UNL's Love Library to host Asian artifacts from Lentz Collection

            The University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Love Library will host a three-year exhibition, "The Lentz Collection: Celebrating the Diverse Cultures and Artistic Traditions of Asia."

         The display will be in a new exhibit area in the east reading room on the second floor of Love South, 13th and R streets, opening 5-8 p.m. Feb. 6 when Love Library will participate in Lincoln's First Friday Art Walk for the first time.

         The exhibit showcases a small selection of 34 unique artifacts from the collection of the Lentz Center for Asian Culture. Don and Velma Lentz and the University of Nebraska Foundation established the Lentz Center in 1984. Don Lentz (1908-87) was a faculty member and director of UNL bands from 1937 to 1973. He developed an interest in Asian music which he researched on trips to Asia. His research led to a passion for collecting a significant collection of Asian art and artifacts. The purpose of the collection was, and continues to be, recognition of the rich and varied cultures within Asia and to foster an appreciation for its many diverse cultures. Over the years, many alumni and donors contributed gifts of Asian art and artifacts to grow the Lentz Center's collection.

            In addition to the main exhibit, there are two other exhibits in Love Library on the second floor of Love South and Love North: "Selected Ceramics and Books from the Lentz Collection" through March 27, and "Nature Through Art" by the Great Plains Chapter of the Guild of Natural Science Illustrators, through March 13.

            All exhibits are open and accessible during the hours Love Library is open (see http://libraries.unl.edu/hours).

Writer: Joan Barnes, University Libraries