The Great Plains Art Museum is part of the Center for Great Plains Studies, a regional research and outreach program established in 1976 at the University of Nebraska. The museum presents free exhibitions across several galleries, from contemporary installation to work by Indigenous and regional artists. It also hosts an artist-in-residence program and student storyteller projects. Together with the Center, it works to increase understanding of and appreciation for the people, cultures and natural environment of the Great Plains through exhibitions, public lectures, symposia and scholarly publications.