In 1967, to commemorate Nebraska’s Centennial, Central Citian George Newmyer carved from wood a 20″ totem pole depicting numerous symbols of the state of Nebraska . This piece, in a collection of Newmyer’s work owned by the Merrick County Historical Museum, is of a style sometimes termed “folk art.” In 2010, it was displayed at Sheldon Museum of Art in an exhibit titled “Outsider Art Inside Collections.” The totem has also been displayed at Museum of Nebraska Art (MONA) in Kearney. Symbols on the carving include; pioneers, Native American, Abraham Lincoln, native animals and birds, domesticated animals, plants and and grains. Insight into, and discussion of, the Nebraska carving will be accompanied by poems from Centennial Poems by Nebraska Chaparral Poets published by Palmer Journal Print in 1967.
Nancy Johnson (Humanities Nebraska Speakers Bureau) and other museum members will present.