Thursday, February 8, 2007

08 Feb 2007


The Bemis Center allows lovers — and art lovers — to celebrate the sappiest of holidays in the classiest of ways. This year, the Center mixed things up, deviating from the regular, themed auction viewers have become accustomed to and instead selecting a handful of artists to participate in a weeklong benefit art sale.

In the past, artists conformed their creativity to the Bemis Center’s template, creating heart-shaped pieces and, one year, clocks, said Rachel Ziegler, managing director of Bemis projects, This year’s show embraces the diversity of each artist’s approach.

Viewers can expect to see new work by Dana Damewood, Mary Day and Eliska Morsel-Greenspoon, she said. Other artists donated familiar works: Scott Blake will show his “Bar Code Marilyn”; Therman Statom will show mixed-media wall pieces. Other participating artists include Kenneth Adkins, Wanda Ewing, Jake Gillespie, Joey Lynch and Craig Roper. Curated by Assistant Director Jeremy Stern, the work in the show ranges in price from $200 to $7,000. The sale runs Feb. 6-14.

On Saturday, Feb. 10 the Bemis is throwing a salsa dance party and ultra lounge to celebrate. The night will include salsa dance lessons and music as well as house music. All proceeds from the sale go back to the Bemis Center’s Community Arts Outreach Program.

-- Last week the Bemis, in tandem with Alegent Health, unveiled the city’s newest public art project. The O! Public Art Project commissioned 22 Omaha artists to design three-dimensional, 6-foot-tall O! fiberglass sculptures. The unveiling announced the artists and the future sites of the sculptures, scattered around the city. The sculptures will be installed in May. Participating artists include Kenneth Adkins, Littleton Alston, Les Bruning, Jamie Burmeister, Santiago Cal, Gary Day in collaboration with Anna Monardo, Eddie Dominguez, Wanda Ewing, Renee and Bill Hoover, Leslie Iwai, Susan Knight, Matt Lowe, Joey Lynch, Deborah Masuoka, Yanna Ramaekers, Larry Roots, Craig Roper, Colin Smith, Therman Statom, Bart Vargas, Liz Vercruysse and Mary Zicafoose. For more information on the project, visit opublicartproject.org.


— Sarah Baker


Sketchbook is about artistry in Omaha, Lincoln and Council Bluffs. We cover anything from new projects to calls for artists. Send information to sketchbook@thereader.com.

1 comment:

Scott Blake said...

Sold Barcode Marilyn for $600
Bemis gets 50% which is $300
Print and frame cost me $150
So I actually made $150.

Not complaining, just explaining.