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Earlier this spring, Visit Nebraska announced 70 new stops in the 2026 Nebraska Passport program. The Passport encourages Nebraskans and out-of-state visitors to explore the state’s hidden gems while supporting tourism destinations and local businesses. Travelers can collect stamps from participating attractions from May 1 through Sept. 30 and earn prizes based on the number of stops they visit.

Passport booklets are available at participating locations, including Bone Creek Museum, beginning May 1. Participants are also encouraged to download the Nebraska Passport App for the option of collecting digital stamps.

Exhibition — “Kristine Allphin: Cultivate”

Now through Sept. 6, the museum is presenting “Cultivate,” a batik exhibition featuring large-format works painted on paper by Nebraska artist Kristine Allphin. Inspired by the theme of cultivation, the exhibition showcases Allphin’s distinctive style, craftsmanship, and background in illustration and composition.

Allphin works and teaches from her studio in Hastings, Nebraska. She was featured in the April 2016 issue of Art and Architecture Magazine as an emerging artist to watch and has received numerous Best of Show awards in juried competitions. Her work has been acquired by corporations, hospitals, international private collectors, and film productions.

Art Class — Batik Workshop

Allphin will also teach a one-day batik workshop July 25 at the museum in David City. Registration is currently open through the museum’s website.

Exhibition — “America the Beautiful”

Opening May 23 and continuing through Nov. 15, “America the Beautiful: Commemorating the Countries 250th Anniversary” brings works from the museum’s permanent collection into dialogue with one of the nation’s most beloved patriotic ballads.

Bringing together history, art, and agrarian heritage, the exhibition explores themes of landscape, innovation, and national identity while honoring both the nation’s past and its enduring promise for the future.

Event — Summer Art Fair

On June 20 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Bone Creek Museum will transform its galleries into a summer art market featuring regional artists, handcrafted goods, and original artwork for sale. Visitors can also enjoy the museum’s coffee bar and its signature “What’s the Scoop?” ice cream.

Exhibition — “John Spence: Cowboys and Indians”

Visitors will also have the opportunity to explore the whimsical imagination of John C. Spence in “Cowboys and Indians.” Spence’s recent work moves beyond photography into sculpture and assemblage, examining familiar stereotypes of the American West through playful and imaginative forms.

Art Class — Photography Workshop for 4-H Students

Bone Creek Museum is partnering with the 4-H Extension Offices of Butler and Colfax counties to offer a photography workshop for students led by RJ Kern of Minnesota. Participants will build pinhole cameras and create original photographs in a darkroom setting. Student work will be displayed at their respective county fairs later this summer.

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Bringing together history, art, and agrarian heritage, the exhibition explores themes of landscape, innovation, and national identity while honoring both the nation’s past and its enduring promise for the future.

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Perfect for participants with no artistic background or experience, this workshop is also loved by quilters, weavers, crafters, and artists.

Explore the rich possibilities and creative expression within this ancient art form. You’ll learn traditional dyeing techniques on muslin fabric using professional dyes, fixatives, tjanting tools, and molten wax. Step by step, you’ll complete several two-color batik paintings while mastering the process.

Kristine’s background in illustration and composition lends a distinctive style, refined sensitivity, and exceptional craftsmanship to her batik art. Her work has earned numerous awards and has been exhibited widely. In April 2016, she was featured in Art and Architecture Magazine as an emerging artist to watch. Her pieces have been acquired for Hollywood film sets, corporate spaces, hospitals, and private collections across the globe—including in Canada and Sri Lanka.

Workshop Registration

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The Unchosen Ones video links

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In Gallery 3 – Bone Creek viewers will be able to explore the whimsical imagination of Lincoln, Nebr. artist John C. Spence. He has been on a journey for a number of years now away from photography and into the creation of small sculpture and assemblages that explore common stereotypes of the Wild West.

He writes, “This exploration may include glorification or celebration on either side of a conflict situation. Who is telling the story and from what point of view? Please bear in mind that humor and playfulness are meaningful ingredients in any serious inquiry. Amplifying and enjoying differences can be visually and intellectually rewarding.”

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Internationally recognized batik artist from Hastings is preparing a special large scale agrarian exhibition for Bone Creek viewers around the theme of cultivation. Early in her contemplation of the theme, she wrote, “It’s amazing how we move from moment to moment and are always changing. How quickly time moves and we can only really see the change as we move into new seasons. The abundance we enjoy was cultivated in the past and all the rewards we find in the future are cultivated today. We find this wisdom in the signs prevalent in nature, in ancient texts and even within time and space.”

“When I’m invited to prepare a solo exhibition, the aspect I enjoy the most is the contemplation and preparation.  My artists friend will tell you that preparing the story or theme for an exhibition is half the journey.  Once that is sorted through, the rest is simply creating the images that represent the purpose of the exhibition.”

She is busy preparing this work as well as working with museum staff to hosting a workshop in 2026.

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I often return to the idea of sense of place—how it roots us in our past and shapes our present. In many exhibitions, I explore ways to invite viewers to reflect on their own sense of place, using it as a lens through which to experience the art.

Our latest exhibition in the Contemporary Gallery revisits this familiar theme, sparked by a recent and significant addition to our collection: a portrait of an unknown Native American chief by Clarence Ellsworth (1885–1961). This evocative work becomes a focal point in a broader selection of pieces from our permanent collection, including artworks that reflect on Indigenous presence, pioneer expansion, and the evolving narratives of the American West.

Together, these works reflect the complex and often conflicting narratives of westward expansion—a period that profoundly reshaped the nation’s identity. During this era of transformation, Native peoples endured the dislocation of traditions and land, while settlers stepped into unfamiliar territories in search of opportunity—each confronting an uncertain future.

Little more than a century after Lewis and Clark’s expedition, settlers and explorers were forging into lands already deeply inhabited and culturally rich—lands too often seen as empty or available. This exhibition invites viewers to reflect on the consequences of that expansion, and to consider home, belonging, and displacement as lived experiences—not only of the past, but also through the imaginative power of art.

We are grateful to the Museum of Nebraska Art for the opportunity to exhibit additional works by Clarence Ellsworth, and remain committed to strengthening the educational context around our permanent collection.

By Amanda Guenther, Curator

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Bone Creek Museum of Agrarian Art of David City, Nebraska, was closed for only four short months to move from its original location to a newly renovated historic building at 312 North 5^th Street. The grand reopening on Saturday, April 12, boasted a standing-room-only crowd in attendance gathered in the front multi-purpose room, which originally served as the vehicle showroom of the Ford Motor Co. assembly plant. There were 450 people present throughout the day’s festivities, which included a ribbon cutting by the Nebraska Department of Economic Development director, remarks by state senators, gallery tours, hands-on crafts, and a live painting demonstration by Texas artist V….Vaughan.

The morning’s program opened with brief remarks by the museum’s board president, Ruth Thoendel, who was also an integral part of the capital campaign leadership team. “We are so thankful to everyone who has helped make this possible,” she said. “Even with the success of our campaign, there are projects that we weren’t able to finance and we still need public support.” Architect Ryan Cameron of CMBA Architects of Des Moines commented that this project has been especially close of his heart because he is a native of David City and recognized many faces in the crowd.

Nebraska’s DED director, K.C. Belitz shared some celebratory remarks before cutting the ribbon. He said, Nebraskans so often have their heads down, working hard to accomplish their goals. When those goals are met, it’s important to pause and celebrate. Tomorrow we can get back to work, but today we celebrate, he said. Many museum patrons from out-of-state joined the local supporters to get a first glimpse at the new building and celebrate its completion. 

Bone Creek Museum of Agrarian Art opened in 2008 with a specialized focus on art of the land. It is the only Agrarian Art museum in the nation. Remarks by guest speakers boasted the local pride of having the attraction as an asset to increase tourism. The museum serves as the cornerstone of Destination David, a creative district designated by the Nebraska Arts Council.

Expansion of the museum was a concept for 10 years, an active fundraising campaign for four years, and a construction project for less than 24 months. The project’s contractors received top awards from the Associated Builders and Contractors of Nebraska/South Dakota just this month in the Historical Renovation/Restoration category for projects under $25 million. Cheever’s renovation of the 1917 historic Ford Building was well under the competition’s category limit, at approx. $5 million. The team received two other awards for the execution and coordination of the HVAC system and the advanced lighting system.

The museum’s board of directors intentionally preserved some of this building’s interesting history. Grandfather of Joyce C. Hall (founder of Hallmark cards) owned the David City lots as a livery stable before selling to build the Ford dealership. The large brick building was an assembly plant and showroom for Model- T Ford automobiles. But like so many buildings in small towns, it had become vacant in recent decades and fallen into disrepair. Preserving a history of place is in keeping with the mission of the organization’s local founders. CMBA architects retained the historic design of the front lobby with the original tile floors, solid woodwork and period light fixtures. There is also a Ford automobile on permanent display in tribute to the building’s history. This particular 1923 Model-T was believed to have been the very first four-door model T sedan to have been assembled onsite and sold from the showroom.

Now the 1917 structure has been remodeled as a world-class art museum, preserving the character and charm that has grounded this corner of town, just off the city square, for more than 100 years. Some of the features of the new building include five galleries, two classrooms, and a small theatre. “There is no underestimating the impact of this building on the activities of the museum. We now have dedicated spaces for artist talks and receptions, proper spaces for receiving and storing the growing collection, and room to host in-house art workshops,” said collections manager Gabrielle Comte.

Bone Creek Museum of Agrarian Art’s mission is to connect people to the land through art. With each exhibition, Bone Creek Museum consistently captures a theme that is very challenging and compelling to the contemporary arts conversation. They have joined the conversation about farming, past, present and future, with creative expression that culminates in an emotional response from the viewer. The art becomes a tool for discussion and simultaneously a means to its own end. They are paving their own way forward to tell the timeless but unique stories of agriculture and Agrarian Art in America and across the world.

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Gallery 2

Prior to making beautiful black and white photographs on traditional large format 8×10 plates, Charles was Dr. Charles Guildner, M.D., anesthesiologist and UNMC alumnus. He retired from the medical profession in 1987 and took up a new career creating portraits which document Americans steeped in very traditional practices of living off the land.

“Many of these lifestyles are shrinking in numbers. So it is interesting to find people whose lives seem grounded in tradition, who find their vitality in long standing ways of living,” he said in a 2007 article for UNMC Today.

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