See…art representing the work of artist-explorers like George Catlin; early Nebraskans Robert Henri and J. Laurie Wallace; modern era artists Grant Reynard and John Falter, and artists of today. MONA also displays a collection of works by John James Audubon focusing on indigenous Nebraska wildlife. The permanent collection contains over 5,000 works by artists of regional, national, and international importance. MONA is housed in a 1911 building listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
In 1990, Charles W. Guildner set out to photograph the landscape and lives of the people of the rural heartland. His phenomenal series "Lives of Tradition" and an exhibition "Lives of Tradition — Impressions in Silver" at the Great Plains Art Museum were born of this goal. The Great Plains Art Museum will become the home for Guildner's photographs, negatives, and archives.