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STATEMENT OF PURPOSE — As an extension of the Center for Great Plains Studies, the Great Plains Art Museum collects, preserves, exhibits, and interprets art and literature that cultivate awareness of and engagement with the diverse people, cultures, and natural environments of the Great Plains.
In 1980, Dr. John and Elizabeth Christlieb of Bellevue, Neb., donated their collection of Western art and literature to the Center for Great Plains Studies and established an endowment for the collection’s care and maintenance. In 1981, the Christlieb Collection of Western Art (later called the Great Plains Art Collection) opened to the public on the second floor of UNL’s Love Library. In late 2000, the Center and the Great Plains Art Collection came together in the same building—Hewit Place—located in downtown Lincoln on the corner of 12th and Q streets, and the Great Plains Art Collection was renamed the Great Plains Art Museum.
Since the Christliebs’ founding donation, many generous patrons have made significant contributions that have expanded the Museum’s collection to encompass larger Great Plains themes, such as the landscape, environment, and Indigenous art and culture. Each year, the Museum organizes six to eight exhibitions that express the diverse voices of the Plains and highlight the permanent collection as well as local and regional artists. Key Museum programs include the annual Elizabeth Rubendall Artist-in-Residence Program, which brings an artist to Lincoln to lead educational programming for the public and student groups, and Contemporary Indigeneity, a juried show featuring Native artists from across the Great Plains.
The Museum is open to all and always free. Learn more about visiting the Museum here, and reach out to our staff with questions at 402-472-6220 or at gpam@unl.edu.