Lincoln residents will have a chance this weekend to help shape a new public art installation planned for the city’s forthcoming South Haymarket Park.
Internationally renowned artist Matthew Mazzotta will host two “Outdoor Living Room” sessions where community members can sit down, talk, and share their ideas. The sessions are scheduled for Friday, Sept. 26, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Hub and Soul Music Series in Union Plaza, and Saturday, Sept. 27, from 8 a.m. to noon at the Haymarket Farmers Market.
Kat Scholl, public information officer for Lincoln Parks and Rec, said the format is meant to be welcoming.
“It’s going to be quite literally a living room setting right there in that space,” Scholl said. “Matthew has a series of candid questions about how people feel about Lincoln, what public art here is like, and what the history of Lincoln means to them.”
Mazzotta is known for projects that go beyond static displays. His recent work in Boise, Idaho, featured an interactive tree sculpture, and in Lyons, Nebraska, he transformed a downtown building into a fold-out “storefront theater.” Scholl said Lincoln’s project will likely follow that model.
“It’s not just something you look at—it’s something to be engaged with from conception all the way through production and enjoyment in the park,” she said.
Mazzotta will present a final design to city officials in January 2026, with fabrication and installation expected by November of that year.
For more information on Mazzotta, visit matthewmazzotta.com. South Haymarket Park, located at 7th and “N” streets, is currently in development. More information on the project is available at lincoln.ne.gov/SouthHaymarketPark.