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THE LUNCHBOX: PACKED WITH POP CULTURE
NOW – SEPTEMBER 3, 2023

In 1993, Mark Kelehan stumbled across a 1980 Pac Man lunchbox for sale at a flea market in Omaha, Nebraska. The imagery of this lunchbox triggered a sense of nostalgia about his childhood. That lunchbox would kick off a 30-year journey of exploring and researching the rich history of lunchboxes. The Durham Museum is pleased to partner with Kelehan to present a never-before-seen exhibit, The Lunchbox: Packed with Pop Culture.

Featuring over 500 lunchboxes as well as one-of-a-kind original paintings, the display provides an overview of the history of lunchboxes, insight into the production process and an educational introduction into the dynamic world of collecting. The Lunchbox demonstrates how lunchboxes are time capsules of American pop culture from the 1950s through the 1980s. Across America and beyond, schoolchildren celebrated heroes of the big and small screen, radio, sports and more on metal lunchboxes. Before computers made digital art a reality, lunchbox art came to life with the assistance of professional illustrators, whose brilliant work was transferred onto tens of millions of lunchboxes year after year. From practical beginnings, a culture of collecting was born that allowed individuals to recapture some nostalgia, history and art.

This is a celebration of the lunchbox and is designed to take you down memory lane as you see the lunchbox you had (or wanted!).

About Mark Kelehan: Mark lives in Elkhorn, Nebraska, with his wife Lori, and their four daughters Amelia, Julia, Penelope and Violet. Mark picked up the passion for collecting from his mom and has been collecting lunchboxes for nearly 30 years. Mark graduated from Creighton University in 1997 with a bachelor’s degree in Finance and International Business, and he earned his M.B.A from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth in 2008. Mark currently works in the Marketing & Sales Department at Union Pacific and serves as an adjunct professor at Creighton University teaching Investment Banking. In his free time, he enjoys creating lunchbox exhibits and (more importantly) spending time with his family, especially watching his girls play sports and coaching his twins’ first-grade basketball team!

BYRON REED FAVORITES
NOW – AUGUST 6, 2023

In the late 19th century, Omaha real estate agent Byron Reed gradually put together a stunning collection of coins, documents, books, maps and other items of great historical importance. Upon his death in 1891, Reed gave his collection to the city of Omaha, and it is housed and cared for at The Durham Museum. Only a small portion of his collection is ever on display at any given time, with the rest tucked away for safekeeping. The staff that is charged with caring for these items has chosen some of their favorites from the vault to show you. Their favorites include items related to national history, early Omaha and Byron Reed himself!