By Katie Knapp Schubert
Omaha, NE – A new public art project in downtown Omaha was dedicated Thursday.
Installation of benches at the Gene Leahy Mall began about two weeks ago. Those benches are designed not only to be functional, but also to be works of public art. Downtown Improvement District Executive Director Joe Gudenrath says 13 architects and engineers worked on the benches that are now part of Gene Leahy Mall.
"We put together a team of various partners that included the Downtown Improvement District, of course the City of Omaha, the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts and the Omaha Public Art Commission," Gudenrath says. "And from there we set out contacting local architects and engineers to tap in to their creativity, to see what they could come up with in designing seating units for the Mall that not only serve a functional purpose but add to the aesthetics of the area as well."
After their completion, the benches were donated to the city.