Holland Talks Visionary Speakers + Community Conversation
The Holland Talks lecture series invites nationally and internationally recognized experts to lead community conversations about timely and provocative ideas that challenge and broaden understandings of a wide range of topics, including science, technology, the arts, ethics, and philosophy.
Each event in the ongoing lecture series will convene diverse audiences for a ticketed lecture event, alongside programming in the community to expand the conversation and elevate Omaha as a home for cultural and civic discourse.
Friday, October 2, 2026
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Doors Open: 6PM
Lecture Begins: 7:30PM
Artist Sean Kenney joins us for an imaginative Holland Talks conversation, exploring his path to success as an artist and the unique challenges of maintaining a spirit of curiosity in creative life. Like many aspiring creative professionals, Kenney’s career began with a passion and eagerness to create. Working in sculpture and portraiture, often built entirely with LEGO bricks, Kenney’s artwork has charted a course through science, education, and public art. Kenney grew up drawing constantly and was a published cartoonist by eighteen. He went on to study Computer Science, Philosophy, and Visual Arts at Rutgers University, a combination that speaks directly to how he would later work: somewhere between systematic thinking and creative intuition.
Kenney’s award-winning art is now international, appearing in museums and private collections across five continents. But with success also comes the challenge of staying true to the enthusiasm for discovery that first motivated the work. Kenney will discuss his hard-won insights and best practices for reinvesting in your passions no matter what your craft or career path looks like.
Holland Talks tickets include free admission to the Luminarium, including time before the lecture to explore the museum. Onsite restaurant Fig. will be open until 7:30PM, offering dinner and drinks before the event.
Luminarium Members: $15
Non-Members: $20
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About Sean Kenney
Sean Kenney is a New York-born, Amsterdam-based artist who has been creating large scale sculptural works, public art, and portraiture for over 20 years. His work is a celebration of nature, color, and human connection that juxtaposes rigid textural shapes against the softness and tenderness of life. Having picked up his first LEGO bricks at the age of two, he has spent a lifetime mastering a medium governed by straight lines, rules, and math to create thought-provoking, beautiful works of art that makes audiences smile, think, and connect.
For nearly 15 years, Sean’s award-winning exhibitions have visited over 100 cities, drawing millions of visitors to gardens, museums, and cultural institutions around the world. He has created over 500 commissioned works for private collectors, celebrities, institutions, and over 100 corporations including Target, Honda, Chase, Samsung, Yale, and FAO Schwarz. His work holds permanent presence at The LEGO Group’s own headquarters in Billund, Denmark, he has guest-judged the reality television show LEGO Masters, authored nine children’s books, and is a constant fixture in books and retrospectives about the LEGO brick’s role in popular culture.
Sean continues working to establish the medium of LEGO bricks within the broader conversation about contemporary art. By throwing a playful lens on his subject matter, his work captures moments that serve to remind us of the beauty of the world around us, and of our own humanity.
Learn MoreThanks to the Generous Support of the Holland Foundation
Holland Talks is made possible through a generous grant from the Holland Foundation. The late Dick Holland established the Holland Foundation to support the arts and education in Omaha. The Foundation funded the original Holland Lecture Series from 2005 through 2017, setting the stage for thought-provoking dialogue in our community.