Nebraska Stories
Art Farm and More
S11 • E6 Feb 20, 2020
Art Farm - In the heart of rural Nebraska near the tiny village of Marquette is a farmstead like no other. It is home to a nonprofit artist residency program called Art Farm where abstract sculptures occupy more acreage than center pivots. Some 80 artists from around the world travel to Art Farm each year for the chance to spend time on this eccentric acreage, with a roster of more than 800 artists from 23 countries thus far. The competitive program accepts applications from most anyone in pursuit of a creative enterprise. In exchange for a residency, the artists contribute 12 hours of labor on the farm each week. We explore the art and the artists who embrace this unique residency. Vintage Red - Nebraska fans yearn for things that connect them to Husker football. For JC Wickstrom, this overwhelming desire led him to build a vast collection of Husker memorabilia which he now shows off in a unique sports gallery in downtown Lincoln. Where Time Slows Down - At the Willa Cather Spring Conference in Red Cloud, Omaha sculptor Littleton Alston is about to unveil his early version of what will ultimately be a 7-foot bronze statue of Willa Cather, destined for Statuary Hall in Washington, D.C. New Ears for Ancient Music - A recent chart-topping musical recording came from a group you wouldn't expect in a place you wouldn't expect. In a seminary near Denton, Gregorian chanting is a part of everyday life. Several priests who graduated from the seminary recently came together as The Fraternity to release a recording of these chants called Requiem. Requiem topped the classical music charts for 13 weeks following its release in the spring of 2017. Learn more about these unique artists and the religious community that has been using Gregorian chants as part of its daily worship for hundreds of years. Big-Time Radio in Clay Center - In the 1920s, a chicken incubator baron in Clay Center started a radio station to market his products. In just a few years, KMMJ turned into a regional tourist attraction and a launching pad for performers.
