|
About
the Project
Descriptions of the interaction, stimulation
and creativity of this period call up images of the left bank of Paris in
the '20s rather than Omaha
in the '50s and '60s.
This
project is identifying the people involved and documenting in what ways the
Omaha arts community of the '50s and '60s
was unique and special then and to examine the legacy left by this era for
the Omaha
community of today and the future.
People
are being interviewed to preserve their experiences; and public and private
archives are being searched for related archival materials.
How
can you be part of this?
Contact
us to share
- your stories, your knowledge
- your archival materials (photos, slides, home movies, letters, costumes)
- to interview others
- conduct research on- and off-line
- to make a tax deductible donation.
The
Left Bank of Omaha operates under the
umbrella of The Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts, a not-for-profit
international artists residency program located in
Omaha.
Donations made through The Bemis are tax deductible. They should be made
payable to The Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts, making sure to mark the
memo line: "Left Bank of Omaha Oral History Project" and mailed
to Victoria Haas, LBO Project Director, 306 South Third Avenue, Maywood, IL
60153.
|
This
woodcut by Joslyn Art Museum Director Eugene
Kingman illustrates the midwest agricultural
context in which this creativity flourished. Eugene Kingman was not only an
adept administrator for the Museum, but a skilled artisan who brought his
sensitivities for both arenas together. It was he, as the Museum's
Director, who in the late 1940's approached Omaha
artist Elmer Gruenig and invited Omaha
artists to meet at the Joslyn to facilitate
dialogue between the museum and the Omaha
arts community. Under Mr. Kingman's direction, the museum through its staff
worked eagerly with other Omaha
arts institutions -- creating set designs for the Playhouse, inviting
dancers to interpret art and music in the galleries,
and hosting various recitals and performances.
|
