The origins of Samuel Bak Museum: The Learning Center go back to 2019.
The origins of Samuel Bak Museum: The Learning Center goes back to 2019, when Dr. Mark Celinscak worked with Pucker Gallery to create exhibition WITNESS: The Art of Samuel Bak, which welcomed 4,500 visitors, including more than 2,000 middle and high-school students over its three-month run.
The exhibition was sponsored by The Sam & Frances Fried Holocaust & Genocide Academy and The Schwalb Center for Israel & Jewish Studies. In conjunction with the exhibition, The Leonard and Shirley Goldstein Center for Human Rights hosted “Witness: A Goldstein Symposium on Art and Human Rights,” which brought scholars from around the world to discuss art and human rights issues.
Bak’s visit had a profound impact on UNO’s students, faculty, staff as well as community members who were privileged to view his artwork and hear his personal story. After his visit, a 512-plus piece collection of his remarkable work was gifted by the artist to UNO.
Mr. Bak has said, “What guided me throughout the entire process of choosing the artworks was the thought that they would contribute to the growth and maturation of generations of students and visitors. It gave me a true sense of fulfillment. I chose major artworks, among the most important I have ever created, and now I am cautiously handing them over to you … They represent a very precious part of what I am; they are my legacy.”
In the first phase of the project, a three-year temporary Museum will house 99 pieces of Bak’s work which will be featured in rotating exhibitions, as well as classroom and presentation spaces for tours, lectures, and curated programming.