Oct. 14-Dec. 3 Mentor Exhibition Kent Bellows Studio and Center for Visual Arts 3303 Leavenworth St. Reception Oct. 14, 6-9 p.m. Open Tues.-Fri. 11 a.m.-4 p.m., Sat. 11 a.m.-6 p.m. 505.7161, kentbellows.org Kent Bellows Studio and Center for Visual Arts is open at the site of the late Bellows’ studio with this exhibit featuring artists from the Bellows mentor program. The program provides reciprocal inspiration between area youth and established adult artists. “Working with the students of the Kent Bellows Studio reminded me of why I chose to be an artist,” says artist mentor Wanda Ewing at kentbellows.org. The facility will serve as a community arts center and continuance of the creativity and artistry Bellows was known for, thus furthering his vision for a healthy artistic community in Omaha. Pair a visit to this exhibit with a trip to Joslyn Art Museum’s Bellows retrospective for an even richer experience. — Sarah Wengert FRIDAY15 Oct. 15 Boston Brass and Imani Winds Holland Performing Arts Center 1200 Douglas St. 8 p.m., $19-$49, 345.0606 omahaperformingarts.org These classical ensembles join forces for a Friday night of exploring the magnificent Miles Davis and Gil Evans collaboration Sketches of Spain. The Boston Brass brings a quarter-century of experience to the stage with the New York-based Imani Winds claiming a history a little more than half that long. It’s a dream pairing of two groups who have long admired each other. This is wind chamber music at its finest. You’ll want to tell your friends and your children you were there. — Andy Roberts Oct. 15 and 17 Opera for the Cure Orpheum Theater, 409 S. 16th St. Fri. 7:30 p.m., Sun. 2 p.m. $19-79, 345.0606, operaomaha.org Cancer is the bogeyman of diseases. While a night or afternoon of music cannot truly ward off the terror, it can do the next best thing by raising money for research to find a cure. That’s the backdrop for a concert whose score and libretto tell the story of one woman’s journey with breast cancer, from frightening diagnosis to the rigors of treatment to the relief of healing, ending on a note of hope. The Opera Omaha Chorus and Valmont Voices in Residence are joined by the Omaha Symphony, narrators and dancers for an empowering concert. Dramatic lighting and projected video images on multiple screens key off the music, words, emotions and meanings. Richard Buckley conducts. Helena Binder directs. Five dollars of each purchased ticket benefits the Nebraska Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure. — Leo Adam Biga SATURDAY16 Oct. 16 Cirque de Gothique Bedouin Star Studio, 800A Fort Crook Rd. 7 p.m., FREE, bedouinstar.com Forget lions, tigers and bears — the second installment of Cirque de Gothique is underway. Isis Prentice, owner of Bellevue’s Bedouin Star Studio, is gearing up to host a talent show featuring everything from hula-hoopers and ninjas to magicians and comedians. Dubbed “An Evening of Avant Garde Entertainment,” the free event promises the strange and unique area talents. “I’m a professional dancer,” Prentice says. “Although I love dance, I grew tired of seeing nothing but dance at events I was attending. I decided to organize a show and seek as much variety as possible.” Prentice hopes for a larger audience this year to expose those gifted individuals who can swallow swords and light themselves on fire. Who knew? Nebraskans must have some crazy hidden talents bubbling under their Husker t-shirts. It’s time for those stereotypes to be broken and the Cirque de Gothique is an ideal place to start. — Kyle Eustice Oct. 16 9500 Liberty Film Streams, 1340 Mike Fahey St. Noon, Q & A w/co-director Eric Byler follows $9, $7 seniors/students 933.0259, filmstreams.org When filmmakers Eric Byler and Annabel Park noted the place where they live, Prince William County, Virginia, turning into ground zero for anti-immigration forces, they knew a good story when they saw it. As the drama unfolded, they captured events with their digital cameras, posting video clips on YouTube as they went. Their 9500 Liberty project invited viewers to share comments in an online interactive forum. The couple became new media citizen journalists, watchdogs, documentarians, in-demand witnesses and participants, and leaders in a movement for renewed civic-political engagement. Their advocacy project morphed into a feature-length documentary; they’re traveling the nation with it to promote open dialogue. Byler will join in a post-screening Q & A at Film Streams. — Leo Adam Biga SUNDAY17 Oct. 17 Carrie Underwood w/ Billy Currington and Sons of Sylvia Qwest Center, 455 N. 10th St. 7:30 p.m., $35.50-$55.50 qwestcenteromaha.com Maybe it’s because I grew up listening to the Rebas of 1980s country music on the radio of my mom’s beat-up, blue Mustang, but I have a soft spot for Carrie Underwood. Originally I negatively snap-judged Underwood, after she flew up the fame ladder winning season four of “American Idol.” But when she sing-snarled about digging her keys into the side of her cheatin’ man’s ride, f***ing up his leather seats and famously wielding that Louisville slugger in “Before He Cheats,” all of the sudden I “got” her. She’s the type of strong, complex woman I love; she’ll shoot whiskey and pool with you at a dive bar, but make no mistake, she’s loaded with the class to balance all that sass. — Sarah Wengert MONDAY18 Oct. 18 Booze, Bands and BBQ Waiting Room, 6212 Maple St. 7 p.m., $15, fsmomaha.com There’s nothing quite like the spicy glaze of a slow-cooked, pulled-pork sandwich, shredded and packed onto an oversized bun. Throw on some tangy coleslaw and you have yourself some sweet fixins, which is exactly what regional BBQ’ers are offering tonight at the Waiting Room. The cover includes all you can eat BBQ from vendors such as Swine Dining, Boxer BBQ, Chef Mike’s, Harkert’s Bar-B-Q, Hartland BBQ, Ozark Smoked Meat Co., Uncle Eerine’s BBQ, Hog Stop,and This Little Piggy BBQ. Lucky Bucket will also be on hand, with beer specials to wash it down. After eating all that tasty grub, stick around for live music from Matt Cox, 24 Hour Carlock and The Willards — as well as a mystery special guest. — Jarrett Fontaine WEDNESDAY20 Oct. 20 Druha Trava w/ Southpaw Bluegrass Band Waiting Room, 6212 Maple St. 8 p.m., $10, onepercentproductions.com Druha Trava made a splash in the international bluegrass community in 1999 when the band released the gorgeously poignant New Freedom Bell with Peter Rowan. The attention got this Czech Republic-based five-piece spots at several U.S. festivals and they have played the states consistently since then. With a newgrass sound carried by strong vocal harmonies and pushed with fantastic Dobro playing on the part of Lubos Novotny. Based around an acoustic bluegrass line-up of instruments, Druha Trava its sonic stew with Gaelic flourishes and other varied elements. Omaha’s own Southpaw Bluegrass Band will open the show with their blistering brand of Nebraska-grass. — Jesse D. Stanek Through May 31 If These Walls Could Talk, Architecture in General Is Pretentious and Static Resolution: Between the Actual Polyester Gallery, 1618 Harney St. 345.0231, polyestergallery.com Downtown’s Polyester Gallery continues bringing contemporary artists to Omaha with If These Walls Could Talk, a photography show featuring three leading female artists. Seattle artist Holly Andres shows photography from her series Sparrow Lane; San Francisco-based photographer Beth Yarnell Edwards shows images of domestic daily life (some of which are in the SF MoMA’s collection); and Atlanta’s Dorothy O’Connor exhibits photos recognized for their staged scenes that land somewhere between reality and fantasy. In addition to that exhibit, New York artist Jeremy Parker has some mixed media images from his series Architecture in General Is Pretentious in Polyester’s Annex. Omaha artists Matt Orand’s and Matt Walker’s video installation, Static Resolution: Between the Actual, is in a new upstairs gallery. — Sarah Baker Hansen