Supporting L-O!-cal Art

When you think of Omaha and Art, your first thought is probably the beautiful Joslyn Art Museum (which is probably why it is one of the select "pin point" attractions promoted by Omaha's Visitor Center; however, you should know... that is just the beginning!

In addition to the Joslyn Art Museum, the Bemis Center for Contemporary Art is a more modest site for art in Omaha.  Housed at the south end of the Old Market, the Bemis is a classic red brick building with a simple, yet noticeable, orange sign adorning their east wall and it houses artwork and artists from all over the world.  Bemis is a rarity, in that it offers residencies to artists which includes "3 months of uninterrupted, self-directed work time" (in other words, "no deadlines"), "space--each artist is provided with a generously sized live/work studio with a private bathroom and 24 hour access to facilities including a wood shop, installation spaces, and a large sculpture fabrication facility," and Residents receive a $750/month stipend to assist the artists financially.  This programs is based on their mission:

"The spirit and programs of the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts are based on the conviction that exceptional talent deserves to be supported. Our practical commitment to this belief is achieved by providing well-equipped studio spaces, living accommodations and a monthly stipend to artists who are awarded residencies. These artists come from around the world to work within a supportive community of like-minded people. The atmosphere and environment offer an ideal situation for creative growth and experimentation and encourage artists to confront new challenges."

The Bemis is open to the public to view exhibitions free of charge with the option to leave donations.  In addition to exhibiting the work the Residents produce, the Residents also conduct art talks where they share information and pictures describing their artistic journey that led them to the Bemis and then they spend time describing the work they are producing at the Bemis.  After the artist finishes his or her talk, there is time for the audience to ask questions. 

I attended an art talk put on by Hendrikje Kuehne & Beat Klein who have been developing idealized landscape collected from historical paintings of paradise gardens.  They are here in Omaha all the way from Denmark.  I discovered their work via Facebook.  The piece that I was most drawn to was created by tearing up postcards of landscapes up into tiny pieces and putting them back together to create a new landscape:

Another artist presented as well.  His name is Brian Porray.  I will direct you to the Bemis website to view his bio (as well as the bio of the other current fellows), but Brian's art was EXACTLY why these art talks are perfect for people (such as myself) who do not consider themselves to be "art people."  Here is an example of his work and perhaps you'll see what I mean:

Now, if I had been in a gallery and seen this, I would have quickly dismissed it to be nothing more than random colors and shapes, but the art talk gave Brian a chance to discuss his work and it gave lay people like me the chance to understand the thought process.  If you are one of these people, I suggest you peruse their website for more information for art talk lecture series or check out the Bemis (and other area art galleries on the First Friday of every month in their "open house" style attempt to share local art.  I will definitely be back.

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Omaha is also starting to make a name for itself on the music side of the art spectrum.  We have been home to the Red Sky Music Festival for the last two years, we have a flourishing music neighborhood in Benson, we have great venues such as The Slowdown and  The Lauter Tun that promote great local artists.  We even have our own record label--Saddle Creek Records.  For the last three years, Omaha has been home to a new music festival--Maha which is completely dedicated to promoting independent music and local artists, not to mention support all things Omaha... Just like our blog!!

This year me and my fellow bloggers had the distinct honor of attending Maha due to the extreme generosity of one of their extremely enthusiastic "Street Teamers"--Sherry Huffman.  As a result of her generosity, we experienced many of the awesome things Maha had to offer.  Our first stop was the beverage tickets which also happened to be the first pleasant surprise of the day (well, actually second to the glorious weather). I am used to paying upwards of $3 or $4 for non-alcoholic beverages and $6 or more for beer or other alcoholic beverages.  Not at Maha!!  I paid a mere $2.50 per bottle of water and thanks to Omaha's own Diventures, the nation's largest indoor scuba center, I was able to refill that bottle for free at their water station.  Beer and mixed drinks only cost $5 a piece and the options extended beyond Bud Light.  Maha included a local brewery in the Lucky Bucket Beer Garden!!  Maha food also went beyond your typical hot dog and hamburger stand.  Maha had Greek food!! 











There were two reserved seating areas as well as a satellite bar in the midst of the wide open green space at Aksarben Village's Stinson Park.  Fans had more than enough room to spread out with blankets and lawn chairs and although not all of the lyrics were family-friendly, children had more than enough room to run in addition to the playground that sits in the park.  In addition to the opportunities exert physical energy, children were also kept entertained by the free craft stand sponsored by the Joslyn Art Museum as well as the opportunity to decorate free t-shirts at the Goodwill booth.  Finally, there were several blank canvases available for artists to graffiti.  The next highlight was the extensive table of band swag.  Posters, buttons, t-shirts--you name it. 

After I hit all of the cool tables and tents, the Omaha Stalker blog team found a spacious area in the middle of the green space.  We could see both stages--oh... Did I forget to mention that there were TWO stages?!  This made the festival extremely efficient.  As a band performed on one stage, another band was setting up on the other. The festival even ran ahead of schedule!  Due to work, I was not able to stay to see Garbage or Desaparecidos (band of Omaha's own Conor Oberst), but 4,300 fans did--in the rain, no less.  I did, however, get to see a few interesting bands including my favorite of the day--Josh Rouse of Paxton, Nebraska.  He had a very Jason Mraz feel to his music, right down to the fedora he wore.  Check out Maha's web site for more information on the bands that performed.

I will definitely be back to Maha next year.  And after such a pleasant experience on Saturday, I didn't think I could be more excited for such an awesome local event until I read on their website the reason the bird was chosen as their mascot.  I will leave you Omaha Stalkers with these words:

"Maha Music Festival is about a pride of place. It’s uniquely Omaha — founded and run by people deeply rooted in our city, committed to adding a healthy dose of independent music and arts to the city’s robust cultural mix.

When Oxide Design Co. partnered with Maha to develop a new visual identity for the festival, we set out to capture all of that: pride, place, and independence. And we found it in the great chief of the Maha tribe, Chief Blackbird. The Maha were the most powerful Native American tribe in the Great Plains — a tribe whose name inspired our city’s, and then our festival’s."