The Reading Room
JANUARY 12TH - FEBRUARY 9TH, 2024
Throughout 2023, Amplify’s Alternate Currents cohort members worked to interrogate how artists and organizers might more thoughtfully align their practices with anti-capitalist orientations, and the movement lineages they come from, to build relationships, rest, and shore up regenerative modes of exchange. Sharing resources and holding cultural goods in common surfaced again and again as viable working practices for distributing wealth, knowledge, and power more equitably.
The Reading Room collected printed material Alternate Currents cohort members discussed, considered, and shared with one another during 2023. Hung throughout the gallery-turned-commons, visitors were invited to read, rest, reflect, and offer new perspectives on how justice in the arts might be interpreted, documented, and enacted.
The closing of The Reading Room included live readings from Amanda Huckins, Maritza N. Estrada, Aspen M. Laboy, and Jewel Rodgers.
Material Archive
Live Readings
Amanda Huckins is a Nebraskan poet whose work has been published in booklet form as "Trying to End the War" (merrily merrily merrily merrily, 2017) and featured in A Dozen Nothing (adozennothing.com), among other places on paper and online. In her weekday hours, Amanda is an Early Head Start educator and participates in building the brain architecture for social emotional and cognitive development in infants and toddlers. In addition to her paid work, Amanda is a grassroots organizer who works alongside fellow community members to build self-determination, forge non-transactional relationships, and create radical free spaces (such as past DIY spaces The Commons in Lincoln, NE and Media Corp. in Omaha). She is also a letterpress printer who produces posters and other ephemera in her garage print studio, where she teaches typesetting to anyone who wants to learn.
Aspen M. Laboy (they/them) is an interdisciplinary artist from Omaha, Nebraska working in poetry, glass sculpting, installation, short film, and film photography. Exploring concepts of environmentalism, internal identity, and cultural heritage, they are influenced by nature, the social sciences, and philosophy. Some of their work has been shown in group exhibitions at MoonRise Gallery, BLUEBARN Theatre, LUX Center for the Arts, and Generator Space. Their solo shows have been exhibited at Fleabane Gallery, Goldsmith Silversmith, and Family of Things. Aspen has published three books; “Spirit” (2017), “The Quiet Lion” (2018), and “I MATTER” (2022). They have performed poetry at Project Project, Parrish Studios, and occasionally participate in local open mics. In 2023, several of their selected poems were aired on “Friday Live” with Nebraska Public Media through NPR. In the same year, Aspen became one of the selected artists for the Alternate Currents Working Cohort through Amplify Arts, in addition to being involved with the Community Advisory Group.
Maritza N. Estrada earned her MFA in Creative Writing at Arizona State University. Estrada’s recent poem “Audience” was published in the Academy of American Poets—the nation’s leading champion of American poets and poetry. Born in Toppenish, Washington to Mexican parents, she calls Phoenix, Mexico City, and Paris, home. ¡Liberar Palestina!
Jewel Rodgers is an interdisciplinary poet, performer, and visual artist creating with the purpose to connect. She has shared her work across the Midwest and MidAtlantic regions, appearing in spoken word, public speaking, and multimedia projects, including 100 Years | 100 Women (Park Avenue Armony – NY, NY), TEDxLincoln (TEDx – LNK, NE), and Amplifying the Black Experience (Opera Omaha – OMA, NE). Alongside her artistic practice, Jewel is working toward reshaping the built environment. After earning a Master’s in Real Estate Development (New York University) and completing a Bachelor’s in Business Administration (University of Nebraska-Lincoln) as a Buffet Scholar, she continues toward the long-term goal of “co-creating our community.” She currently creates and maintains privately held spaces for public interaction, including her most recent project - North Omaha’s Tierra Park (2413 Spencer St).
Installation Images
Photos: Debra S. Kaplan
2023-24 Alternate Currents Cohort Members
Joy Cotton is a mixed media artist living in Omaha. Joy uses a combination of pencil, acrylic, oil to create paintings and murals. She creates pieces that hold a great significance to personal emotions, like happiness, sadness, anger, and depression. The characters she makes depict different forms of fantasy and realistic figure drawings. These works contain multiple layers of textures and different types of painting applications. A graduate of University of Nebraska at Omaha Joy often works with other artists and organizations within the Omaha arts community. For the past two years she has worked on projects with Omaha Summer Arts Festival (OSAF), Benson First Fridays (BFF), and Midtown Crossing Sunny Chair project. Interacting, building relationships and collaborating with innovative individuals has shown her the interconnectedness of the art community. Through these interactions, observations, and personal projects she has continued to define and develop her artistry.
Amanda Huckins is a Nebraskan poet whose work has been published in booklet form as "Trying to End the War" (merrily merrily merrily merrily, 2017) and featured in A Dozen Nothing (adozennothing.com), among other places on paper and online. In her weekday hours, Amanda is an Early Head Start educator and participates in building the brain architecture for social emotional and cognitive development in infants and toddlers. In addition to her paid work, Amanda is a grassroots organizer who works alongside fellow community members to build self-determination, forge non-transactional relationships, and create radical free spaces (such as past DIY spaces The Commons in Lincoln, NE and Media Corp. in Omaha). She is also a letterpress printer who produces posters and other ephemera in her garage print studio, where she teaches typesetting to anyone who wants to learn.
Alex Jacobsen explores the interconnectedness of space, memory, and body primarily through psychoacoustics and somatic vibrations. Visually, they often use found electronics, liquids, and naked loudspeakers to create ceaselessly changing environments. In live performances, Alex often incorporates feedback, processed recordings, and amplified objects, creating a collectively remembered soundscape. In recent years, Alex has contributed music for a number of film and dance projects, and their work has been featured across the United States, Mexico, and Europe, including Radiophrenia Art Festival, ESS’s Quarantine Concert Series, and Konvent Puntzero.
Aspen M. Laboy (they/them) is an interdisciplinary artist from Omaha, Nebraska working in poetry, glass sculpting, installation, and film photography. Exploring concepts of environmentalism, internal identity, and cultural heritage, they are influenced by nature, science, and philosophy. Aspen has three published books; “Spirit” (2017), “The Quiet Lion” (2018), and “I MATTER” (2022). They co-hosted the poetry workshop “Corner’s Space” at KANEKO and have performed poetry in various galleries. In 2023, several of their selected poems were aired on “Friday Live'' with Nebraska Public Media through NPR. Their work has been exhibited at MoonRise Gallery, Fleabane Gallery, Goldsmith Silversmith, LUX Center for the Arts, Generator Space, Family of Things, and Union Street Gallery. Currently, Aspen is one of the selected artists for the Alternate Currents Cohort through Amplify Arts. In addition, they were awarded a scholarship for Penland School of Craft to attend in Summer of 2024.
Artur Melika is an Omaha-based, queer, Ukrainian-American artist. Melika received his BFA from University of Nebraska Omaha in December of 2022. Art’s current work explores the vastness of the queer experience and how it manifests for individuals coming from different backgrounds. His primary focus is in 2D mediums including printmaking, drawing and painting. Melika is also exploring guerrilla style performance-based work, in public and gallery settings.
Lauren Simpson is an Omaha-based choreographer and educator. She created Moving Truck, a mobile and socially-distanced show performed on front lawns at residences throughout Omaha in 2020. Recent projects include Smithereens, a site specific performance in Joslyn Art Museum with music by Omaha musician Miwi LaLupa, Celestial Real Estate, a collaborative performance at Generator Space gallery featuring local artists Nick Miller (painter), Celeste Butler (textile designer), and Dereck Higgins (musician), and Self-Leveling a performance at ODC Theater San Francisco in collaboration with dancer Galen Rogers and visual artist Emma Strebel. Collaboration across disciplines is at the heart of her art making.
Bilgesu Sisman is a writer, researcher, educator, and film programmer with a background in philosophy and a deep love for cinema. Bilgesu’s work as a creative writer and filmmaker focuses on female-driven narratives, often in the form of psychological and philosophical mysteries, thrillers and fantastical fiction that meditate on our encounters with the unknown - whether personal, existential, or socio-political. As a PhD candidate in Philosophy at DePaul University, Chicago, her thesis explores the political history of necroviolence (i.e. posthumous corporal violence) and argues for its formative role in state power. In addition to political philosophy, Bilgesu taught courses on subjectivity, psychoanalysis, affects, memory, trauma, and film theory. She currently works as the Interim Programming Director at Film Streams in Omaha, Nebraska.
Valerie St. Pierre Smith (White Earth Ojibwe enrolled descendant) nindizhinikaaz. A mischief maker, scholar, author, healer, and multidisciplinary artisan, Valerie has an eclectic creative background including fiber arts, sewing, painting, and costume/fashion design. Her design work has been seen across the country with highlights that include The Kennedy Center, Woolly Mammoth Theatre, Mixed Blood Theatre, Sea World: San Diego, the National Museum of the American Indian, and Pilobolus Dance Theatre. A bit of a unicorn, Valerie’s creative research and scholarly work focuses on appropriation, inspiration, representation, and decolonization in western design practices. She is currently working on a book focused on decolonizing contemporary design processes for Routledge Press. As a mixed blood Anishnaabe-kwe, healer, and artisan, her work explores and is influenced by her experiences at the confluence of healing, social justice, traditional Anishinaabe teachings, and the power of identity. St. Pierre Smith holds a B.F.A from Stephens College, and an M.F.A from San Diego State University.
Mi'oux Stabler is a member of the Umoⁿhoⁿ Nation whose tribal lands are located in northeast Nebraska along the banks of the Missouri River. She is a proud mother, artist, land tender, and a dedicated cultural advocate. For the past decade, her endeavors have been geared towards the revitalization of traditional languages and land stewardship practices. She has traveled extensively, but currently focuses her work in the ancestral homelands of the Umoⁿhoⁿ people.
Casey Albert Welsch is a working class writer, cook, journalist, and organizer. Born and raised on a dryland Nebraska farm, he now lives and works in central Omaha. As a multimedia journalist in southeast Nebraska, Casey started a community news service at KZUM radio in Lincoln, was a founding member of the Dandelion Network mutual aid group, and was a regular contributor to Hear Nebraska and Perfect Pour magazine. These days he is focusing on his other life's work as a cook, working at Methodist Hospital, feeding the sick and those who care for them.