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June with Bak: The Last Chance to Visit War Games

This month, we delve deeper into War Games with an opportunity to hear from the artist himself! Join us for live virtual conversation with Samuel Bak, engage young minds with our "Bak to Basics" chess events, and connect with us at the Omaha Art Fair. Discover programs designed to spark conversation and reflection, all centered around the War Games exhibition, which you'll want to experience before it closes on June 29!

June Programs & Events

Omaha Art Fair – June 6 - 8 

Samuel Bak Museum: The Learning Center is a participating sponsor in the Omaha Art Fair in Aksarben Village. Visit our tent right outside the Museum at 2289 South 67th Street to engage in art making activities designed for all!

The Museum will be open extended hours during the festival:

Friday, June 7 from 10 am to 6 pm

Saturday, June 8 from 10 am to 6 pm

Sunday, June 9 from 10 am to 4 pm

Exhibition Lecture – Saturday, June 14 2:00 PM 
An Afternoon with Samuel Bak

Samuel Bak will join Chief Curator Alexandra Cardon via a live Zoom conversation to discuss the Museum’s current exhibition War Games, including Bak's 2024 series Tools of the Trade. This in-person program will include an in-depth look at how Bak’s works represent his fears for children whose lives and futures are destroyed by war while providing hope through his unending belief in humanity’s ability to mend and bring peace. After the 50-minute conversation, there will be a Q & A session. This is a FREE event, but preregistration is required.

Bak to Basics: Chess for All Ages - Sunday, June 15 & June 29 1:00 PM

Join us for a family friendly introductory chess program. This youth program is for ages 10 and above to learn about chess and magical realism in Samuel Bak’s paintings. Participants will engage in a brief history of chess followed by a lesson on how to play chess. This program is designed for beginning players and seasoned chess players who enjoy helping others learn. This is a FREE event, but preregistration is required.

All SBMLC programming is FREE and open to the public, but preregistration is required. RSVP Today!

War Games explores how Samuel Bak relates his childhood experiences - from his direct renderings of the Holocaust in his watercolors from 1945 to 1948 - to a selection of his contemporary paintings and drawings. Through the presentation of toys and game pieces, Bak draws our attention to the realities of childhoods spent in zones of conflict and how children are pawns used by warring parties. The exhibition has one gallery room dedicated to historic and contemporary instances of children human rights violations. The final room of the exhibition showcases Mr. Bak’s 2024 series Tools of Trade. These works represent his fears for children whose lives and futures are destroyed by war and the escalation of violence in the Middle East. As much as he mourns this age of destruction, he also depicts his unending belief in humanity’s ability to mend and his hope that somehow peace and reason will triumph.

Exhibition funding generously sponsored by:

Samuel Bak Museum education and operational support provided by:

Museum Team Spotlight

Meet Lauren Ellett – SBMLC Student Worker

Hi, I’m Lauren! I’m a junior at UNO getting my bachelor’s in Studio Art with a K-12 Certification. My plan is to become an art educator in a school classroom or museum setting. Sharing the transformative powers of art with young people is something that’s very important to me. I absolutely love helping with field trips at the museum! Another thing I really love about working at SBMLC is being surrounded by so much incredible art and knowledge. Every day I get to learn from and be inspired by not only the work of Samuel Bak, but also the amazing team at the Bak Museum. I’m so proud to be able to contribute to something I feel passionate about. A few other facts about me are that I love to travel, paint with watercolor, and I speak two languages, English and Mandarin. 
Favorite Piece: My favorite piece by Bak is Etruscan Still Life. I am drawn to this piece because of how it visually ties back to another story in history. I really appreciate the way Bak subtly weaves historical references into his work, as if he is leaving hidden messages for the viewer to discover. That layering of meaning is one of the things I love most about his art.

Favorite Piece: My favorite piece by Bak is Etruscan Still Life. I am drawn to this piece because of how it visually ties back to another story in history. I really appreciate the way Bak subtly weaves historical references into his work, as if he is leaving hidden messages for the viewer to discover. That layering of meaning is one of the things I love most about his art.

Free Audio Tour

The Museum offers 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 SBMLC 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.