Millwork Commons is a collaborative community in Omaha designed to inspire and support the work of innovators and creators. Located on approximately 50 acres at 13th and Nicholas St., Millwork Commons is restoring 140-year-old buildings to meet the needs of today’s workers and residents.
In 2019, Millwork partnered with Amplify to issue a call for a collaborative mural on three 500-square-foot shipping containers at 12th and Izard Streets. A jury of local arts community members selected artists Reggie LeFlore, Nicholas Miller, and norm4eva to create a collaborative design that, when stacked, becomes one cohesive work. The mural represents a collection of “legends, knowledge, and wisdom” spanning generations and strengthens Omaha’s urban core by signaling the city’s cultural vibrancy.
“The Keeper of Stories,” Reggie LeFlore, Nicholas Miller, and norm4eva
Reggie LeFlore is a visual artist who creates art to praise individual and collective stories through human portraiture. His subject matter centers “everyday people.” He crafts portraits with vibrant colors and contemporary elements to capture the energy and spirit of his subjects’ stories. He is inspired by the concepts and philosophies of Street Art culture and Illustration — using aerosol, acrylic paint and various graphic design techniques to construct work in varying styles, scales and surfaces. He uses visual arts to amplify both his surrounding environments and the narratives contained within them.
Nicholas Miller received his BFA from Slippery Rock University/ Academy of Fine Arts and Design Bratislava, Slovakia and an MFA from the San Francisco Art Institute. He has worked as lead muralist for the Philadelphia Mural Arts Program and held positions at The Blanton Museum of Art, The Contemporary Austin and The Visual Art Center at the University of Texas. His murals can be found in Austin, Texas; Buffalo, New York; and Omaha, Nebraska.
norm4eva’s experiences are her education. By working with the intricacies of the relationship between past, present and future, she invites viewers to develop deep cerebral and emotional connections to based on color, form, subliminal imagery, and the intimate movement between them.