Our family had little hesitation when the Lincoln Arts Council asked us to serve as honorary chairs for Stories of Home, the Council's new public arts project.

We are passionate about the arts and have made them a central part of our lives. Yet, even more compelling for us is the focus on family.

The Arts Council's objective is to engage the city in learning about and sharing experiences, memories, ideals and perceptions of home and family.

Lincoln is a great community and the families that have lived and worked here are its backbone. Our city has had a fascinating history that continues to be reshaped and enriched as families continue to arrive from all parts of the globe.

We all have homes in which we find shelter, share our lives, interrelate and grow. Yet each family has its own customs and traditions. What even constitutes a family in today's world can vary widely. There are blended families, extended families, single-parent families, mixed families and families of unrelated individuals who come together through various circumstances.

The project will team a dozen artists with families from a diversity of cultures, ages, religions, lifestyles and histories. During the coming months the artists will create works of art that will give visual form to the families' stories. University of Nebraska-Lincoln art students will assist and document the activities.

Teams will be led by Pepon Osorio, an internationally known installation artist and MacArthur Fellowship Award winner. Born in Puerto Rico and experienced as a social worker, Osorio's own works deal primarily with family and cultural identity. His leadership will help the teams work together effectively.

Beginning in June 2006, the three-dimensional works will travel throughout Lincoln. They will be in comfortable settings, like homes, neighborhood centers, libraries, schools and businesses-places where people can look closely and talk about the stories they tell.

Lincoln Public Schools will integrate Stories of Home into its curricula for all grade levels. There are plans for a children's video. There will be performances, a poetry project and a documentary film. You will be seeing stories in the Lincoln Journal Star not only about the artwork and other components of the Stories of Home project, but also about families in our community.

No other community has done a project like Stories of Home. It is an innovative model that the Lincoln Arts Council will encourage other cities to follow.

The project is a huge undertaking. It will involve a vast number of volunteers, family members, artists and administrators and will entail significant expense.

The four generations of the Duncan family are proud to endorse the project. We believe that it will strengthen Lincoln and draw our community closer together through art. We ask that you open your door to Stories of Home by giving your time, talent and financial support.

For more information about Stories of Home and to learn how you can help, please visit the Lincoln Arts Council's ARTSCENE.org Web site.

Karen and Robert Duncan of Lincoln are honorary chairs for Stories of Home.