POTTAWATTAMIE COUNTY MUSEUM CRAWL
2024-07-14 12:00 - 16:00 (America/Chicago) | NE
Come tour our museums! A “Museum Crawl” will be held on Sunday, July 14th, from noon until 4 pm. Visit these quaint small-town museums! Museums included are:

Walnut Creek Historical Museum at 304 Antique City Drive in Walnut, Iowa
Sweet Vale of Avoca Museum at 504 N. Elm St. in Avoca
Nishna Heritage Museum at 117 Main Street in Oakland
Carson Railroad Depot at 103 S. Commerical Street in Carson
Pioneer Trail Museum at 316 Main Street in Macedonia
Stempel Bird Museum at 311 Main Street in Macedonia

Click here to download a map! These museums do not charge admission, but freewill donations are cheerfully accepted! There will be a drawing for a prize at the conclusion at each of the four museums! So come enjoy the history, hospitality, and highlights of each stop! Come on over for a leisurely afternoon!
Contact: Ruby Bentley
Phone: (712) 486-2568
Email: bentleyeast66@gmail.com
Categories: Arts & Culture, Educational, Family Friendly

Live on the Lawn with Bel Canto Duo
2024-07-14 15:00 - 16:00 | St. Paul Benson, 5410 Corby St, Omaha, NE, 68104, United States
Bel Canto Duo members Darci Gamerl and David Downing return to St. Paul Benson for the first of four Live on the Lawn performances.
The performance features audience favorites & BCD’s original music recently featured on the documentary, Willa Cather: Breaking The Mold.
Concerts are by donation. Bring a chair! Bring a friend!
The chapel on Corby Street will be used due to inclement weather or excessive heat.

Tai Chi and Qigong
2024-07-14 18:00 - 19:00, 2024-07-16 08:00 - 09:00 | Lauritzen Gardens, 100 Bancroft Street, Omaha, NE, 68108, United States
Take time for yourself. Take care of yourself. Breathe…
Join Michelle Cooper for the mindful movements of Tai Chi and Qigong- focusing on decreasing tension, improving flexibility/strength, better balance/body awareness, mental focus, and calming the nervous system. This class takes place in standing, with no floor work, and no mat is required. This class is appropriate for all levels. No previous experience is required.
$15, $10 for garden members. Pre-registration is required.
Michelle is a certified Tai Chi and Qigong Instructor and teaches all levels, from beginner to advanced. She incorporates her passion for Tai Chi and Qigong with her 25 years of experience as a licensed Physical Therapist, and her teaching background to ensure her classes are fun, progressive, and easy to follow (with modifications given for all levels).

PACE | New Masters
2024-07-15 08:00 - 17:00, 2024-07-16 08:00 - 17:00, 2024-07-17 08:00 - 17:00, 2024-07-18 08:00 - 17:00, 2024-07-19 08:00 - 17:00 | Pottawamie Arts, Culture and Entertainment (PACE), 1001 S 6th Street, Council Bluffs, IA, 51503, United States
We welcome you to the 2024 PACE New Masters.
Feel free to tour all the featured 40+ local professional photographers depicting realistic landscapes, figures, and portraits.
Join us on Opening Night, Friday, May 24 to see who is named this years’ “PACE New Master!”
Exhibit runs through May 24 – Sep 28, 2024
FREE to the public on Fridays from 6-9PM & Saturdays from 12-4PM.

From a Naturalist's Sketchbook to a Cathedral Window by Allison Borgschulte
2024-07-15 09:00 - 17:00, 2024-07-16 09:00 - 17:00, 2024-07-17 09:00 - 17:00, 2024-07-18 09:00 - 17:00, 2024-07-19 09:00 - 17:00 | Lauritzen Gardens, 100 Bancroft Street, Omaha, NE, 68108, United States
July 12 through August 189 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday and Tuesday9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through SundayOn the gallery walls in the visitor and education centerIncluded with paid admission or garden membership. $15 + tax, $9 + tax for ages 3-12, free for ages 2 and under.Artist StatementIn my youth I lived with a forest in my backyard and a nature center within walking distance of my home. As a result, I took on the role of naturalist at a very young age. That was my first job title working at the Fontenelle Forest Nature Center. Job training included learning the names of plants, trees, and fungi and how to identify them. I could identify wildlife by their songs and snorts. More importantly, I noticed the presence of wildlife when they are not physically present. This was essential, because when hiking on a trail with a dozen or more young children, despite yours and their best efforts, it was not common to see a lot of critters. Nonetheless, the task was to engage the youngsters in a story and excite them about the forest around them. Thus, my role was not only naturalist, but storyteller. Changing career paths into art, those roles never left me. I create my work by observing the natural world, depicting the parts I find particularly captivating, and offering it to the viewer hoping to capture the viewers’ interest as mine has been captured by nature. I use glass as a medium utilizing the transmission of light and brilliancy of the glass colors to enhance the beauty of my subjects. I also believe the medium adds a spiritual element to my work with the tradition of stained-glass adorning church sanctuaries and cultural centers for centuries.About the ArtistAllison Borgschulte is a multi-disciplinary artist working in glass, fiber art, painting, and kaleidoscope making. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the Kansas City Art Institute in 2004 earning the Highest GPA in her graduating glass and a Mentorship Award. She has since had her work displayed in local, national, and internationally juried exhibits, received high honors, and been published internationally with the Surface Design Association, The Brewster Society of Kaleidoscope Makers, the Flow Magazine, and Glass Patterns Quarterly. Allison has been commissioned numerous times for large stained glass and fiber works of art in public and private spaces. In 2022, she created a memorial window in the Oakdale Elementary School Library of Omaha, NE. Along with her personal artistic endeavors, she currently works in a professional stained-glass studio in Lincoln, NE, Architectural Glassarts, as their premier patternmaker and glass painter. She resides in Lincoln Nebraska with her husband and two children and spends much of her summer in Minnesota on their private island on a natural lake where she soaks up inspiration for her art.This event happens on the following Dates:Jul 12, 2024, 9:00am to 5:00pm CDTJul 13, 2024, 9:00am to 5:00pm CDTJul 14, 2024, 9:00am to 5:00pm CDTJul 15, 2024, 9:00am to 8:00pm CDTJul 16, 2024, 9:00am to 8:00pm CDTJul 17, 2024, 9:00am to 5:00pm CDTJul 18, 2024, 9:00am to 5:00pm CDTJul 19, 2024, 9:00am to 5:00pm CDTJul 20, 2024, 9:00am to 5:00pm CDTJul 21, 2024, 9:00am to 5:00pm CDTJul 22, 2024, 9:00am to 8:00pm CDTJul 23, 2024, 9:00am to 8:00pm CDTJul 24, 2024, 9:00am to 5:00pm CDTJul 25, 2024, 9:00am to 5:00pm CDTJul 26, 2024, 9:00am to 5:00pm CDTJul 27, 2024, 9:00am to 5:00pm CDTJul 28, 2024, 9:00am to 5:00pm CDTJul 29, 2024, 9:00am to 8:00pm CDTJul 30, 2024, 9:00am to 8:00pm CDTJul 31, 2024, 9:00am to 5:00pm CDTAug 1, 2024, 9:00am to 5:00pm CDTAug 2, 2024, 9:00am to 5:00pm CDTAug 3, 2024, 9:00am to 5:00pm CDTAug 4, 2024, 9:00am to 5:00pm CDTAug 5, 2024, 9:00am to 8:00pm CDTAug 6, 2024, 9:00am to 8:00pm CDTAug 7, 2024, 9:00am to 5:00pm CDTAug 8, 2024, 9:00am to 5:00pm CDTAug 9, 2024, 9:00am to 5:00pm CDTAug 10, 2024, 9:00am to 5:00pm CDTAug 11, 2024, 9:00am to 5:00pm CDTAug 12, 2024, 9:00am to 8:00pm CDTAug 13, 2024, 9:00am to 8:00pm CDTAug 14, 2024, 9:00am to 5:00pm CDTAug 15, 2024, 9:00am to 5:00pm CDTAug 16, 2024, 9:00am to 5:00pm CDTAug 17, 2024, 9:00am to 5:00pm CDTAug 18, 2024, 9:00am to 5:00pm CDT

Botanical Design: The Return of the Korean Style Floral Wrap
2024-07-15 18:00 - 19:30 | Lauritzen Gardens, 100 Bancroft Street, Omaha, NE, 68108, United States
Join instructor Karen Vice for a botanical design workshop and learn basic floral design skills that can be used to create all types of arrangements. No floral design knowledge or experience is necessary. All supplies are included. To ensure the freshest, longest-lasting arrangements, our designers select flowers from the warehouse the week of class to fit the class theme.
This month’s class brings a dash of TikTok magic as we dive into the design techniques of viral Korean-style floral wraps. Hand-tied, styled bouquets, jazzy paper, and pretty accents will have you ready to show off your creation on your social accounts! All materials provided.
Pre-registration is required one week prior to each class. $65, $55 for garden members.
Instructor: Karen Vice of Fancy Plants Flowers and Design, LLC

Tempo of Twilight Outdoor Concert Series
2024-07-16 18:00 - 20:00 | Lauritzen Gardens, 100 Bancroft Street, Omaha, NE, 68108, United States
We can’t think of a better way to spend a summer evening than listening to live music in the garden! This outdoor concert series brings a spectacular lineup of local entertainment to the garden for a harmonious blend of music and nature.
This week, enjoy the sounds of R-Style
Concerts will be held this season on June 4 and 18, July 2, 16, and 30, and August 13 and 27 and are FREE for garden members or are included with paid garden admission ($15+ tax, $9+ tax for ages 3-12). Members should bring their membership card and photo ID to expedite check-in.
Due to the unique nature of the concert series, guests are allowed to bring chairs, food and beverages on Tempo of Twilight nights only. Chairs and blankets may be set up after 4 p.m. The gift shop is open and the café serves an abbreviated menu.
MENU- JUNE 4
Featured dinner special: Fried chicken with macaroni and cheese
MENU- JUNE 18
Featured dinner special: French dip sandwiches with black bean, corn, and red pepper salad.
MENU- JULY 2
Featured dinner special: Cheeseburgers in Paradise with kettle chips
MENU- JULY 16
Featured dinner special: BBQ pork sandwiches with baked beans
MENU- JULY 30
Featured dinner special: Fried chicken with macaroni and cheese
MENU- AUGUST 13
Featured dinner special: BBQ beef sandwiches with potato salad
MENU- AUGUST 27
Featured dinner special: Fried chicken with macaroni and cheese
We encourage visitors to carpool when possible as there is limited parking available.

Raven Halfmoon: Flags of Our Mothers
2024-07-17 11:00 - 17:00, 2024-07-18 11:00 - 21:00, 2024-07-19 11:00 - 17:00 | Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts, 724 S. 12th Street, Omaha, NE, 68102, United States
Raven Halfmoon’s practice spans torso-scaled and colossal-sized stoneware sculptures, with some soaring up to nine feet and weighing over eight hundred pounds. With inspirations that orbit centuries from ancient Indigenous pottery to Moai statues to Land Art, Halfmoon interrogates the intersection of tradition, history, gender, and personal experience.
Born and raised in Norman, Oklahoma, she learned about ceramics as a teenager from a Caddo elder. Working mainly in portraiture, Halfmoon hand builds each work using a coil method. Her surfaces are expressive and show deep finger impressions and dramatic dripping glazes—a physicality that presences her as both maker and matter. She fuses Caddo pottery traditions (a history of making mostly done by women) with populist gestures—often tagging her work (a reference to Caddo tattooing).
Her palette is specific and matches both the clay bodies she selects and the glazes she fires with—reds (after the Oklahoma soil and the blood of murdered Indigenous women), blacks (referencing the natural clay native to the Red River), and creams. Sometimes she stacks and repeats imagery, creating totemic forms that represent herself and her maternal ancestry while also reinforcing the multiplicities that exist inside all of us. Her works reference stories of the Caddo Nation, specifically her feminist lineage and the power of its complexities.
This exhibition will include a combination of new and borrowed works that vary in size and content from over the last five years. Halfmoon will also be creating some of her largest works to date commissioned by The Aldrich and Bemis Center. The artist’s first museum catalogue will accompany the exhibition.
Raven Halfmoon is curated by Amy Smith-Stewart, Chief Curator at The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, and Rachel Adams, Chief Curator and Director of Programming at the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts.
Raven Halfmoon. E-a’-titi (sister), 2021. Stoneware, glaze. 30 x 26 x 58 inches. Courtesy of the artist. Photography by Alan Koppel.
Learn more about Raven Halfmoon’s work here.
About Flags of Our Mothers
The Caddo Origin Story

About the Artist
Raven Halfmoon (Caddo Nation) is from Norman, Oklahoma. She attended the University of Arkansas where she earned double bachelor’s degrees in ceramics and cultural anthropology. She has garnered an impressive series of awards and accolades, including being named the 2018 Fund the Change recipient from the Activist and Social Justice Arts Organization in Oklahoma, a Burke Prize finalist at the Museum of Arts and Design, in New York, NY, the American Craft Council Emerging Voices Award, and Ceramics Monthly Emerging Artist—all in 2019. She just concluded a two-year residency at Archie Bray Foundation for Ceramic Arts in Montana.

Paul Stephen Benjamin: Black of Night
2024-07-17 11:00 - 17:00, 2024-07-18 11:00 - 21:00 | Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts, 724 S. 12th Street, Omaha, NE, 68102, United States
Paul Stephen Benjamin’s practice is an ongoing investigation of blackness through concept, thought, and perception. From wordplay with the actual letters that comprise “BLACK,” to utilizing the expanse of shades of black house paint—including as Nightfall, Soot, Ebony Field, and Black Beauty—to posing the question, “If the color black had a sound, what would it be?,” Benjamin calls attention to the color’s deep historical and social resonance. In addition, across his practice, the artist’s work references integral moments in Black history as well as art history.
In Black of Night, Benjamin presents new and recent video installations, paintings, text-based work, and sculpture as conceptual entry points for dialogue around identity, race, and patriotism. By continually “documenting” the color black through his multifaceted practice, he is also deconstructing its meaning—breaking it down to its simplest form and allowing for it to operate as a medium for interpretation and introspection. Focusing on the connotations of the color black in society, culture and language, Benjamin incorporates history, text, imagery and sound from popular culture, in turn discussing the absence and presence of color.

About the Artist
Paul Stephen Benjamin was born in Chicago, IL, and lives and works in Atlanta, GA. He earned his BA from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and his MFA from Georgia State University in 2013. Recently Benjamin has exhibited at Hammonds House Museum, Atlanta, GA (2023), Blackness at the Montresso Art Foundation, Marrakesh, Morocco, (2023), The Thoma Foundation Art Vault, Santa Fe, NM (2022–2023), and a solo exhibition at the Van Every-Smith Galleries, Davidson College, Davidson, NC (2022).
He has been included in solo and group exhibitions at a variety of institutions and art spaces, including Prospect.5 New Orleans, LA (2021–2022). Gavlak, Los Angeles, CA (2021), The Dirty South at the Virginia Museum of Fine Art, Richmond VA (2021), David Lusk Gallery, Nashville, TN (2021), Crystal Bridges Museum and the Momentary, Bentonville, AR (2020), The MAC, Belfast, UK (2019), VC Institute for Contemporary Art, Richmond, VA (2019), The Havana Biennial in Matanzas, Cuba (2019), Marianne Boesky Gallery, NY, NY (2019), Tacoma Art Museum, Tacoma, WA (2018), Telfair Museum Jepson Center, Savannah, GA (2018), The Studio Museum in Harlem, New York, NY (2017), Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia, Atlanta, GA (2017), High Museum of Art, Atlanta, GA (2016), among others.
He has received a range of awards and fellowships, including The Hudgens Prize (2019), Joan Mitchell Foundation Painters and Sculptors Grant (2019), Hambidge Distinguished Fellowship (2019), The Southern Art Prize (2018), The State Fellow of Georgia (2018), Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia (WAP) Fellow (2017), Artadia Award (2014), Winnie B. Chandler Fellowship, and the Forward Arts Emerging Artists Award.

Watercolor and Ink on YUPO Paper
2024-07-17 18:00 - 20:00 | Lauritzen Gardens, 100 Bancroft Street, Omaha, NE, 68108, United States
Explore mixed media techniques on the unique surface of YUPO paper, a thin synthetic paper that is non-absorbent and can be used to capture loose, striking textures and colors. Dive into a world beyond your palette by experimenting with liquid watercolors, and ink to create unique, spontaneous paintings. Led by Sydney Sehi. $55, $45 for garden members. Pre-registration is required.

Keeping an Illustrated Garden Journal
2024-07-17 18:00 - 20:00 | Lauritzen Gardens, 100 Bancroft Street, Omaha, NE, 68108, United States
TWO SESSIONSLearn to make a paper journal as a record of your garden or as an observation of the natural world around you. In this workshop, you’ll be invited to slow down, tune in to the experience of the garden, and sketch to relax. Each class will make their paper journals, learn the technique to make more at home, and fill their journals with beautiful illustrations and foraged nature.Pre-registration is required. $65, $55 for garden members.Happens on the following Dates in Sessions of Two:
Winter:Feb 6, 2024, 6:00pm to 8:00pm CDTFeb 7, 2024, 6:00pm to 8:00pm CDT
Spring:March 19, 2024, 6:00pm to 8:00pm CDTMarch 20, 2024, 6:00pm to 8:00pm CDT
Late Summer:Jul 17, 2024, 6:00pm to 8:00pm CDTJul 18, 2024, 6:00pm to 8:00pm CDT

Music in the Park
2024-07-17 19:00 | Bayliss Summer Park, 100 Pearl St, Council Bluffs, IA, 51503, United States
Bayliss Park Summer Concert Series
Wednesdays in June & July >> 7PM / Free admission
JUNE 5 – JULIE BAKER QUARTET
(VOCALS FROM THE GREAT AMERICAN SONGBOOK)
JUNE 12 – E STRING BAND
(BLUES)
JUNE 19 – ON THE LEDGE
(CLASSIC ROCK & COUNTRY)
JUNE 26 – PAM & THE PEARLS
(VOCAL ROCK & POP HITS)
JULY 3 – WOODEN MUSIC
(ACOUSTIC ROCK FROM THE 60’S & 70’S)
JULY 10 – GRIGIO BROS.
(COUNTRY FAVORITES FROM HANK WILLIAMS TO THE EAGLES)
JULY 17 – PATTIE DEE TRIO
(GREAT OLDIES ON PIANO IN THE JOANN CASTLE STYLE)
JULY 24 – THE SHAZZ BAND
(JAZZ & BLUES VOCALS)
JULY 31 – DADDY MAC & THE FLAK
(ROCK & BLUES HITS)

Read and Grow at the Garden: Backyard Bugs
2024-07-18 10:00 - 11:30 | Lauritzen Gardens, 100 Bancroft Street, Omaha, NE, 68108, United States
In order for curious minds to bloom, it is essential to plant a love of reading at a young age. Join the Omaha Public Library in the garden for stories that celebrate gardens, plants, insects and more, and discover the joys of nature, movement, music, and literature. Storytime will be outside as weather allows.This month’s books will feature stories for young bugs about insects that help our yards and gardens!Programs are geared towards preschool aged children, but all ages are welcome.Who’s coming to this month’s storytime? This is a FREE program, no registration is required. Drop in and join us!

July Art Walk/Art Show
2024-07-18 17:00 - 20:00 | Cali Commons, 518 North 40th St, Omaha, NE, 68131, United States
July Art Walk/Art Show by Cali Commons

Castle & Cathedral District: Art Walk
2024-07-18 17:00 - 20:00 | Joslyn Castle, 3902 Davenport St, Omaha, NE, 68131, United States
Bring the entire family for an evening out in the Joslyn Castle neighborhood along 40th Street, between Dodge and Cuming Streets. District partners Cathedral Arts Project Omaha, Cali Commons, Joslyn Castle & Gardens, and the Joslyn Castle Neighborhood Association, are looking forward to opening up our venues for an evening of art, food, and fun!

Yoga in the Garden
2024-07-18 18:00 - 19:00 | Lauritzen Gardens, 100 Bancroft Street, Omaha, NE, 68108, United States
Vinyasa yoga keeps your body moving in sync with your breath- leading towards an alignment of your physical, mental and spiritual self. Join instructor Jose Villegas for an expansive range of poses (and modifications) that make each class interesting and fun! No yoga experience needed – this class is perfect for beginners and welcoming to experienced yoga practitioners who seek a peaceful practice in a lovely setting.
Bring whatever props (i.e., pillow, mat, cork blocks, bolster, eye-mask, blanket) that you feel are necessary in making your practice the most comfortable it can possibly be.
$15, $10 for garden members. Pre-registration is required.

Architecture on Tap: Dundee
2024-07-18 18:00 - 19:30 | Joslyn Castle, 3902 Davenport St, Omaha, NE, 68131, United States
Joslyn Castle & Gardens presents Architecture on Tap, a celebration of the historic communities and people that make Omaha unique.
Architecture on Tap is a happy hour history hang-out happening Thursdays in July and August! Grab a beer from Infusion Brewing Company, explore historic Joslyn Castle, then settle in for a low-key lecture presented by a local expert.
This week we turn our eyes on to the storied community of Dundee, which was known as Omaha’s first suburb and is home to architectural treasures from respected local architects Henninger, McDonald, and Kimble. It is also home to the Oracle of Omaha Warren Buffett and Memorial Park.
Our journey through the history of Dundee will be led by a familiar face in the neighborhood, Tim Reeder! Tim is the board chair for Preserve Omaha and also serves on the Prospect Hill Cemetary board. He is an avid preservationist and the founder of Old Omaha Vintage Real Estate Team, Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate.
Doors open to the public at 5:30pm, and presentations start at 6pm.
Space is limited! Registration is $10 and this is a 21+ event!

Brass Queens
2024-07-18 19:30 | Turner Park, 3110 Farnam St, Omaha, NE, 68131, United States
5:00 PM lawn opens
6:30 PM preshow with Aly Peeler & The Toast
7:30 PM show
Brass Queens is a New York-based brass band that is female-led and features an all-female horn section. Finding they shared similar frustrations about the emerging brass band scene in the city, co-founders Alex Harris and Ally Chapel came together to form a group dedicated to showcasing the talents of female musicians in a landscape that was dominated by male musicians and bandleaders.
After debuting in March 2019, Brass Queens grew to be a fixture in the New York music scene and was even dubbed “the hardest working band in town” by their peers. The Queens gained a dedicated following through busking on the streets of Brooklyn and playing pop-up events in tight-knit communities. Even the pandemic couldn’t slow them down, as the band found ways to still bring music and joy to their fans during quarantine. Since then, Brass Queens has gone on to play iconic venues like Blue Note Jazz Club and Brooklyn Bowl, as well as major events like The Met Gala, Governor’s Ball Music Festival, Exit Zero Jazz Festival, Good Morning America, and more.
Brass Queens has developed a signature sound that sits right at the intersection of the Big Apple and the Big Easy: their music is deeply inspired by and pays homage to the New Orleans brass band tradition while injecting the upbeat, multifaceted energy of their New York home into each performance. The result is a nonstop party: a Brass Queens show will have you singing along to classic pop hits, dancing your heart out to reggaeton, and feeling like you’ve been transported to Frenchman Street. In February 2021, Brass Queens released their debut EP Royal Street and in October 2023 they released their first full-length album titled Black & Gold.
