Upcoming Events
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).
July 9-August 21 – Art Exhibition “Willful Women, a Tribute to the Artists”
Group exhibit including “Summertime on the River,” paper art by Linda Stephen inspired by historical women artist impressionist Mary Cassatt.
Where: Artworks in Big Rapids, 106 N. Michigan Ave. Big Rapids, MI
https://www.artworksinbigrapids.org/
231-796-2420
M-Sat. 10 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
July 14-August 30 Library Summer Reading & Origami Video for Lincoln City Libraries
Who: Artist, teacher, author and illustrator Linda Stephen
Where: Livestream event Tuesday July 14 from 2-2:30 p.m. on library Facebook page + Video recording of storytime & origami time saved on the Library Web site on the Summer Reading Challenge 2020 page.
When: July 14 through August 30
June 30-August 15 Library Summer Reading & Origami Video for Nebraska City
Who: Artist, teacher, author and illustrator Linda Stephen
Where: Video section of Facebook page of Nebraska City’s Morton-James Public Library. Direct link to video recording here.
When: Video recording of the storytime & origami with author, illustrator & artist Linda Stephen available from June 30, 2020 until August 15, 2020.
Total time: 33 minutes. The video was livestreamed for the public on June 30 at 10 a.m. Central Time.
Join origami picture book author and illustrator Linda Stephen in making a paper craft and reading her new children’s book “The Day We Went to the Park.” Linda also taught 2 origami projects: how to make an origami caterpillar (part of her book and her invention) + how to make a simple origami flower.
The art for the book includes more than 1,000 origami sculptures and hundreds of handmade papers. Lincoln artist Linda Stephen exhibits her origami landscapes nationally. Her art is part of collections around the world.
This program was streamed live on the Morton-James Public Library Facebook page on June 30 for the Summer Reading 2020 “Imagine Your Story” program. A recording was archived to view later. Craft kits with paper was provided by the library. Thank you to all who attended before and after!
– Check out a copy of the book “The Day We Went to the Park” from the Morton-James Public Library collection!
– Order your own signed copy of the book – paperback ($11.95) or hardback ($19.95) at https://thedaywewenttothepark.square.site/
Learn more about Linda and her origami art: www.TheDayWeWenttothePark.com or www.facebook.com/LindaStephenOrigamiArt.
LiveStream Event May 8 at noon for 1,000 Cranes for Lincoln Healing
Join the students of Bluestem Montessori Elementary School in the paperfolding event “1,000 Cranes for Lincoln’s Healing.” On Friday May 8 from 12 p.m. – 1 p.m., Lincoln origami artist Linda Stephen will be teaching the public a lesson on how to fold an origami paper crane. The livestream video event will be hosted at www.Facebook.com/BluestemMontessoriElementary.
In these troubled times, Bluestem Montessori decided to facilitate a city-wide act of healing. Every year, the students learn origami, the Japanese art of paper folding, because it is a great way to practice focus, resilience and fine-motor skills.
“We wanted to do something to help our community, and we came up with the idea of making 1,000 cranes because we are studying Asia and origami right now,” said executive director Laura Erickson. “We have done several projects to help when there is pain in the world, and now we have a pandemic affecting all of us, including here in Lincoln. We know that education right now is difficult, and we know that kids and adults are struggling to feel connected. The cranes can open a door to wider study and provide a therapeutic and peaceful activity that we can all do together as a community while we are stuck at home.”
Stephen, a children’s book author, illustrator and nationally award-winning paper artist has taught origami to thousands of people of all ages across the country. She will show the audience step-by-step tips for folding a square piece of paper into an origami crane.
The students began folding cranes April 27. Their goal is to finish 1,000 cranes by May 21, the last day of school, and their wish is to bring healing to Lincoln. To keep and add cranes folded to the school count, message the Facebook page of Bluestem Montessori Elementary. Donations of cranes can be mailed by May 21 to Bluestem Montessori Elementary School, 6300 A St, Lincoln, NE 68510.
For other questions, contact the artist at Info@LindaStephen.com.
