Upcoming Events
Summer 2022 Public Events
All events are free to attend and open to the public. Materials provided for workshops. Contact the local library or arts center or park for venue questions. To schedule your own author visit or origami workshop, contact info (at)LindaStephen.com or call landline at 402-483-0747.
Wednesday June 1, 2-3 p.m. – Verdigre Public Library – Origami Workshop for ages 3 to 93
- Author/illustrator storytime and Oceans of Possibilities – with Paper!
- 101 E. 3rd Verdigre, Nebraska. Tel: 402-668-2677
- http://verdpublib.weebly.com/
Thursday June 2, 10:30 -11:30 a.m. – Creighton Public Library
Thursday June 9, 6-8 p.m. – Schuyler Public Library
Saturday June 18, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. – Lincoln Arts Festival,
Sunday June 19, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. – Lincoln Arts Festival, Canopy Street in the Railyard, downtown Lincoln, Nebraska
- Eco-art activity all day: Make & take easy origami
- Creating collaborative community art all day – Rainbow of Possibilities
- Stop by for 3 minutes or 30 minutes to fold flowers and butterflies to celebrate all the peoples and talents of Lincoln
- Join nationally award-winning artist Linda Stephen in creating “Rainbow of Possibilities,” a community collaborative artwork that will come to life through the two days of the Lincoln Arts Festival.
- Through the work of many hands, we will create a pollinator garden of flowers and butterflies. Each person stopping by the Linda Stephen Origami Art booth will have the opportunity to contribute a paper flower or butterfly creation to the rainbow garden.
- All ages and abilities are welcome to participate. There are five different origami pieces to fold. The simplest has three folds and can be done by most three-year-olds with help.
- https://www.facebook.com/events/682012649569722/682012656236388
Tuesday June 21, 10:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. – Raymond A. Whitwer Tilden Public Library, Tilden, Nebraska
- 10:30 a.m. – author/illustrator reading “The Day We Went to the Park” & easy origami
- 11:30 a.m.– Origami art and the possibilities of paper
- 202 South Center St. Tilden, Nebraska
- (402) 368-5306
Tuesday June 21, 1:30 p.m. – Norfolk Public Library, Norfolk, Nebraska
- Oceans of Possibilities – author/illustrator reading & origami time
- 308 W. Prospect Ave. Norfolk, Nebraska
- (402) 844-2100
Tuesday June 21, 4:30 p.m. – Lied Pierce Public Library, Pierce, Nebraska
- Easy Origami, Oceans of Possibilities
- (402) 329-6324
- 207 W. Court St., Pierce, Nebraska
Thursday June 30, 10:30-11:30 a.m. – Wahoo Public Library, Wahoo, Nebraska
- Author/illustrator visit & easy origami, summer reading program
- 637 N. Maple St., Wahoo, Nebraska
- (402) 443-3871
Thursday July 7, 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. – Plattsmouth Public Library, Plattsmouth, Nebraska
- 10 a.m. – Storytime – Author visit and easy origami for “The Day We Went to the Park”
- See original origami illustrations for Linda’s origami picture book
- 11 a.m. – Beyond the Beaten Path — Exploring origami and the possibilities of paper (presentation + hands-on origami creation for ages 8+)
- (402) 296-4154
- 401 Avenue A, Plattsmouth, Nebraska
Saturday July 30, 10 – 11 a.m. – Homestead National Historic Park, Beatrice, Nebraska
- Every Kid in the Park – author/illustrator and easy origami
- Located at the education building, which is about 3/4 mile west and down the hill from the Homestead museum. Either drive on the road (2 minutes) or walk/run west along the north prairie path (15 minutes).
- See origami art illustrations for picture book The Day We Went to the Park and origami art inspired by the prairies and schoolhouse at Homestead National Historic Park
August 22-September 29 – “Made in Japan?” group art exhibit at Artworks of Big Rapids
- Opening reception: Sunday August 28 at 1 p.m. including paper artist Linda Stephen
- Origami workshops in late August – tbd (easy origami + Japanese papers and paper arts)
- Open most days 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
- Artworks, 106 N. Michigan Ave. Big Rapids, Michigan 49307
- (231) 796-2420
- http://www.artworksinbigrapids.org/
I will be signing books 11:15 a.m. -noon – “The Day We Went to the Park” picture book.
Meet Nebraska and Iowa children’s book and young adult authors all day at The Bookworm Omaha bookstore in Central Omaha. See my original art illustrations – and how to make an origami caterpillar. Author signing schedule here.
Support local authors and a local bookstore. Meet and greet with authors — 4 to 12 authors per hour (rotating every 15 minutes).
The Bookworm Omaha, 2501 S. 90th St., Suite 111, Omaha, Nebraska. Call (402) 392-2877 for details.
Community Unfolding in Minden
Origami landscape by Linda Stephen for the Minden Opera House. Collaborative art with participation by ages 5 to 95.
Copyright 2021
“Community Unfolding in Minden”
Art Unveiling
December 10, 2021, 6:30 p.m.
Where: Gallery, Minden Opera House, 322 E. 5th St., Minden, Nebraska, just 12 miles south of I-80 exit 279. Tel: 308-832-0588; Web site: MindenOperaHouse.com
- Free and open to the public. Light refreshments. Masks recommended.
- Stay (with tickets) to see acapella singers “The Flyovers” at 7:30 p.m.!
- Shop for gifts – origami earrings, cards, ornaments & more
- Free parking in the Minden courthouse square. The opera house is on the north side of the square.
“Community Unfolding in Minden” is the culmination of a project that the Minden Opera House commissioned in February. In March and April, Linda conducted origami workshops with Minden residents ages 5 to 95 including Minden Public School students, Bethany Home residents, Jensen Memorial Library patrons, community members and beyond who made street bricks and snow piles. The art creation and assembly took 5 months and is made entirely from folded and layered papers.
The scene features the Kearney County Courthouse square, in downtown, Minden, Nebraska, which has been lit with thousands of lights each winter since 1915.
This piece is a reminder of how Minden came together during COVID-19 and the many hands and talents that make a place thrive. “Community Unfolding in Minden” is 37″ x 42″ x 2″ and will be on permanent display at MOH, thanks in part from the support of the Arthur Klinkacek Community Enrichment Fund of the Kearney Area Community Foundation.
TIME LAPSE YouTube Video: “Community Unfolding in Minden” Watch 5 months of origami art construction in 59 seconds!
Saturday July 31, 10 -11 a.m.
Education Center, Homestead National Park, 8523 West State Highway 4, Beatrice, Neb.
Free and open to the public
Details
Join past National Park Service artist in residence Linda Stephen for a special “Kids in the Park” event.
The Education Center is about 1/2 mile west of the Homestead Park museum – accessible by car (or by foot on trails through the prairie).
Time: 10 a.m. – 11 a.m.
FREE
Ages: Program designed for ages 6-12. Families welcome.
Program: Reading origami picture book “The Day We Went to the Park” followed by an outdoor exploratory walk and indoor origami craft time to fold paper into butterflies or caterpillars.
Art exhibit: See a few of the original illustrations for picture book “The Day We Went to the Park” — hundreds of origami sculptures.
Presenter: Origami artist, author and illustrator Linda Stephen, a former artist in residence at Homestead National Park.
Signed book: Signed copies of the picture book at TheDayWeWentothePark.com or at the event
For questions on Kids in the Park weekly Saturday programs, contact a park ranger at 402-223-3514. Learn more about Homestead National Park, history of homesteading, restored tallgrass prairie, and more at https://www.nps.gov/home/index.htm.
COVID-19 Response: Consistent with CDC recommendations, people who are not fully vaccinated must continue to wear masks indoors and in crowded outdoor spaces.
Where: Minden Opera House Gallery, 322 E. 5th St., north side of historic courthouse square, Minden, Nebraska. Free parking in the square including just in front of the opera house.
When: March 2-April 30, 2021
Opening Reception and Artist Talk: Saturday March 13, 2-4 p.m.
Opening Origami Workshops for Collaborative Community Art. Join in “Folding Minden Together”: Saturday March 13, 4 p.m. and 5 p.m.
Gallery open 10 a.m. -5:30 p.m. Tuesdays-Fridays. Saturdays by appointment. Call 308-832-0588 to schedule.
Why: See original art celebrating the nature and cities of Nebraska through paper. Tour (for free) the renovated historical opera house. Visit the Sandhill Crane Migration and then enjoy inside culture and history. Fold paper and leave a legacy. Take 2 minutes or less to fold paper for the community collaborative origami artwork “Community Unfolding in Minden.”
What: Origami collage landscapes of Linda Stephen. The exhibit includes original illustrations for the picture book “The Day We Went to the Park” as well as 3D paper art of prairies, cities, farms, rivers and fields.
CREATE ART FOR ALL
Join Linda Stephen and the Minden Opera House in March and April 2020 in creating a new artwork “Community Unfolding in Minden” celebrating the community coming together. Fold a square or two of paper to make your impression for the future.
Additionally, the Opera House and Stephen will be providing kits and instruction videos – or live online instruction – to art classrooms in all three public schools, Jensen Memorial Library, and Bethany Home Nursing Facility in Minden. The goal is to have hundreds of Minden residents of all ages contribute to the final piece. All finished pieces will need to be returned to the Opera House by no later than May 8 so that Stephen can begin assembling them into her final design. The unveiling of the finished piece has not been set yet, but Brandt says that there will be a large celebration planned when the time comes. “Community Unfolding in Minden” will be on permanent display at the Minden Opera House.
Donations to help defray the cost of the project can be given to Minden Opera House, PO Box 1, Minden, NE 68959 or online at mindenoperahouse.com.
Who: Stephen is a nationally award-winning paper artist whose artworks are part of public and private collections around the world. Linda’s art medium is paper: Japanese handmade washi papers and origami sculptures that she invents. Stephen’s intricate landscapes celebrate the beauty that is all around us.
Stephen teaches workshops on origami, Japanese culture and Japanese paper arts across the country. She is a member of Origami USA and the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) and SCBWI Nebraska chapter. A native of the Midwest, Stephen has traveled around the world and lived for more than six years in Japan. In 2020, she published her first picture book “The Day We Went to the Park” (Handersen Publishing).
