“There Are Black People In Nebraska?!” is the first installment of a series of multimedia shows exploring the black community in Omaha, Nebraska, and Adrian Armstrong’s first step into a world-building concept.

“There Are Black People In Nebraska?!” not only highlights Armstrong’s signature style of rendering his figures in ballpoint pen but one that also includes an interactive installation that recreates Goodies, the local corner store near his great-grandmother’s home in a small, vibrant northside neighborhood in Omaha. Through sourced materials from his hometown, headbands, Ecko tall tee’s, and children running around with “ball-balls” in their hair, he gives us a snapshot of this moment in his history, circa 1999-2003.

Armstrong invites visitors to see themselves in these figures and realize that blackness is found blooming in every crevice. “There Are Black People In Nebraska?!” is a celebration of similarities and differences within the culture.

The exhibit will be on display until January 8, 2023.