CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
Summer is in full swing and we're turning our focus to fun, friendship, and making connections during our next installment of Open Book.
Based loosely on the concept of “speed dating”, Open Book puts participants in direct conversation with five metro artists. Pamela Conyers-Hinson, Kyle Laidig | Baader-Meinhof, RIKÉ, Nathaniel Ruleaux, Joelle Wellansa Sandfort, and Kerron Stark will open up conversations with attendees about their practices, backgrounds, current projects/exhibitions, and how they juggle it all. Each of these artists brings a tremendous amount of creative, innovative energy to our community. If you don’t know them already, or even if you do, this is an opportunity to start real conversations, find out what drives their work, and learn more about what it takes to sustain a creative practice in the Omaha metro.
Free and open to all.
Prepped by Lauren will provide some delicious appetizers and dessert for the event! Prepped by Lauren’s goal is to bring healthy, flavorful meal prep and catering right to you. She also does in home private chef sessions! Learn more at preppedbylauren.com.
*Due to ongoing COVID-19 related public health concerns, attendance for Open Book will be limited to 40 people to allow for distancing. Face masks are requested. Please register here or email peter@amplifyarts.org with questions.
Access: The main entrance to Hanscom Park Pavilion is a flight of 13 ascending stairs. The space is also wheelchair accessible via ramp. This event will include intermittent periods of sitting and standing.
About the Artists:
Pamela Conyers-Hinson is an award-winning artist. She holds a Master of Arts in Teaching, Master in Organizational Leadership, and a Bachelor of Art in Studio Art. She is a classically trained sculptor using the lost wax method for bronze casting and the traditional methods for stone carving. Pamela is interested in sustainability within the arts. This is evident by her use of experimental natural mediums. She received the Council of American Art Society Inc, Award for Excellence in Representational Sculpture. She has been an artist in residence throughout Nebraska and a 2021 Fellow at The Union for Contemporary Art in Omaha, NE, where she began the first iteration of a new aspect of her practice. She is a member of the National Association of Women Artist New York Chapter. Pamela has traveled across Nebraska with exhibitions from the Sheldon Museum of Art to teach art in rural communities. She has been a teaching artist for Joslyn Art Museum and for After School programs that focus on underserved populations. She has exhibited her artwork in Nebraska, New York, Missouri Illinois, Virginia, and Italy.
Baader-Meinhof is a center for contemporary art located in Omaha, NE founded by Kyle Laidig. Baader-Meinhof is committed to connecting Middle America to an international art economy and giving a voice to an international conversation on art and culture. As a part of this mission, Baader-Meinhof operates a residency program which provides living accommodations and access to fabrication resources for artists living outside the Midwest.
RIKÉ is a Hip-Hop singer/songwriter residing in Omaha, Nebraska. RIKÉ's work revolves around vocals and emotional sounds such as alternative pop with his band Vokse and Hip-Hop and R&B on his solo projects. After many Karaoke nights and jam sessions, RIKÉ and his friend Ursus decided to take "Band Practice" to a main stage at the Baxter Arena helping out with the Heartland Pride Festival in 2017. Since that stage, RIKÉ has been obsessed with collaborating on projects and performing live. From helping with Queerniverse Burlesque for three years, Art and community organizing in his regular day to day, to the molding of Moodz Showcase into Soundz Like Omaha musical Concert series, RIKÉ has had a passion for not only creating and performing but creating platforms for others to find the same passion in Omaha, Nebraska.
Nathaniel Ruleaux is an artist currently located on unceded land of the Umónhon & Očhéthi Šakówiŋ in Nebraska. A member of the Oglala Lakota Nation, his work combines modern art with traditional indigenous imagery. He is a Culture Work Fellow for ArtStock in Omaha, and founder of Unceded Artist Collective. Recently, he created work for the national Natives Vote 2020 campaign. In addition to creating visual art, he is a classically trained actor and educator. He received his MFA in Theatre from the University of Houston’s School of Theatre and Dance after receiving a BA in Theatre Performance at the Johnny Carson School of Theatre & Film at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.
Joelle Wellansa Sandfort is an interdisciplinary artist living in Omaha, Nebraska. In 2017, she co-founded The Mez, a community space, music venue, and art gallery. She has taught at the high school level and led workshops with the Naturalist School and the South Omaha Mural Project. Joelle has exhibited her work at Tugboat Gallery in Lincoln and Sanctuarium in Omaha. She holds a BA in Art and her K-12 Education certification from Nebraska Wesleyan University.
Kerron Stark is an Omaha-based artist and entrepreneur with unquenchable reach. After several years performing as a hiphop artist, he began to stretch into other disciplines. His music began to move into different genres, such as RnB, Rock, Country, and more. He has appeared in multiple stage productions, including shows with Radio Theatre Omaha, The BlueBarn Theatre, and The Chanticleer Theatre. In 2019, Kerron began his own live stream podcast and he also started a small business called "A Kids Dream", where he makes personalized appearances for children's parties and events dressed as Barney, Spiderman, and more, while only accepting donations to ensure all children have an opportunity to have the experience. In 2020, he began pre-production on Mister K's Clubhouse, with the whimsy, silliness, and colorful style of Barney & Friends and the research and consideration for child development that Mister Rogers' demonstrated. His personal motto and that which he encourages all with, dreams are bigger than reality, comes from his clothing line DreamsVReality. If you can imagine it, you can and will achieve it!