Leonardo da Vinci

Art & Technology Resources

• Radio Play - A workshop where writers, theater makers, and creatives collaborate with generative technology to write a piece that culminates in a live, machine co-authored radio show. This ongoing project from Ash Eliza Smith and Robert Twomey was adapted for the Jan. 23 event at Sheldon Museum of Art (details below).
• "Infinite Hopper: An Algorithmic Journey Through Light and Space" - This new exhibition at Sheldon Museum of Art uses cutting-edge generative technology to produce an endless flow of Edward Hopper–inspired imagery that never repeats or loops. "Infinite Hopper" was created by Dan "NovySan" Novy, assistant professor of emerging media arts at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. On view through July 13, 2025.
• A user’s guide to AI image generators- An informative overview from Current magazine of generative A.I. image programs, including visual comparisons of how each tool responds to image prompts.
• Pixels and Perspectives: The Intersection of AI and Art - This short video from PBS member station WKAR explores whether art generated by A.I. is just another digital tool or danger to the art world.

About the Film

Leonardo da Vinci
A film by Ken Burns, Sarah Burns & David McMahon

A 15th-century polymath of soaring imagination, Leonardo created some of history’s most revered works of art. Through his paintings and expansive writings, Leonardo da Vinci explores one of humankind’s most curious and innovative minds.

Leonardo da Vinci is available for streaming on PBS.org and the PBS app with your Passport member benefit. Check the Nebraska Public Media schedule for any upcoming airtimes.

Additional Leonardo da Vinci Resources

• Lesson Plans & Curriculum Resources on PBS LearningMedia (Grades 6-8, 9-12)
• Educators Engagement and Discussion Guide | Leonardo da Vinci
• Libraries, Museums and Community Organizations Engagement and Discussion Guide | Leonardo da Vinci

Project Events

Art & the Machine: A Live Radio Theater Event
Inspired by Leonardo da Vinci

Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025
Sheldon Museum of Art

Leonardo da Vinci was an artist and inventor ahead of his time, a speculative designer of machines and inventions that were too sophisticated to be realized in his day.

This free live performance event was inspired by da Vinci's boundary-pushing curiosity about wind, birds and flying machines. It featured an original radio theater production co-created by OLLI at UNL members and generative AI under the guidance of artists Ash Eliza Smith, Robert Twomey, and their team of artists, researchers and students from the Johnny Carson Center for Emerging Media Arts.

The evening also featured the excerpt from the recent PBS documentary Leonardo da Vinci that inspired the radio play, plus insights into this unique artistic process that merges human creativity with artificial intelligence.

Community Partners

Presented by Nebraska Public Media, Sheldon Museum of Art, Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI at UNL) and the Johnny Carson Center for Emerging Media Arts at UNL. A Speculative Devices and Cohab Labs co-production.

Leonardo to AI: The Evolution of Art & Technology

Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024
Joslyn Art Museum

With generative artificial intelligence pushing the boundaries of what it means to create, what benefits are there for artists? And what guardrails might we need to put in place? During this event, we explored the evolution of art and technology from the Renaissance to today, featuring a panel discussion and a special sneak preview of the upcoming PBS documentary Leonardo da Vinci, directed by Ken Burns, Sarah Burns and David McMahon.

Featured panelists:

• Taylor J. Acosta, PhD, Chief Curator & Willis A. Strauss Curator of European Art at The Joslyn Art Museum
• Adrian R. Duran, PhD, Professor of Art History, School of the Arts, University of Nebraska Omaha
• Tim Guthrie, MFA, Joella Cohen Endowed Chair in Journalism and Professor and Program Director for Film, Department of Computer Science, Journalism and Film at Creighton University
• Genevieve Randall, Music Director and Classical Host, Nebraska Public Media (moderator)

Presented by Nebraska Public Media in partnership with The Joslyn Art Museum. The event also featured an Art & Technology Exhibition run by Metropolitan Community College STEM in the Fountain Court with hands-on activities that explored the intersection of digital art, artificial intelligence (AI) and virtual reality (VR).