The Great Plains Art Museum will host a First Friday awards ceremony and opening reception from 5 to 7 p.m. on July 6 for the juried exhibition, “Contemporary Indigeneity: The New Art of the Great Plains.”

Awarding juror Hulleah J. Tsinhnahjinnie will present the awards, and many of the artists plan to attend as well, said museum curator Amber Mohr. Tsinhnahjinnie is director of the C.N. Gorman Museum at University of California, Davis, and assistant professor in the Department of Native American Studies at UC Davis.

Twenty-six artists had their artwork accepted by jury out of almost 130 submissions. Artists adhered to the criteria of their artwork expressing some element of North American indigenous culture in the Great Plains region. With no media restrictions, the accepted works span a broad range of innovative as well as traditional materials. Viewers of the exhibition have submitted votes for a Viewers’ Choice Award since the exhibition opened on June 1. The audience-selected winner, as well as seven other award categories, will be announced at the reception.

Visitors to the exhibition can participate in the Viewer’s Choice Award until 6 p.m., July 6. The award delivers a $300 prize to the artist who receives the most votes from the Great Plains Art Museum audience. Other cash awards include: The Bobby Penn Award, sponsored by the Indian Center Inc. ($300); Best Student/Nonprofessional ($300); Most Innovative Use of Media ($300); Best Two-Dimensional Work ($1,000); Best Three-Dimensional Work ($1,000); and Best of Show ($1,500).

In addition, there will be a Great Plains Art Museum Exhibition Award in which the winner receives $300 and inclusion in a group exhibition or a solo exhibition at the Great Plains Art Museum within the next two years.

For more information, go to http://go.unl.edu/9ti.