Omahype: The Omaha Events Calendar

Yesterday, the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts announced it’s among the first recipients of the Artistic Innovation and Collaboration grant program from the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation.

The Bemis Center plans to use the grant — valued at $50,000 — supporting the efforts of Chicago-based artist Theaster Gates (pictured above) to develop a new cultural space for North Omaha. Calling the project “Town Hall,” Gates takes the role of urban planner, artist, developer and community figurehead with the aim to renovate an existing North Omaha property. Following this restoration, the hope is that by adding subsequent programming, the project will positively impact the surrounding community and strengthen the social fabric of the area.

“Omaha is a segregated city that houses extreme disparities between class and opportunity,” declared a press release. “The city claims the greatest number of millionaires per capita, yet is also home to the highest percentage of black children living in poverty of any city in the country. These demographic conditions are starkly present in North Omaha.”

There was no mention of the location of the actual property or a timeframe for the completion of the project.

“Town Hall” is curated by Bemis’ chief curator Hesse McGraw. The Robert Rauschenberg Foundation launched its grant program last year to promote the values of the artist that bares the nonprofit’s namesake.

…

Photo courtesy the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts