The Joslyn’s dynamic program of exhibitions brings people together to experience art across time and cultures.
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Exhibitions

Eva LeWitt approaches her sculptures and installations with a spirit of experimentation, curiosity, and play. Subtly intervening in a long tradition of abstraction, LeWitt builds upon the pared-down aesthetics of Minimalism and Conceptualism, while offering a rejoinder to art historical conventions about what media are deemed appropriate for fine art. Employing common, industrially-produced materials, such as mesh netting, silicone, and latex, LeWitt masterfully reimagines familiar things. Her whimsical, unexpected objects dismantle viewers’ presuppositions about how such materials can and should function. Responding to light and physical space, LeWitt transforms ceilings, corners, floors, and walls. Her exhibition in The Joslyn’s Riley Contemporary Artists Project Gallery alters how visitors perceive and navigate this space and upends their understanding of the built environment.
Pictured: © Eva LeWitt; Courtesy of the artist, Luhring Augustine, New York, and VI, VII, Oslo. Photographs courtesy Bill Ganzel, Ganzel Group Communications, Inc.

Eva LeWitt approaches her sculptures and installations with a spirit of experimentation, curiosity, and play. Her exhibition in The Joslyn’s Riley CAP Gallery will transform ceilings, corners, floors, and walls to upend visitors’ expectations of the space. 

Eva LeWitt

Ed Ruscha draws inspiration from familiar subjects, including roadside gas stations, consumer products, and commercial logos. Colloquial speech also fascinates him. Rhymes, puns, guttural sounds, and catchphrases are among his signature motifs. Transforming the seemingly mundane into the extraordinary, Ruscha offers a fresh perspective on American vernacular culture.
Born in Omaha in 1937, Ruscha grew up in Oklahoma City, where his family settled in 1941. He moved to Los Angeles in 1956 to study commercial art. After working as a graphic artist for a brief time, Ruscha expanded his practice to encompass drawing, painting, printmaking, photography, and artist’s books.
Ed Ruscha: Paper includes drawings, prints, and photographs from the artist’s recent gift to the Museum. These works, produced over six decades, feature graphics, typefaces, and letterforms rendered in ink, acrylic, pencil, pastel, and gunpowder on paper. A celebration of the artist’s wry use of image and text, this exhibition also highlights his experimentation with diverse media and techniques.
Pictured: Ed Ruscha (American, b. 1937), Standard Station, 1966, 7-color screenprint, 25 5/8 × 40 in. (65.1 × 101.6 cm), Promised gift of Ed and Danna Ruscha, © Ed Ruscha, Photograph © Bill Ganzel, Ganzel Group Communications, Inc.

A celebration of Ed Ruscha’s wry use of text and image and his inventive approach to media and technique, this inaugural exhibition in the Museum’s first dedicated gallery for works on paper features drawings, prints, and photographs from the artist’s recent gift to the Museum. 

Ed Ruscha: Paper

Working at the intersection of cinema, photography, and installation, Clément Cogitore examines ritual, collective memory, and notions of the sacred. Les Indes Galantes takes its title and music from a 1735 opera-ballet by French composer Jean-Philippe Rameau. The fourth and final section of the opera is inspired by a meeting in 1725 between six Native American tribal chiefs and King Louis XV, during which the chiefs performed several traditional dances. Cogitore pairs Rameau’s dramatic Baroque soundtrack with a style of dance born in Los Angeles in the early 1990s known as K.R.U.M.P. Spanning ages, races, and ethnicities, Cogitore’s dancers gather in a circle on a sparsely-lit stage to engage in a “battle,” a common K.R.U.M.P performance format. The filmmaker captures this scene from multiple vantage points—distant observer, audience member, performer—to immerse viewers in this tight-knit dance community.
Pictured: Clément Cogitore (French, b. 1983), Les Indes Galantes, 2017, color video, 6 min. Production: Opéra national de Paris &#8211; 3° scène / Les Films Pélléas. Choreography: Brahim Rachiki, Igor Carouge, Bintou Dembele. Courtesy of the artist, Chantal Crousel Consulting, Paris (FR) and Reinhard Hauff Gallery, Stuttgart (DE)

Working at the intersection of cinema, photography, and installation, Clément Cogitore examines ritual, memory, and notions of the sacred. This film pairs a dramatic Baroque soundtrack with a style of dance born in Los Angeles in the early 1990s known as K.R.U.M.P.

Clément Cogitore: Les Indes Galantes

In the installation Appliqué sur le terrain, Henry Payer views the cultural landscape of present-day Nebraska through the vibrant lens of Indigenous ribbonwork appliqué. This artform involves sewing layers of silk ribbons, cotton, wool, and glass beads to make regalia for special occasions. The distinctive symmetrical patterns reflect kinship, ecological knowledge, and oral histories of various Indigenous communities.
Inspired by The Joslyn’s collection of Karl Bodmer watercolors, Payer created eight appliqué collages that layer Missouri River landscapes, calico fabric, and texts about the colonization of the region. He hand-stitched the designs in the Ho-Chunk appliqué style, called zeenįba hirarucak. Each floral and geometric pattern references historical examples created by Umónhon, Ponca, Ho-Chunk, Pawnee, Ioway, and Otoe-Missouria women, honoring the legacy of artists whose names were not documented. As part of this collaborative project, contemporary artists have generously shared their appliqué stories and regalia.
Pictured: Henry Payer (Ho-Chunk, b. 1986), Omaha, Bellevue Agency, Post of Major Dougherty (After Ancestor Artist), from the series Appliqué sur le terrain, 2024, calico, digital print on polyester fabric, and thread, 36 × 48 in. (91.4 × 121.9 cm), © Henry Payer, Courtesy the artist

Henry Payer views the cultural landscape of present-day Nebraska through the vibrant lens of Indigenous ribbonwork appliqué in a special installation featured in the American galleries. 

Henry Payer: Appliqué sur le terrain

Presented in the Focus Gallery, Seven Art Movements offers a multi-sensory exploration of some of the world’s most famous works of art. The installation represents seven key artistic movements: the Renaissance, the Baroque, Neoclassicism, Impressionism, Post-Impressionism, Art Nouveau, and Expressionism. Custom kinesthetic displays with tactile panels and touch-activated audio make visual knowledge accessible for blind and visually impaired communities and create an immersive experience for all visitors.
This installation was developed by Tactile Images in association with the Nebraska Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired, Getty Images, the National Federation of the Blind, and the Alliance for Inclusive Design and Experiences (AIDE).
Pictured: Courtesy Nebraska Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired

A multi-sensory exploration of some of the world’s most famous works of art, this special installation invites all visitors to move beyond visual appreciation and to engage with subject matter, style, and technique through touch and sound. Tactile Images make visual knowledge accessible for blind and visually impaired communities.

Seven Art Movements

All Aboard: The Railroad in American Art, 1840-1955, explores depictions of trains and train infrastructure in American painting during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. From its emergence as a technological marvel in mid-nineteenth century landscape views to its adoption by artists as a symbol of modern life and industry, the railroad was a significant motif in several major art movements.
Featuring paintings from the Hudson River School to postwar abstraction, the exhibition considers the impact of the railroad on American art through significant works by Albert Bierstadt, Thomas Hart Benton, John Sloan, Georgia O’Keeffe, Jacob Lawrence, George Tooker, Kay Sage, and others. Depictions of rail workers and passengers present trains as spaces for distinct forms of social interaction. Other works illuminate the railroad as an engine of modernity, but also a cause of population displacement, labor struggles, and environmental destruction that changed the fabric of American life, from the urban centers of the East Coast to the Heartland and Pacific Ocean.
All Aboard: The Railroad in American Art, 1840–1955 is organized by Dixon Gallery &amp; Gardens, Joslyn Art Museum, and Shelburne Museum. It is accompanied by an exhibition catalogue.
Pictured: Carl Frederick Gaertner (American, 1898–1952), Swamp Spur, 1944, oil on canvas, 24 × 40 in. (61 × 101.6 cm), The John and Susan Horseman Collection, Courtesy of the Horseman Foundation, © The Estate of Carl Frederick Gaertner courtesy of WOLFS Gallery

From technological marvel to symbol of modern life, trains transformed the landscape and society of the United States. "All Aboard: The Railroad in American Art, 1840–1955" explores the significance of this theme for American painters during an era of US expansion, industrialization, and urbanization. 

All Aboard: The Railroad in American Art, 1840–1955

Drawing on documentary, formalist, and narrative photographic traditions, Alec Soth uncovers the beauty and banality of the human experience. His work has taken him across the world, capturing landscapes, interiors, and people in stunning, large-format photographs. These images, carefully composed and exhibiting remarkable clarity and directness, allow the subjects to be grasped all at once, while their details—gestures, angles, objects—invite sustained attention. An immersive exploration of both the artist’s picture-making and book-making practices, this exhibition transforms The Joslyn’s Riley CAP Gallery into a reading room. Photographs from two recent series, I Know How Furiously Your Heart Is Beating and Advice for Young Artists, hang on the walls. On a table, a selection of the artist’s photo books situates the visitor in a small library. Taken together, the recurring motif of the book and a focus on the spaces we inhabit while reading, turns an often-solitary act into a collective experience.
Pictured: Alec Soth (American, b. 1969), Lauren’s Books, 2023, archival pigment print, image size: 40 × 50 in. (101.6 × 127 cm), sheet size: 45 × 55 in. (114.3 × 139.7 cm), © Alec Soth, Courtesy of the artist and Weinstein Hammons Gallery

Drawing on documentary, formalist, and narrative photographic traditions, Alec Soth uncovers the beauty and banality of the human experience. His exhibition at The Joslyn transforms the Riley CAP Gallery into a reading room, featuring large-format color photographs and a selection of the artist’s photo books.

Alec Soth: Reading Room

Featuring works from The Joslyn’s collection, this exhibition explores more than two centuries of prints produced in Japan. From artists like Katsushika Hokusai and Utagawa Hiroshige, who developed influential styles and techniques during the nineteenth century, to modern practitioners who adapted these traditions, printmaking has long been crucial in shaping the country&#8217;s art and culture.
Among many techniques, woodblock printing (木版画, mokuhanga) became prevalent in Japanese art in the seventeenth century. Under the military government of the Tokugawa clan (1603–1868), Japan experienced an era of economic development, urbanization, and cultural flourishing. Prints depicted scenes of everyday life, folk tales, landscapes, flora and fauna, and they featured all spheres of Japanese society. Described as ukiyo-e, or “pictures of the floating world,” these images gained popularity in the nineteenth century in Europe and North America, where artists and collectors purchased, copied, and imitated them.
In the early 1900s, a woodblock revival led to movements such as Shin-hanga (新版画, &#8220;new prints&#8221;), exemplified in the works of Kawase Hasui and the Yoshida family. Contemporary artists have paid homage to historical prints while reflecting shifts in Japanese society since the Second World War.
Pictured: Katsushika Hokusai (Japanese, 1760–1849), Under the Wave Off Kanagawa, also known as The Great Wave, from the series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji, c. 1830–32, color woodcut on paper, 9 1/2 × 14 3/8 in. (24.1 × 36.5 cm), Gift of the Omaha Public Library, 2021.4.146

From Hokusai to contemporary artists, this exhibition presents two hundred years of Japanese works on paper and explores the impact of printmaking on the country’s art and culture.

The Floating World and Beyond: 200 Years of Japanese Prints

Showcasing the vibrant and diverse artistic communities of the region, Made in the Plains features new and recent work by twenty artists working in Nebraska, Iowa, and South Dakota. While not a comprehensive survey of art being produced here, the exhibition highlights a range of materials and approaches artists engage to respond to the current moment. Universal human themes, including history, landscape, and representation will be explored alongside more contemporary concerns, like climate change, land use, gender norms, bodily autonomy, and geopolitical conflict. Through painting, sculpture, photography, installation, ceramics, and performance, these artists exemplify the creative landscape of the Plains today.
Featured artists include: Wesaam Al-Badry (Lincoln, NE), Jess Bejamin (Omaha, NE); Larry Buller (Lincoln, NE), Andrew Casto (Iowa City, IA), Rachel Cox (Iowa City, IA), T.J. Dedeaux-Norris (Iowa City, IA), Nancy Friedemann-Sánchez (Lincoln, NE), Neil Griess (Omaha, NE), Becky Grismer (Spearfish, SD), Shabnam Jannesari (Hastings, NE), Larassa Kabel (Des Moines, IA), Sarah Rowe (Omaha, NE), Nathaniel Ruleaux (Pine Ridge, SD), Lee Emma Running (Omaha, NE), Angie Seykora (Omaha, NE), Lauren Simpson (Omaha, NE), Francisco Suoto (Lincoln, NE), Christine Stormberg (Omaha, NE), Mallory Wetherell (Kearney, NE), Jave Yoshimoto (Omaha, NE).

Featuring new and recent work by twenty artists, this exhibition celebrates the vibrant and diverse artistic communities of the Plains—Nebraska, Iowa, and South Dakota. 

Made in the Plains

An ambitious and immersive exhibition, Dripping Earth: Cannupa Hanska Luger presents new work by the acclaimed artist. Luger brings his playful and innovative approach to The Joslyn’s renowned collection of watercolors, journals, and archives documenting the North American expedition (1832–34) of the German naturalist Maximilian of Wied and the Swiss artist Karl Bodmer. Employing a vibrant mix of found and repurposed materials, such as afghan blankets and vintage sports equipment, Luger reimagines depictions of his Mandan and Hidatsa ancestors found in Bodmer’s work. Situating visitors within Missouri River landscapes now submerged by colonial damming projects, Luger reveals how such interventions continue to shape the land and its people.
The exhibition expands Luger’s ongoing speculative fiction series, Future Ancestral Technologies, which merges history with futuristic storytelling. Through dramatic lighting, monumental sculpture, and dynamic moving images, Luger plays with scale and perception, transforming the galleries into a world where past, present, and future collide. Dripping Earth features newly created ceramics, video projections, prints, and life-size bison regalia known as the Midéegaadi. Each work challenges conventional narratives, inviting visitors to envision a future where land, identity, and culture are reclaimed and transformed.
Dripping Earth: Cannupa Hanska Luger is organized by the Joslyn Art Museum. It is accompanied by an exhibition catalogue featuring reflections by the artist, community collaborators, knowledge bearers, and curators.
Pictured: Cannupa Hanska Luger, We Survive You—Midéegaadi, Editorial photograph featuring 7 mixed-media buffalo regalia made of repurposed materials, Photograph by Brandon Soder, 2023, Photograph courtesy of the artist and Garth Greenan Gallery, New York City

With this ambitious and immersive exhibition, Cannupa Hanska Luger reimagines historical depictions of Missouri River landscapes and his own ancestors in newly created ceramics, video projections, prints, and monumental sculpture. Luger’s playful and innovative approach invites visitors to envision a future where land, identity, and culture are reclaimed and transformed.

Dripping Earth: Cannupa Hanska Luger

Art, architecture, and a storied history make The Joslyn a premier event venue that your guests will talk about for years to come. Your vision, paired with our one-of-a-kind spaces, equals unforgettable moments. From large celebrations to intimate gatherings, social occasions to business meetings, there is no event quite like a Joslyn event. Explore your options and contact our events staff today to start planning.