Join the conversation or share your experience visiting SBMLC on our social media.

Letter from Hillary Nather-Detisch

Greetings! As warm summer days come to a close, it is hard to believe fall is upon us, and for the Museum that means a new fiscal year and opportunity to continue serving more in our community. I am excited to share with you the community impact and growth of the University of Nebraska at Omaha’s Samuel Bak Museum: The Learning Center. Your support helped us to welcome 6,548 visitors to the Museum this past year. You can find more information about who we serve by reviewing our 2024-2025 community impact report.

As a free-admission public museum based within a university, we are uniquely positioned to provide robust, research-based programming to visitors, offering discovery, conversation, and self-reflection opportunities. Samuel Bak’s paintings demand viewers to first have an emotional relationship to the work of art before exploring the histories and themes he presents. His art encourages you to depart from your initial reaction to consider complex historical situations and question the hows and whys of history. Exposure to learning about history through art, while applying lessons learned through listening to others, is a unique and needed opportunity in today’s environment.

We were grateful to offer an in-person conversation with Samuel Bak at the conclusion of our spring exhibition, War Games. I invite you to view the video “An Afternoon with Bak” available on our website.

I am anxious to welcome you back to the Museum on August 20 with the opening of our fall exhibition Suspended in Time: Still Lives and Magic Realism. The show presents still life works of contemporary artists Ori Gersht, Stephen Namara, and Fidencio Fifield-Perez in conversation with a selection of Samuel Bak’s paintings. I hope you will be able to visit as well as attend one of our many free programs and events.

The Museum’s staff work hard daily to ensure all visitors have an engaging, positive experience – it is a pleasure to work with them. Check out the Museum staff spotlight in this monthly newsletter to learn more about our fabulous, dedicated team members. Please also join me in welcoming Kati Larson to the team, the Museum’s new Director of Education.

Thank you again for your support in the Museum’s important work. I look forward to welcoming you to the Museum!

A medium-shot portrait of a smiling woman with dark hair. She is wearing a dark blue blazer over a blue, black, and white floral-patterned blouse. She stands in an art gallery, with blurred Samuel Bak paintings visible in the background.

Hillary Nather-Detisch, CFRE

Banner for the "Suspended in Time: Still Lives and Magic Realism" art exhibition, showing two paintings. The one on the left is a floral arrangement, and the one on the right is a surreal still life. The banner also lists the dates of the exhibition as August 20 - December 21 and social media handles: @uno_bak on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

Suspended in Time: Still Lives and Magic Realism presents the still life works of artists Ori Gersht (b.1967), Stephen Namara (b. 1953), and Fidencio Fifield-Perez (b.1992) in conversation with a selection of Samuel Bak’s (b.1933) paintings. Historically, still life paintings have allowed artists to reflect upon our human condition through the meticulous depiction of objects, platters of food, flowers, and fruits. Capturing these elements on the cusp of decay, artists commented on the ephemerality of human existence, the vanity of youth, and the dangers of over-indulgence. In these contemporary renderings, each artist blends the personal and the domestic to ponder broader historical and contemporary narratives. This exhibition explores how these artists used their medium to create poetic and fantastical arrangements to question a “known reality” and highlight the impossibility of depicting the world in all its complexities.

Our Exhibition Lecture Series returns this fall!

These monthly one-hour long programs begin at 6 PM on select Thursdays or Saturdays every month. University of Nebraska faculty and national scholars explore themes in the current exhibition on display.

Join us for the following lectures:

Kimberly Minor, PhD - September 18, 6 PM
Torsten Homberger, PhD – October 9, 6 PM
Claudia Garcia, PhD – November 13, 6 PM
Christine Erlander Beard, D.M.A – December 6, 2 PM

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

Samuel Bak Museum: The Learning Center thanks the following sponsors for their generous support of Suspended in Time: Still Lives and Magic Realism and accompanying educational programs and events.

A grid of logos and names of various sponsors, including Douglas County, The Sherwood Foundation, Omaha Steaks, Shirley & Leonard Goldstein Supporting Foundation, Nebraska Arts Council, National Endowment for the Arts, The Milton S. and Corinne N. Livingston Foundation Fund, Valmont, Annette and Paul Smith, Mutual of Omaha, and Cynthia Epstein and David Wiesman.

Museum Team Spotlight

Meet Kati Larson – Director of Education

Kati Larson is the Director of Education for Samuel Bak Museum: The Learning Center where she oversees all K-12 education activities and community outreach programming. Kati has worked in public school education for over 30 years. Most recently, she taught English, World History, and Holocaust Studies while also serving as English Language Arts Department Chair at Lewis & Clark Middle School in Bellevue.

Kati has a deep passion for Holocaust education, which is reflected in her annual participation in the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum’s (USHMM) Arthur and Rochelle Belfer National Conference for Holocaust Education. In 2023, she was selected as a USHMM Museum Teacher Fellow (MTF) for the 2023-2024 class, a two-year professional development experience that recognizes educators who champion high-quality Holocaust education in their state. Through the MTF Program, Kati has served as a lesson reviewer and presenter for USHMM.

Kati sees her role as a Holocaust educator as a profound honor and remains deeply committed to educating future generations about the atrocities of the past and ensuring that the lessons learned continue to resonate for years to come. She believes understanding the past is paramount to building a just future that recognizes the dignity of all people.

A smiling woman with medium length, wavy blonde hair, wearing a maroon round neck sweater with a black blazer and a necklace.

Connect with Kati at katilarson@unomaha.edu or 402.554.6306!

K-12 Education

A brown-bordered graphic advertises a "K-12 EDUCATOR OPEN HOUSE" in stylized, cream-colored font on a dark green chalkboard illustration. The chalkboard also includes drawn chalk lines, a piece of orange chalk, and a pink eraser. Below, in a tan box, larger red-orange text reads "JOIN US ON" above bold, dark blue text stating "TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16" and "BETWEEN 4 - 7 PM". At the bottom, logos for the "UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA AT OMAHA" and the "Samuel Bak Museum The Learning Center" are displayed. Surrounding these central elements are illustrated school supplies: a green and brown pencil sharpener, two green pencils, and a closed notepad.

Calling all K-12 Educators!

K-12 Educators are invited to enjoy an evening of heavy appetizers and refreshments while learning about the fall and spring exhibitions. Meet staff, tour the current exhibit, and access free field trip resources.

RSVP for the Educator Open House today!

Interested in a Field Trip?

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.

Find out more about our K-12 tour field trip opportunities and schedule a tour 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 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.

Featured Events

Eisenberg Gallery to display Aftermath by Israeli Artist, Sam Griffin happening July 30 - August 25

An artist with a kippah paints an abstract work in a large image featuring "AFTERMATH" in white text. This image promotes an art exhibition featuring Israeli artist Sam Griffin at the Eisenberg Gallery at the J in Omaha, NE. The exhibition runs from July 30 to August 25. The event is made possible by several foundations, including the Albert and Eleanor Feldman Family Israel Foundation. The bottom right features logos for "J 100" and "The Jewish Federation." Griffin's work for "Aftermath" grapples with the personal and collective trauma of October 7th.

Aftermath by Israeli artist, Sam Griffin, will be on display in the Eisenberg Gallery at the Staenberg Omaha JCC from July 30th through August 25th. Meet the artist at a series of special events and workshops – RSVP required.

A closing reception will be held on Sunday, August 24 in conjunction with the Staenberg Omaha JCC's 100th Anniversary celebration starting at 3:00 pm – RSVP required.