Open House / Open Studios

Schedule

Subject to change

1–5 PM: Artist Studio Exploration
> 2nd, 3rd, 5th Floors
Meet our Summer 2026 artists-in-residence + view their works in progress.

1–5 PM: All-Ages Art Activity
> Okada Sculpture + Ceramics Facility
Express your own identity through photo collage. Guided by artist Amelia Broussard, participants will insert a photo of themselves into a found material collage, playing with image-making and crafting personal histories. Take a photo while at Bemis, or bring your own photo or other paper memento—a scanner will be available to make copies of your one-of-a-kind items if needed.

1:30: Exhibitions Highlights Tour
> Galleries
Community Experience + Engagement Manager Abby Fogle-Erickson leads a focused thirty-minute tour through key works in the two exhibitions on view.

3 PM: Curator-Led Tour
> Galleries
Chief Curator + Director of Programs Rachel Adams offers an in-depth look at the themes, artists, and ideas that shape the two exhibitions on view.

4 PM: Experimental Music Performance
> LOW END
Composer/sound artist Stacey Barelos and instrument inventor/improviser Jay Kreimer present an experimental performance with invented instruments, piano, and live improvisation. Their work explores sound through material, space, and interaction—creating immersive, unpredictable sonic environments. The performance will feature work recorded during the December 2023 Community Tracks sessions at Bemis Center.

About the Performers
Dr. Stacey Barelos is a composer, sound artist, pianist, and educator whose work spans five continents. Her creative practice centers on experimental music, improvisation, and participatory listening, often incorporating toy pianos, found objects, and multimedia elements. She is the founder and director of Soundry, an Omaha-based experimental music series, and leads Deep Listening Midwest, offering workshops that explore attention, sound, and collaboration. Barelos has released work on several labels including Albany, Centaur, and Blue Griffin, and her performances and residencies include recent appearances in Brazil, Mexico, and across the United States.

Jay Kreimer is an improvising musician, instrument inventor, and sound artist. He performs and leads workshops internationally across North America, Europe, China, and India. His work centers on building and performing original instruments, often from found or local materials, and exploring sound as a process of discovery. Kreimer has collaborated with groups including Seeded Plain, the Mighty Vitamins, Mesa Buoy, and Albert/Day/Kreimer, and frequently works with textile artist Wendy Weiss in interdisciplinary installations. His recent projects include creating sound for a quantum physics experience with Jesse Fleming, Kees Utterwaal, and Shane Bolan. A Fulbright fellow, he documented street wedding bands in Gujarat (2013) and later returned to India (2021) to build instruments from local materials—work featured in the MetaMount film That’s Just It. In 2026, he taught and performed at the CEPT sound program in Ahmedabad and the Indian Sonic Research Organization in Bangalore.

Admission is free; RSVPs are encouraged.