Great Plains Art Museum hosts youth art exhibitions

The Great Plains Art Museum is offering two exhibitions of artworks created by students in the Lincoln Public Schools Visual Arts Mentoring Program and Omaha Public Schools. The exhibitions run April 5-21 with a public reception from 5 to 7 p.m. April 5.

"This is the Visual Arts Mentoring Program's 15th year, and our 10th year partnering with the Great Plains Art Museum for an exhibition venue," said Tina Spomer, program facilitator. "It is very powerful for the young artists to create and direct their own work knowing it will hang in the professional atmosphere of the Great Plains Art Museum."

The program invites applications from elementary school children gifted in the visual arts. Selected students are partnered with an artist mentor who works with the student two hours per week.

This popular returning exhibition will be paired with artwork from Omaha Public School students, ages 8 to 18, who learned traditional teepee painting in the styles of the Omaha, Lakota and Ponca tribes. Artist Steven A. Tamayo led the workshop at the Therman Statum Studios in partnership with Tami Maldonado of the Omaha Public Schools Native American Indian Education Program, and sponsored by The Kaneko Foundation. Three full-sized painted canvas lodges will be on display with related artworks displayed within.

For more information, go to http://www.unl.edu/plains/gallery/gallery.shtml or call 402-472-6220.