October 2026
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. |
More details to come.
118 N 14TH ST. | 12 PM - 7:30 PM
On the First Friday in October…
*Play Banned Books Trivia
*Enter our Drawing – Four Winners will receive an “I’m with the Banned” mug
*Get a FREE “I’m with the Banned” vinyl sticker with your purchase
The bookstore is already celebrating Spooky Season with haunting decor – but nothing is scarier than the increased attempts to curtail our freedom to read.
In the evening, we’ll serve treats and enjoy being in community. Join us!
12-7:30 - Trivia & Drawing
5-7:30 - Treats & Community Fun
151 N 8TH ST. | 5 PM
More info to come.
Burkholder Art Studio & Galleries
719 P ST. | 5 PM - 8 PM
Tim Timken will be on display in the Main Gallery and Daniel T Smith in the Outback. The Skylight Gallery will host Theresa Forsman. Guest artist Lesley Darling will be on display in the Special Exhibition Space..
Shows run October 2-30
Riek Bol is opening up Studio D at Burkholder Project for an evening of photography and filmmaking.
5–6 PM: Open Studio
Stop by, check out the space, see my work, purchase some prints, and ask me anything about what I do.
6–7 PM: Live Portrait Session
I’ll be photographing a live subject in the studio, with my camera tethered to a monitor so you can watch the images appear as they’re captured.
7–8 PM: Live Music Video Shoot
We’ll head to the garage at the Burkholder Project for a live music video shoot. I’ll have a monitor displaying a real time wireless camera feed so you can see what’s happening behind the camera as the scene is being filmed.
Come see the process, ask questions, and get a closer look at what goes into creating studio portraits and a music video.
140 N 12TH ST. | 5 PM
More details to come.
119 S. 9TH ST. | 5 PM - 8:30 PM
Join curator Rita Holland, four other Clements Noyes Art Gallery artists, and five guest artists as they celebrate the importance of art in our lives. Live music by Jack Zeleny, and treats from The Rabbit Hole Bakery.
Featuring: Rita Holland, Willie Sapp, Ed Millican, Brooke Dlouhy, Frog Steel Forge, Sandy Wassam, Marc Kornbluh, Rhonda McClure, Lori Heine, Merry Wills
200 S ANTELOPE VALLEY PARKWAY | 5 PM - 8:30 PM
More details to come.
2055 O ST. | 6 PM - 8 PM
Constellation Studios is pleased to present Being Aware, an exhibition of recent work by California-based artist, printmaker, and educator Kent Manske, on view September 4 through October 31, 2026. Manske will join Constellation Studios for the opening reception on Friday, September 4, and will spend two weeks in Lincoln as an Artist in Residence at Constellation Studios.
Being Aware is a series of eleven original prints combining monoprinting, screen printing, relief printing, and print collage. Created in 2026, the series revisits a collection of symbols Manske first developed more than two decades ago for his 2002 artist book Fear. Returning to these forms in a dramatically changed cultural and political landscape, Manske considers how many of the questions that motivated the earlier work, around information, knowledge, truth, communication, and cultural identity, remain urgent today.
140 N. 8TH ST. | 7 PM - 9 PM
Performance by Chris Sayre.
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 | 2 PM - 6 PM
More details to come.
200 S 21 ST, SUITE 110 | 5 PM - 7 PM
More details to come.
211 N 14TH ST | 4:30 PM - 7:30 PM
More details to come.
130 S 13TH ST | 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM
More details to come.
124 S. 9TH ST. | 5 PM - 9 PM
VALERIE KNOBEL (watercolor)
STEVE RYAN (mixed media)
BONNIE VODEHNAL (stained glass
On display September 30-November 1
1300 P Street | 5 PM - 9 PM
This art market will take over Tower Square at 13th/P Street from 5–9pm on October 2.
25 canopy tents will go up; each tent filled with paintings, illustrations, photography, handmade trinkets, & more. There will be snack and drink vendors too. Enjoy live music by GIDEON from 5–6pm and HAPPY JOHN from 6:30–9pm.
First Friday at Tower Square is a recurring event that runs in the warmer months only. We will be back again May through October 2027. Follow the event host GILDED GECKO for additional artsy events throughout the year.
1155 Q ST. | 5 PM - 7 PM
The Great Plains Art Museum is open late Oct. 2, 5-7 p.m. with three exhibitions and light refreshments.
Handspoken Fair Trade (originally Ten Thousand Villages)
140 N. 8th ST. | 6 PM - 8 PM
It's First Friday Craft Week! Join us on Friday to experiment with wool needle felting and take home your own handmade fluffy friend!Our Nepalese artisan partners have a long history of turning raw wool into cute colorful creations thanks to their long history working with fleeces native to their Himalayan home. Join us Friday, October 2nd from 6-8pm to try needle felting for yourself which learning more about our partners in Nepal.All materials are free thanks to our generous event sponsor Union Bank & Trust! So stop in, get creative, and shop fair trade while you craft!
1208 O ST. | 5 PM - 8 PM
Join us for October First Friday this Friday from 5–8 pm. View new arrivals from Chad M. Olsen, Hal Holoun, Keith Jacobshagen, Karen Matheis, and others. We hope to see you!
Lincoln Marriott Cornhusker Hotel
333 S. 13th St. | 6 PM - 9 PM
More details to come.
To honor the life of artist Jim Stehlik (1950-2026), the UnCommon Gallery will exhibit his work.
131 CENTENNIAL MALL N | 5 PM - 7 PM
More details to come.
More details to come.
325 S 11th St. | 7 PM - 10 PM
First Friday with Adessa Olson aka @197.attic.
1410 O St. | 7 PM - 10 PM
Check out their website and view all of their different studios for more details.
More details to come.
Sacred Heart Gallery and Gift
Join us this Friday for a day filled with excitement, special offers, and a sneak peek into what we have in store for you. We'll see you at our Grand Opening this Friday, don't miss out on the fun!
Saint Paul United Methodist Church
More details to come.
Sheldon stays open late every first Friday of the month. October’s First Friday features a gallery talk by the student curators of the exhibition New Horizons (5 PM), and an immersive tour of the exhibition Remembering Modern Art (5:30 PM).First Fridays are always free and open to everyone.
More details to come.
first friday is creeping up, and we’re leaning all the way in 🕸️🖤
come hang with featured artists @glasswreckstudio and @rural.wandering.photo for stained glass and photography while @pleasure_zone__djs provides the darkwave vibes
bring your boos. we’ll handle the spirits 👻
More details to come.
Gentle Geometry, a 2-person show featuring the work of Karen Kunc and Hannah Demma.
210 Architecture Hall (HDR Pavilion Lobby) | 5 PM - 7 PM
More details to come.
801 O ST. SUITE 110 | 4 PM- MIDNIGHT
Every First Friday, Vinyl showcases a local Lincoln artist, with their work on display all month long. We open at 4 PM, with an Artist Meet & Greet from 6–8 PM where you can meet the artist and shop additional prints. Each featured artist also helps us create a signature cocktail inspired by their style, story, and personality. See something you love? All artwork is available for purchase throughout the month.
A special exhibition of work by nationally renowned abstract expressionist painter Carol Haerer (1933-2002) opens Friday, October 2. The exhibition and a scholarship fundraiser for the UNL School of Art History & Design has been organized by the late artist's sister, Mary Ann Sullivan of Lincoln.
Have an art show in downtown Lincoln you'd like added to our monthly list?
Email Maia at maia@downtownlincoln.org.