The Lincoln/Lancaster community has a rare opportunity to finish something its people have already built: a major community-funded work of public art with the potential to become a unique Lincoln signature place.  The FESTIVE SPACE planned for the Pershing Mural site will attract visitors to not only admire the Pershing Mural, but also for education and special events.  A strategically placed stage will provide a unique background for musicals, plays, and individual gatherings.  The Pershing Mural committee engaged the UNL Landscape Architecture Program to have students create landscape design proposals for the area around the Mural.

The mural’s scale, the story of its rescue, the emotional connection generations of Nebraskans feel toward the Pershing Auditorium, the beauty of Wyuka’s setting, and the potential for performances and festivals all combine into an asset with a unusually high upside.  Donor support is needed to accomplish the last phase of this vision.

The historic preservation of the Pershing Mural reflects a kind of “grit” that defines the culture of Nebraska communities.  We commit to things that are out of the “ordinary,” in conditions that are often uncomfortable and on an impressive scale.  This spirit and commitment are reflected in the Pershing Mural and is what makes Nebraska and Nebraskans “different.”  Together we do big, difficult things in this State for the benefit of friends and family we have yet to meet.  That’s who we are.  That’s what the Mural says.