The Great Plains Art Museum's first exhibit of 2014 will be "The Maximilian-Bodmer Expedition: Travels in the Interior of North America, 1832-1834." The exhibition will run Jan. 2 through Feb. 2.
Visitors to the UNL museum will see Karl Bodmer's vivid reflection of the landscapes, wildlife, frontier settlements and American Indian peoples that he and Prince Maximilian of Wied encountered during their expedition along the Upper Missouri River. Maximilian hired Bodmer for the 2,500-mile expedition with the intent of documenting the landscape and people they saw. They traveled by steam and keelboat up the Missouri River from St. Louis to present day Fort Benton, Mont.
"Bodmer's illustrations are iconic representations of the early-contact Great Plains landscape. To have this entire collection on view together is something I think our audience will really enjoy," curator Amber Mohr said.
A mobile tour — accessible at 402-881-3138 — highlighting 20 artworks in the exhibition will be available. Additionally, an online teacher guide and outreach trunk with educational resources for use in local classrooms will offer a deeper understanding of the 19th-century West.
The exhibit was made possible with support from the Nebraska Arts Council, the Nebraska Cultural Endowment, and the Richard P. Kimmell and Laurine Kimmel charitable Foundation Inc.
The Great Plains Art Museum, 1155 Q St., is open to the public 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 1:30-5 p.m. Sundays (closed Mondays, holiday weekends and between exhibitions). There is no admission charge.
For more information, go to the museum's website, call 402-472-6220 or send e-mail to gpac2@unl.edu.
— Katie Nieland, Center for Great Plains Studies