite and use it to advance my technique and develop better hand-eye coordination. Many examples of my watercolors will be considered to be representational (but rarely what I consider to be realistic). Most of my larger paintings on canvas are abstract and non-objective. Even so, I consider my time painting in watercolor as my primary method to further enhance my skill, even on the larger more abstract work. The Sheldon and the Museum of Nebraska Art (MONA) both have examples of my work in their holdings.”
124 S. 9TH ST. | 5 PM - 9 PM
Join us for a small group show with paintings by Jan Lang and Julie Hoppe, and pastels by Gretchen Olberding.
1300 P Street | 5 PM - 8:30 PM
Meet local artists & makers, support small businesses, enjoy hand-baked goods, with live music by Micah Leamer.
1155 Q ST. | 5 PM - 7 PM
The Great Plains Art Museum is open late on First Friday, Aug. 1, 5-7 p.m. with three exhibitions and light refreshments. This will be the last First Friday to see “The Journey: Documented Items/Undocumented Souls.”
On View:
“Shaping the Southwest: Pottery from the Collection”
This exhibition features pottery from a recent donation to the Great Plains Art Museum’s permanent holdings by local collectors of Southwest art, Lehn and Mary Straub. This intimate exhibition in the museum’s Mezzanine Gallery highlights the impressive technical skill of these Indigenous artists and the continuation of the long tradition of Southwest pottery.
“Watershed: Elizabeth Rubendall Artist-in-Residence Amanda Maciuba”
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.“
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.
1208 O ST. | 7 PM
We’re looking forward to August First Friday, happening this Friday, August 1st, from 5–8 PM! Stop by to see new arrivals and explore two floors of gallery space—plus, enjoy a cash bar while you browse. We hope to see you!
Lincoln Marriott Cornhusker Hotel
333 S. 13th St. | 6 PM - 9 PM
More details to come.
701 P St SUITE 102 | 5 PM - 8 PM
More details to come.
Jenifer Williams is August's featured Artist. Come in and see her intriguing new works today for First Friday Art Walk.
131 CENTENNIAL MALL N | 5 PM - 7 PM
More details to come.
More details to come.
325 S 11th St. | 6 PM - 8 PM
Join us for some amazing local art and drinks! Mini pop-up shop pottery, prints and more.
Illustrations displayed and available for purchase all month!
1410 O St. | 7 PM - 10:30 PM
Check out their website and view all of their different studios for more details.
More details to come.
Saint Paul United Methodist Church
More details to come.
Sheldon Museum of Art stays open until 7 PM on the first Friday of the month. During this First Friday at Sheldon, explore the exhibitions through a drop-in tour at 5:30 PM and plein air pastel drawing in the Sculpture Garden throughout the evening.First Friday at Sheldon is the perfect opportunity to connect with art and each other.This event is free and open to everyone.
140 N 8TH ST | 6 PM - 8 PM
More details to come.
Tugboat Gallery Proudly Presents "Lucky Find" featuring Joelle Sandfort, Joe Pankowski, Dustin Witte, Levi Gerlach and Peggy Gomez, opening First Friday, August 1st from 7-10 with DJ ol' moanin'.
210 Architecture Hall (HDR Pavilion Lobby) | 5 PM - 7 PM
More details to come.
First Friday Reception: Lisa Bang Hoffman photos & unique books
"Through Lines: Covid to Current" includes evocative black and white landscape images and color digital interiors. Unique books combine images and unfold to create a sculptural impact.
Have an art show in downtown Lincoln you'd like added to our monthly list?
Email Maia at maia@downtownlincoln.org.