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Banner for the "Justice and Hope" art exhibition, showing two paintings. The painitng on the left is a lady justice and the painting on the right is a contemporary abstract work. The banner also lists the dates of the exhibition as January 21 - June 28 and social media handles: for Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

Samuel Bak Museum: The Learning Center is a space where art is the gateway to a conversation on human rights, Holocaust education, and genocide. The Spring 2026 exhibition, Justice and Hope, explores how artists Samuel Bak, Dinh Q. Lê, Mladen Miljanović, Serge Nitegeka, and Maja Ruznic use intertwining personal narrative and historical facts to commemorate conflicts and denounce humanity’s inability to forgo violence. The exhibition poses questions on reconciliation and how we might learn from history to build better futures.

Samuel Bak Museum: The Learning Center thanks the following sponsors for their generous support of Justice and Hope and accompanying educational programs and events.

Sponsorship logos including Weitz Family Foundation; Douglas County, Nebraska; The Sherwood Foundation; Shirley & Leonard Goldstein Supporting Foundation; Omaha Steaks; Annette and Paul Smith; Mutual of Omaha; Fran and Rich Juro; The Milton S. and Corinne N. Livingston Foundation Fund; Cynthia Epstein and David Wiesman; and Anonymous.

Join us for free exhibition programming and events at the Samuel Bak Museum this spring.

Exhibition Lecture – Thursday, February 19, 6PM

Art from Trauma: Lessons from Listening to Genocide Survivors in Rwanda

Speaker: Gerise Herdon, Ph.D.

Dr. Herdon will present on the work of memory and the transformative power of language and story to confront trauma and its haunting ability to shape minds and lives across generations. She will share her work of listening to Rwanda genocide survivors and how even in Nebraska we are connected to them, how we choose to acknowledge the human rights violations, and move towards peace and hope.

All Museum programming is FREE and open to the public, but due to limited seating, preregistration is required. RSVP Today!

Exhibition Lecture – Thursday, March 5, 6PM

Bosnia: Who Remembers? Who Denies?

Speaker: Lana Obradovic, Ph.D

This talk explores what it means to commemorate genocide in a society still divided, asking who is allowed to shape collective memory versus challenge it. By focusing on post-1996 Bosnia and Herzegovina, Dr. Lana Obradovic will address who remembers, who resists those memories, and why places like Srebrenica remain central and contested in public history.

All Museum programming is FREE and open to the public, but due to limited seating, preregistration is required. RSVP Today!

K-12 Education

A graphic promotes a K–12 Educator Open House, featuring a chalkboard design with school supplies. Event details list Tuesday, September 16, from 4–7 p.m. Logos for the University of Nebraska at Omaha and the Samuel Bak Museum Learning Center appear at the bottom.

RSVP for the Educator Open House today!

K-12 Education Education Highlight

Students from Papillion South High School’s theater and journalism class recently visited the Museum in preparation for both their spring play, The Diary of Anne Frank, and the spring musical, James and the Giant Peach.

This day of collaboration provided conversations about the art in the exhibition, Suspended in Time: Still Lives and Magic Realism, as well as Samuel Bak's experiences as both an artist and a Holocaust survivor. During the field trip, journalism students interviewed Museum staff and fellow high school students about the experience for the online high school newspaper. Student photographers took pictures of the event and play production students began to design sets for the spring productions. Students enjoyed the chance to engage in cross-curricular activities, and teachers found it to be an impactful trust-building activity for students who work closely together to produce a quality product in a creative environment.

Interested in an engaging K-12 experience? Find out more about our K-12 tour and field trip opportunities.

Two female students, one in a blue plaid shirt and the other in a red shirt, both wearing hijabs stand in an art gallery holding clipboards and pencils. They are looking at a painting on the wall, with other students and art pieces visible in the background.

Request a Field Trip today!

Free Audio Tour

The Museum mobile tour is back, offering a free audio tour available for visitors in English, Spanish, and French. Please bring your headphones and a smart device to scan a QR code at each stop.

Guided Tour Requests

Would you like a Private Guided Tour? Complete the Guided Tour Request Form for more information.

Meeting Reservation Requests

Interested in reserving the Museum Classroom for your next meeting? Read our Reservation Agreement to see if your group is eligible. Complete the Reservation Request Form to get the conversation started. Additional information can be found on the Museum's Meeting and Event Spaces website page.

Featured Events

A Moment of Memorial with Painter Samuel Bak - Tuesday, January 27, 11AM (CST)
Speaker: Samuel Bak

In partnership with Pucker Gallery and Facing History and Ourselves, the Vilna Shul presents an opportunity to join Sam in marking International Holocaust Remembrance Day with this special online program. He will talk through his life and work, sharing how his work illustrates his story, and concluding with the lighting of a yahrzeit (memorial) candle. This is an online only event. RSVP today at visit vilnashul.org!