At Lincoln South Rotary Club, on May 1, 2026, we heard from Andy Peterson, Director of Operations at the Lux Center.
From their website (https://www.luxcenter.org/)
The LUX Center for the Arts makes art happen in Lincoln. In our classrooms, youth and adults discover the joys of pottery, printmaking, painting, jewelry, drawing and more. Throughout the year our Outreach Program takes art classes to at-risk youth, low-income schools, cancer patients and others that benefit from having a first-hand art experience. The LUX galleries and shop represent the highest caliber work of local, regional, and national artists, exhibited in more than 18 shows annually.
Mission: LUX Center for the Arts is dedicated to transforming lives through art. We are a community of art lovers providing education through art classes, artist in residency programs, gallery exhibitions, and community outreach. We believe the LUX can help people make meaningful connections to art regardless of who they are.
Andy shared information about all of the events and programs offered at the Lux as well as the history of the center.
We learned that Gladys Lux, founder of the NWU art program also founded LUX. She purchased and donated City Hall building as current location. The building is in heart of the University Place and is 114 years old. It is a beautiful old building which is full of art for everyone to enjoy. It was established as University Place Art Center in 1977 to provide a cultural focal point for the University Place neighborhood. Gladys Lux was an artist and arts educator.
The building has 4 gallery spaces. The exhibit are always free - open to the public. They are open Tuesday through Saturday: 10am-5pm and also hold an evening event First Friday so they are open on Friday 12pm-8pm. They use a committee to select the artists to feature in the curated galleries.
Andy shared that the Lux is about community and art. There is a community gallery that can be used by any community group to host a gallery experience. Examples of some that have been there:
- Modern Quilt Guild
- Lincoln Arts Guild
- LPS Art Mentors / A&H Focus
- NAACP Youth LNK
- ECHO Collective
- Fiber Works
In another gallery they have a collection of art used by Gladys Lux to educate her students. Andy stated that the prints were purchased from limited run catalogs from 1930-1950. Andy stated that there are more than 430 prints in that permanent collection.
Andy was proud of the gallery shop that allows artists to showcase and sell their work. It is a great place to get hand crafted and unique art gifts including functional pottery and jewelry. He also stated that items in the main gallery are generally also for sale.
They have a large variety of workshops and classrooms. And they have a summer week long camps. They have some programs that match students with artist mentors that help them develop their craft.
Some of the workshops are multi-day - even multi-week for those that are new to a particular medium such as pottery. But even intermediate and advanced potters are able to use the facilities and participate in programs.
Because they are about community and culture - not just art - they have outreach programs that reach out to historically excluded communities. Those programs reach out to over 600 students in Title 1 Schools annually. From their website:
“LUX has provided art enrichment opportunities for several years to students in our school who would not typically have these opportunities available to them. Arnold is a Title I school with 64 percent of students qualifying for free/reduced lunch. Many of our students do not have the resources or transportation to participate in other art enrichment activities in Lincoln. Our partnership with the LUX Center for the Arts creates more equity in access to these important art enrichment opportunities.” –Dayna Krannawitter, Arnold Elementary School CLC Coordinator
They have an "Artist in Residence" that features and supports a local artist. That artist has full access to the facility and equipment 24/7. They are paid for their time and they can exhibit and sell their work through their residency. They bring new ideas and often propose classes to enhance Lux programming.
Andy shared that there are a number of Lux murals - click here.
BIO
Andy Peterson grew up in Minnesota and then spent several formative years in New England before arriving in Lincoln in 2012. After two decades in retail he has found a calling supporting artists and community through creative leadership, strategic thinking and relationship-building. He is excited about the role that LUX can play as a community hub and creative catalyst.
In addition to supporting LUX operations and programming, Andy serves on the board of the Uni Place Creative District, tying the missions of these two organizations together in a meaningful way. It is this sort of collaborative and collective problem solving that drives him to seek out new community contacts and connections.
Andy has developed his own art practice informed by his curiosity about our world and especially our relationship with wild natural elements. He understands the power that art has for the maker and the viewer, and encourages everyone to spend time on an art, craft or hobby. He spends as much time as he can travelling and exploring with his wife and three children.
“The LUX provides amazing and unique opportunities for everyone in the area to engage with art in their own way. Making my own art has been a powerful tool that I have leaned on to learn more about myself and the wider world. There is such a need for us to come together and forge bonds in a positive manner, and art provides avenues for those connections. I am humbled to get to support this mission for the community.”