When his family moved westward when Kern was 15, settling in North Platte allowed him to experience the beauty of the Platte Valley and Nebraska Sandhills.

These reflections on his early surroundings underlie all the artistic endeavors of his adult life.

Kern describes his current artistic work as what he calls impressionism with mild abstract and non-objective format. But his interest in art did not evolve until the second semester of his sophomore year at then Kearney State College, now the University of Nebraska at Kearney-UNK. He enjoyed his first art class so much that he chose to pursue a double major in Art and Physical Education. From that followed his 33 years teaching Art at the middle school level and coaching track, his other passion.

Retirement did not mean retiring from art! He continued to teach Art Education classes, supervised Art student teachers, and served as curator of UNK’s Walker Art Gallery for nine years.

In 1966, Kern also became one of the original members of the Kearney Artist Gild and part of the original group that started Art in the Park in 1972. He showed even greater service to the arts in Kearney by spending many hours of labor turning the original Kearney Post Office into the early stages of the museum known today as the Museum of Nebraska Art-MONA. He continued volunteering there in the Gary Zaruba Library, doing research and interviewing Nebraska artists.

The Nebraska Art Teachers Association, the Nebraska Art Guild Association, and numerous UNK faculty shows have featured Kern’s work over the years, which has also appeared in multiple group and single exhibits. He has been honored with many local and state-wide awards recognizing his art and teaching.

Kern provided the details, here edited by Chuck Peek.