“The Children’s Blizzard” Book Discussion July 19
BROWNVILLE - The 2025 Brownville Fine Arts Speaker Series continues Saturday, June 21, with a discussion of “The Children’s Blizzard” moderated by Dr. Bill Clemente. This event will begin at 10:00am at the Schoolhouse Art Gallery, 427 Main Street in Brownville.
The book, written by David Laskin, is described as a "...gripping true story of an epic prairie snowstorm that killed hundreds of newly arrived settlers and cast a shadow on the promise of the American frontier. January 12, 1888, began as an unseasonably warm morning across Nebraska, the Dakotas and Minnesota, the weather so mild that children walked to school without coats and gloves.”
Five books will be given away as door prizes! For more information, contact Peggy Groff at 402.414.2082.
July Featured Artist: Deb Costello
BROWNVILLE - Brownville Fine Arts is pleased to present the work of Deb Costello during the month of July at the Schoolhouse Art Gallery.
The artist talk + reception is set for Friday, July 11.
Costello used to collect antique glassware and learned as much as she could about it. She was especially drawn to stained glass windows and has extensively studied the works of Frank Lloyd Wright.
"When I decided to learn how to create stained glass artwork for myself, I was hooked," she said. "From the very first project, I felt I had finally found my creative voice."
Costello’s work is on display through July 27. Regular hours at the Schoolhouse Art Gallery are:
- Thursday, Friday and Sunday: 1:00 to 4:00pm
- Saturday: 10:00am to 4:00pm
You can also make an appointment by calling 402.414.2082.
“In Contact with Nature” June 21
BROWNVILLE - The 2025 Brownville Fine Arts Speaker Series kicks off Saturday, June 21, with “In Contact with Nature,” a free program featuring horticultural therapist Sue Kohles. This event will begin at 10:00am at the Schoolhouse Art Gallery, 427 Main Street in Brownville.
Sue is the manager of the Prairie Pines Partners nonprofit at the Prairie Pines Nature Preserve, a 145-acre wildlife preserve located in northeast Lincoln. The Prairie Pines Partners provide nature-based education and public access, and promote contact with nature.
The hour-long program will start in the gallery, then Sue will lead an optional short walk in the arboretum. Her program will touch upon contact with nature research, highlighting the innate human connection to nature and its potential benefits. A short walk will introduce attendees to “Forest Bathing” and demonstrate the practice.
Sue’s first career was as a nurse. Then she attended Peru State College and University of Nebraska-Lincoln for a BS in Horticulture. More recently, she attended the Denver Horticultural Therapy Institute to become a horticultural therapist and completed the Chicago Botanic Garden Therapeutic Garden Design Program.
These two programs increased Sue’s awareness of the multitude of contact with nature research supporting the multidimensional benefits of contact with nature, "Vitamin N" as it is often referred. As a former employee of Nebraska Statewide Arboretum, Sue is very familiar with Brownville and the Furnas Arboretum, and she been a curator for three NSA-affiliated arboretums.
For more information, contact Peggy Groff at 402.414.2082. For more information about the Prairie Pines Nature Preserve, visit https://prairiepines.org/