Tagged: arts

Omaha’s arts and culture industry is one the city can count on, according to a new report released last week.

The Arts and Economic Prosperity report shows arts and culture provides for 3,400 full-time jobs, both directly and indirectly, in Omaha.  

Marjorie Maas, Director of Nebraskans for the Arts, says the city’s arts and culture organizations provided 89 million dollars worth of economic impact last year, making up half of the state’s 174 million. 

The Nuer people of South Sudan share two special connections with Nebraska. One is there are more Nuer living in Nebraska than anywhere outside South Sudan.  The other is their preoccupation with cattle. 

Terese Svoboda will present an evening of poetry and music, sharing the culture of the Nuer with Nebraskans and the Nuer living in Nebraska.  Svoboda says the Nuer were made famous by E. Evans Pritchard’s classic text on social anthropology.  But she says she shares her own personal connection to the people as well.

Omaha Performing Arts offers five different series: Broadway, Dance, Family, Jazz and Showcase, formerly the Popular Series.  

Executive Director Joan Squires says several of the shows offered during this season’s Broadway series are coming to Omaha for the first time.  The season begins with Shrek! The Musical in October.  Squires says that’s followed by Billy Elliot in November.

Omaha’s KANEKO has a new board chairman and new plans for programming.

In March, then-Executive Director Hal France stepped down. Jim Linder, Incoming Chairman of the Board, says France stepped down as part of a planning process.  Linder says the board believed a different structure was needed for KANEKO as it looked at integrating administrative leadership, fundraising and programming.

KANEKO’s mission, to promote creativity and explore innovation will not change.  What will change, according to Linder, is that programming in the new season will follow four major themes.

The Omaha Area Youth Orchestra will play popular pieces from Rimsky-Korsakov, Delius and Mendelssohn at its annual Side by Side program.

The Side by Side Concert takes place Sunday at 7:00 in the Holland Center.  OAYO Executive Director Aviva Segall says the program offers the Youth Symphony the chance to perform alongside Omaha Symphony musicians. 

She says Maestro Thomas Wilkins will conduct the majority of the concert.

Area students and community volunteers have an opportunity to become “Mindbender Masters” through the Durham Museum’s Good Works Program. 

The program is a service-based initiative that will train participants for the Museum’s summer exhibition, Mindbender Mansion. Volunteers or “Mindbender Masters” will guide visitors through the exhibition, helping them complete brainteasers and challenges.