The Union for Contemporary Art started 2017 off with moving locations. The nonprofit organization recently upgraded from a 3,000 square foot studio to a 16,000 square foot studio in the Blue Lion Center on 24th & Lake. The Union for Contemporary Art is a nonprofit organization started in North Omaha in 2011. Its goal is to “create an environment where the arts are cultivated and respected” throughout Omaha. The Union’s communications manager, Dawaune Hayes, “We strive to strengthen our community by rising above the lines that divide us — racially, socially, and economically — so that we may become a more unified and culturally vibrant city”. The organization was founded by Brigitte McQueen Shew and currently has 13 paid employees and many volunteers. According to Hayes, “Not all staff or teachers are artists, though we do encourage everyone to express their own creativity in any
way possible”. The expansion allows the organization to reach a larger audience and bring the community together in a way that they weren’t able to before. Now, they are able to share their mission with more people throughout Omaha. People of any and all artistic abilities are able to participate in activities at the Union for Contemporary Arts. There are many different workshops, classes, and other opportunities to grow as an artist. “Workshops include introductions to our co-op studios and the tools within them. For example, our first workshop was screenprint basics and a co-op technician demonstrated how to create prints with silk screens, emulsifier, and ink. We have workshops for ceramics, quilting, dark room, photo editing, and more,” said Hayes. Workshops are free to coop members and $10 for non-members. Within the new building is a 1700 square foot art gallery dedicated to Wanda D. Ewing. Ewing was an artist from Omaha who passed in 2013 from cancer. “Her work is iconic within the city and around the world and so we dedicated our exhibition space to her,” said Hayes. As for the rest of the building, there is
a 50-seat theatre-type space, “basement level youth facilities”, and five studios upstairs for artists in the fellowship program. The fellowship program lasts 11 months and is open to anyone who resides in the Omaha/Council Bluffs area. The Union accepts “applications from artists and collectives working in any creative discipline and at any career level” (u-ca.org/fellowship). Fellows are provided with a studio, a free co-op membership, and $1500 worth of materials in exchange for 25 hours of community service. The Union for Contemporary Arts has many new events and opportunities coming for 2017, but they are focusing on restarting their pre-existing programs. This year, they are expected to add a community garden to provide “a source of fresh produce for our neighbors in North Omaha” (u-ca.org/events). The organization is expecting to add many new programs to their event calendar throughout the new year, especially during the spring and summer.