Sheldon Museum of Art to host community conversation March 6

            The Nebraska Humanities Council and Foundation, Sheldon Art Association, and Sheldon Museum of Art at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln will host a reception and community conversation bridging the arts and humanities in the exhibition "Partners and Adversaries: The Art of Collaboration" on March 6 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Sheldon, 12th and R streets.

            The program, "Partners and Adversaries: A Community Conversation in Three Parts," begins at 5:30 p.m. Both the reception and program are free and open to all.

            A panel of experts will facilitate conversations on the risks, rewards, and challenges of government sponsorship of the arts, public art education, and professional collaboration in the arts. The panel will include Shari Hofschire, director of the Center for Innovation in Arts Education at the University of Nebraska at Omaha; Christopher Maly, educator and playwright; Janet Farber, director of the Philip Schrager Collection of Contemporary Art in Omaha; and Michael Krainak, art critic, writer, and educator.

            Drawn largely from Sheldon's permanent collection, "Partners and Adversaries" explores the often productive -- and sometimes contentious -- world of artistic partnerships through various multilayered themes: familial, marital and romantic relationships; the mutually dependent and often difficult relationship between artists and their dealers; the bond between students and teachers; the relationship between artists and the federal government; and the roles of designer and maker, in which artist and fabricator work together to achieve a final result. The exhibition is open through May 27.

            Sheldon Museum of Art houses a permanent collection of more than 12,000 objects focusing on American art. It is open free to the public during regular hours: Tuesday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Wednesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m.; closed Mondays.

            The Nebraska Humanities Council is a statewide nonprofit organization dedicated to enhancing the quality of life in communities across Nebraska through humanities programs that study history, literature, language, and philosophy to understand the past and build a better future for all Nebraskans.

            For more information on "Partners and Adversaries: A Community Conversation in Three Parts," contact the Sheldon Museum of Art, 402-472-2461, www.sheldonartmuseum.org; or the Nebraska Humanities Council, 402-474-2131, www.nebraskahumanities.org.

Writer: Ann Gradwohl