Grow Omaha
Arts & Culture

Calling Creatives and Culxr House are partnering for the inaugural Calling Creatives Conference this Saturday, August 23rd from 12 noon to 7 p.m. Calling Creatives Conference 2025 is an immersive, one-day event celebrating the talent and stories of local artists, designers, musicians and performers. This event is designed for everyone with a passion for the arts, from budding creators to seasoned professionals. Attendees will dive into hands-on workshops, panel talks and live performances, exploring a variety of creative fields—from fashion and dance to music and visual arts. Whether you’re looking to refine your craft, gain new skills, or connect with other creatives, Calling Creatives offers an inclusive space where all artistic expressions are celebrated.

Nebraska Arts Council launched a Creative District Poster Series with Flatwater Free Press in 2024. Artists were selected from highlighted districts to create an original artwork that celebrates the distinct cultural identities that make their communities truly special.

2024 posters for sale are: Ashland, Benson, McCook, Columbus, and Lincoln.

2025 posters for sale are: Chadron, Omaha, and Norfolk.

This year, two additional artworks were added to the project that celebrate Nebraska but are not tied to a Creative District. These works are created by Reyna Hernandez and Sarah Rowe.

Unity Fest returns with even more vibrancy and cultural pride this year on Saturday, August 30, from 7 to 10 p.m. at Gene Leahy Mall Pavilion downtown. This spectacular evening of community, culture and music—with CeeLo Green, a five-time Grammy Award winner, taking the stage as this year’s headliner, along with featured performers Marcos Eduardo’s Latino Music Explosion, Chad Stoner Band, Enjoli and Timeless, DJ Chain and host Felicia Casher.

Unity Fest 2025 is presented by Freedomtainment in collaboration with Casa de la Cultura – South Omaha, and proudly supported by Google, the City of Omaha, Nebraska Furniture Mart and other local partners.

Film Streams will screen the 1992 classic A League Of Their Own on Monday, August 25th at Builders Green, as part of their Film Streams On The Green outdoor film series. The free screening begins at 8:00 p.m.

The Omaha Symphony’s 2025/26 Season is upon us. Patrons can now purchase individual tickets to any of the 53 performances scheduled for the 2025/26 Omaha Symphony season. Series subscriptions and Create Your Own Season Ticket Packages are still available for purchase throughout the season.

Omaha Symphony performances are categorized into series which include Masterworks, Symphony Joslyn, LIVE with the Omaha Symphony, the Family Series, the annual Choral Collaborative program in partnership with area high schools, and a new concert series at the Cathedral.

For ticketing information, contact Ticket Omaha at 402-345-0606, or visit omahasymphony.org.

The Omaha Conservatory of Music assures their supporters that the String Sprouts program is not going away, and they are currently accepting applications for the upcoming school year. While funding is less stable, they care about the investment and time in music education and still plan to continue serving 850 to 900 Sprouts students effectively and sustainably.

KANEKO’s membership drive ends on Friday, August 15th. With only days remaining until August 15th, now is your final chance to join the KANEKO community and receive your exclusive stuffed tanuki companion. More than just a charming keepsake, your membership opens the door to year-round access to visionary exhibitions, behind-the-scenes artist talks, hands-on workshops, and a vibrant community of art lovers and creative minds.

BFF Omaha’s PETFEST 2025 is this Saturday, August 16th. From punk to pop to experimental noise, PETFEST features the region’s most talented, brilliant, incredible, amazing, show-stopping, spectacular, never-the-same, totally unique, completely-not-ever-been-done-before music you’ll ever experience at a one-day festival. Every ticket sold directly supports year-round arts programming, emerging artists and creative opportunities in the Benson Creative District.

Lauritzen Gardens has a sculpture exhibit starting on Sunday, August 17, called La Calavera Catrina. Discover the rich history and iconography of La Catrina, one of the most recognizable figures of Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), through eight larger-than-life skeleton sculptures by Los Angeles artist Ricardo Soltero. An elegant female skeleton and an icon of Mexican heritage, La Catrina approaches death not through sadness, but as a colorful celebration of life. See these colorful and joyful works, with accompanying signage in both English and Spanish.

Omaha Performing Arts has added two events to the performance calendar:

The Ozark Mountain Daredevils come to Steelhouse Omaha on Saturday, Sept. 20 at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $39.45 and are on sale now through steelhouseomaha.com.

Ledisi brings The Crown Tour to Steelhouse Omaha on Thursday, Nov. 13 at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $53.60 and go on sale on Friday, Aug. 15 at 10 a.m. through steelhouseomaha.com.

Congratulations the following awardees of the State’s Arts Awards, given out by the Nebraska Arts Council:

Access to Arts

• WhyArts, Inc., Omaha
• Ruth Davidson Hahn, Lincoln

Excellence in Arts Education

• Cody Talarico, Bellevue
• Lorinda Rice, Lincoln

Leadership in the Arts

• Gretchen Peters, Gering
• Audrey Kauders, Kearney

Heritage Award

• Whiteclay Makerspace, Lincoln
• Bluebird Cultural Initiative, David City

Organizational Achievement

• International Quilt Museum, Lincoln
• Bone Creek Museum of Agrarian Art, David City

Outstanding Artist

• Daniel Martinez, Lincoln
• Sarah Rowe, Omaha

Thomas C. Woods III Partner in the Arts

• Mid-America Arts Alliance, Kansas City, MO

The Leonard Thiessen Award

• Rich Vierk, Lincoln

The biennial awards program is Nebraska’s premier event in recognizing individuals and organizations that shape our state’s artistic landscape. The impact of the arts, and these honorees, is felt in the classroom, the economy, and the community.

Film Streams’ Feature event is coming back for the first time since 2019, and they are thrilled to announce that Academy Award-winning filmmaker Spike Lee, cultural icon and a defining figure in American cinema for over three decades, will be the special guest for Feature 9, the latest fundraising event in support of our nonprofit’s mission and programs.

Mark your calendars, Feature returns on Sunday, November 16 at the Holland Performing Arts Center.

The Omaha Community Playhouse has announced the opening of The River Bride, a hauntingly beautiful love story steeped in Brazilian folklore, opening August 15 and running through September 14, 2025 in the Howard Drew Theatre. Performances are Thursdays – Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m.

Written by Marisela Treviño Orta and directed by Alex Rodriguez, The River Bride blends myth, romance, and mystery in a poetic tale set along the Amazon River. The play follows two sisters in a Brazilian fishing village whose lives are forever changed when a mysterious stranger is pulled from the river—setting off a chain of events that challenge love, loyalty, and destiny.

The Durham Museum has announced a new coffee table book, entitled Ak-Sar-Ben: Looking Back & Leading Onward, which captures more than a century of Ak-Sar-Ben’s influence on Nebraska through parades, pageantry, philanthropy and progress. Produced in partnership with the Aksarben Foundation and the museum’s On Track Guild, the book is a visual and narrative journey featuring hundreds of rarely seen photographs and newly uncovered stories, all made possible by The Durham’s commitment to preserving Nebraska’s rich cultural heritage.

Omaha Performing Arts has added two new events to the performance calendar:

Creole + Cocktails, a special dining event, will be offered in Zinc at the Holland Center on Friday, Aug. 15 at 6 p.m. Tickets are $85 per person and are on sale now through opentable.com.

Tyler Hubbard comes to Steelhouse Omaha on Saturday, Sept. 13 at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $52.30 and go on sale Friday, Aug. 1, at 10 a.m. through steelhouseomaha.com.