FEE: Free
Nightmare at the Museum
April 14 – June 7, 2026 | Xcel Energy Gallery at Plains Art Museum, Fargo, ND
Nightmare at the Museum explores unease, mystery, and horror through a selection of works from the Plains Art Museum Permanent Collection. Inspired by Milan Trenc’s 1993 children’s book Night at the Museum and its 2006 film adaptation, the exhibition reimagines the museum not as a place of order and quiet observation, but as a space where objects come alive and carefully constructed displays begin to unravel.
Featuring an eclectic mix of artworks that stir both fear and fascination, the exhibition includes prints of monstrous creatures, paintings of demons, x-rayed bodies, unsettling dolls, photographs of children in gas masks, and assemblages of hybrid figures. Together, these works invite viewers to delve into the shadows of the Museum’s collection and exercise their darker imaginations.
Nightmare at the Museum was developed in conjunction with the Plains Art Museum’s 2026 Spring Gala and is on view in the Xcel Energy Gallery through June 7.
Gallery admission is free every day of the week.
Generous support is provided by Art Bridges Foundation’s Access for All program; the North Dakota Council on the Arts; the Arts Partnership; the McKnight Foundation; The FUNd at Plains Art Museum; Giving Hearts Day donors; Spring Gala sponsors; and Plains Art Museum members.
