Open House / Open Studios

The ultimate behind-the-scenes Bemis experience! Go beyond the galleries to discover Bemis’s upper floors, where you can visit with artists-in-residence to see their studios and view their works in progress. You'll also be able to participate in a hands-on art activity, attend a live experimental music performance, and more!

Schedule

Subject to change

11 AM: Exhibition galleries open

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

1–5 PM: All-ages art activity
> Presentation space
Express your own identity in a photo collage art activity guided by artist Amelia Broussard. Visitors of all ages are invited to insert a photo of themselves into a found material collage, playing with image-making and crafting personal histories. Bring your own photo, or other paper memento, or take a photo at Bemis. A scanner will be available to make copies on one-of-a-kind items if needed.

1:30: Exhibition Highlights Tour
> Galleries
Join Bemis Center's Community Experience + Engagement Manager Abby Fogle-Erickson for a tour of the exhibitions on view, Miatta Kawinzi: An Alphabet of Unfolding and MOTHER TIME: Measuring ourselves within the landscape.

3 PM: Curator-Led Tour
> Galleries
Join Bemis Center's Chief Curator + Director of Programs Rachel Adams for a tour of the exhibitions on view, Miatta Kawinzi: An Alphabet of Unfolding and MOTHER TIME: Measuring ourselves within the landscape.
> Galleries

4 PM: Experimental Music Performance
> LOW END
Performance by Community Tracks program alum: Stacey Barelos with Jay Kreimer.

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. (featuring work recorded during the December 2023 Community Tracks sessions.)

Artist Bios

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.

5 PM: Exhibition galleries close

Admission is free; RSVPs are encouraged.