The Museum of Nebraska Art (MONA) is the official art museum of the state of
Nebraska
Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...
. The museum is located in
Kearney, Nebraska
Kearney is the county seat of Buffalo County, Nebraska, United States.
The population was 30,787 in the 2010 census. It is home to the University of Nebraska at Kearney. The westward push of the railroad as the Civil War ended gave new birt ...
, and is administratively affiliated with the
University of Nebraska at Kearney
The University of Nebraska at Kearney (UNK) is a campus of the public University of Nebraska system and located in Kearney, Nebraska. It was founded in 1905 as the Nebraska State Normal School at Kearney.
History
In March 1903 the Nebraska Stat ...
. The official charter of MONA makes it home to the Nebraska Art Collection, which is home to works by artists who were born in Nebraska, have lived in Nebraska, or have some connection to Nebraska. MONA also hosts regular rotating exhibitions by living or historic artists who have some connection with the state of Nebraska.
History
The Nebraska Art Collection was first created in 1976 but initially lacked a permanent home. In 1985 a state-appointed commission settled on a historic post office building in Kearney which was built in 1911 but was badly outmoded and slated for demolition. The
Neoclassical architecture, marble interiors, and spacious, well-lit rooms attracted the attention of museum officials, who purchased the disused building and refitted it. In 1986 MONA opened there in its new permanent location.
The post office building was added to the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
in 1981 as a fine example of the Neoclassical style, and is believed to be the oldest of its type in Kearney.
[ .]
Collection
The Nebraska Art Collection covers over 175 years of art and art history. Many historic artists with Nebraska connections have their work in the permanent collection, such as
Alice Eliza Cleaver,
Robert Henri
Robert Henri (; June 24, 1865 – July 12, 1929) was an American painter and teacher.
As a young man, he studied in Paris, where he identified strongly with the Impressionists, and determined to lead an even more dramatic revolt against A ...
,
John Philip Falter
John Philip Falter (February 28, 1910 – May 20, 1982) was an American artist best known for his many cover paintings for ''The Saturday Evening Post''.
Early life
Born in Plattsmouth, Nebraska, Falter moved at an early age with his family to F ...
, and
Frank Rinehart
Frank Albert Rinehart (February 12, 1861 – December 17, 1928) was an American photographer who captured Native American personalities and scenes, especially portrait settings of leaders and members of the delegations who attended the 1898 Indi ...
. MONA is also home to works by more modern artists, like
Thomas Hart Benton,
Wright Morris
Wright Marion Morris (January 6, 1910 – April 25, 1998) was an American novelist, photographer, and essayist. He is known for his portrayals of the people and artifacts of the Great Plains in words and pictures, as well as for experimenting w ...
, and Leonard Thiessen, as well as living artists such as
Jun Kaneko
is a Japanese-born American ceramic artist known for creating large scale ceramic sculpture. Based out of a studio warehouse in Omaha, Nebraska, Kaneko primarily works in clay to explore the effects of repeated abstract surface motifs by using ...
and Jane Golding Marie.
Additionally, the Collection includes works by artist explorers who documented early
Native American life and
natural history in Nebraska, including
George Catlin
George Catlin (July 26, 1796 – December 23, 1872) was an American adventurer, lawyer, painter, author, and traveler, who specialized in portraits of Native Americans in the United States, Native Americans in the Old West.
Traveling to the We ...
,
John James Audubon
John James Audubon (born Jean-Jacques Rabin; April 26, 1785 – January 27, 1851) was an American self-trained artist, naturalist, and ornithologist. His combined interests in art and ornithology turned into a plan to make a complete pictoria ...
, and
Karl Bodmer
Johann Carl Bodmer (11 February 1809 – 30 October 1893) was a Swiss-French printmaker, etcher, lithographer, zinc engraver, draughtsman, painter, illustrator and hunter. Known as Karl Bodmer in literature and paintings, as a Swiss and French c ...
. Exhibitions of these artists are often supplemented with art and historical artifacts from other Nebraska museums, including the
Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer
The Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer is a museum located in Grand Island, Nebraska dedicated to preserving the legacy of the Pioneers who settled the plains of central Nebraska in the late 19th century. It features a living history village cal ...
,
Joslyn Art Museum
The Joslyn Art Museum is the principal fine arts museum in the state of Nebraska, United States. Located in Omaha, it was opened in 1931 at the initiative of Sarah H. Joslyn in memory of her husband, businessman George A. Joslyn. It is the only m ...
, and the
University of Nebraska State Museum
The University of Nebraska State Museum, also known as Morrill Hall, founded in 1871, is a natural history museum featuring Nebraska biodiversity, paleontology, and cultural diversity, located on the University of Nebraska–Lincoln City Campus nea ...
.
MONA and the Nebraska Art Collection also play host to rotating exhibitions by currently active Nebraska artists who are building reputations but do not yet have their work in permanent collections. Notable exhibition participants have included polymer artist Sandra Williams, photographer Roger Bruhn, and sculptor Elizabeth Kronfield.
Special programs
In addition to its role as a museum, MONA is host to several special programs. It cultivates close relationships with public schools and frequently has students in for art viewing, hands-on art-making events, and summer art camps. MONA also has periodic art-making classes for adults, usually in the summer. The museum usually participates in Christmas activities put on by downtown Kearney merchants, and has hosted evening fairs where Nebraska artists and artisans sell small art objects.
MONA is host to ARTreach, a program of touring art exhibitions throughout Nebraska. Host organizations pay a nominal fee and are permitted to host an exhibition for four to six weeks. The exhibitions are drawn from the permanent collection, not the rotating exhibitions. Most ARTreach exhibitions are organized around themes, including ''Women Artists from the MONA Collection '', ''Images of Land'', and
Afro Psalms
The afro is a hair type created by natural growth of kinky hair, or specifically styled with chemical curling products by individuals with naturally curly or straight hair.Garland, Phyl"Is The Afro On Its Way Out?" ''Ebony'', February 1973. ...
.
In recent years MONA has also played host to the Reynolds Readers and Writers Series, organized by
Charles Fort
Charles Hoy Fort (August 6, 1874 – May 3, 1932) was an American writer and researcher who specialized in anomalous phenomena. The terms "Fortean" and "Forteana" are sometimes used to characterize various such phenomena. Fort's books sold w ...
. This series brings writers, novelists, and storytellers to Nebraska for public readings and classes. The series is primarily organized and funded by the
University of Nebraska at Kearney
The University of Nebraska at Kearney (UNK) is a campus of the public University of Nebraska system and located in Kearney, Nebraska. It was founded in 1905 as the Nebraska State Normal School at Kearney.
History
In March 1903 the Nebraska Stat ...
, and the visiting artists participate in creative writing classes on campus in addition to their evening readings at the museum.
References
External links
*
Museum of Nebraska Art- official website
{{authority control
University of Nebraska at Kearney
Art museums and galleries in Nebraska
University museums in Nebraska
Museums in Buffalo County, Nebraska
Art museums established in 1976
Museum Of Nebraska Art
The Museum of Nebraska Art (MONA) is the official art museum of the state of Nebraska. The museum is located in Kearney, Nebraska, and is administratively affiliated with the University of Nebraska at Kearney. The official charter of MONA makes ...
Buildings and structures in Kearney, Nebraska
Post office buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Nebraska
Government buildings completed in 1911
National Register of Historic Places in Buffalo County, Nebraska