Omaha's latest public art venture is ready to be unveiled
06/27/2007
BY DANE STICKNEY, WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER
Originally Published 06/11/2007
When the curtain rises on the O! public art project, don't expect a sequel to J. Doe. Gone are the gender-neutral humanoids.
What you'll see has become a signature of Omaha - a towering oval and an exclamation point.
Seeing that emblem in some of the sculptures won't be easy, though. Artists have sliced, submerged and spiked the sculptures. Some pieces will screen videos, sing or burn.
Project officials will unveil many of the sculptures Tuesday. Think of this section as the program for the show, a sneak peek at the spectacle.
The project: The goal is to promote Omaha's logo. The project comprises 22 sculptures: 7-foot-tall, 8-foot-wide, 3-foot-thick ovals and exclamation points made of dense foam coated in urethane. The artists could paint, carve, sink, char, cut, break or cover the sculptures - whatever they wanted. The only requirements: The sculptures must be safe and weatherproof.
The organizers: Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce and O! Campaign officials developed the idea and sought guidance from the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts.
The artists: In September, a committee identified 50 artists in the region for the invitation-only project. The committee whittled the group to 22 after reviewing proposals. Unlike J. Doe, the project recruited only well-established artists who could stretch the limits of the template. The artists range from internationally exhibited glass artist Therman Statom to up-and-comers Bart Vargas and Wanda Ewing. Each artist was given $2,000 to cover creative costs.
The sponsors: Alegent Health pledged $150,000 to pay for the project. Ralston fabricator M&R 3D [mat: M&R 3D cq; they've also changed their name recenlty: ]was hired to manufacture the sculptures. City of Omaha officials helped walk project planners through the logistics of exhibiting in public spaces. Crane Rental and Rigging and Davis Erection donated time to help lift heavy pieces. M&R 3D and Dingman's Auto clear-coated O!s to withstand weather.
The art: Works of all types are spread across Omaha: a couchlike sculpture in northwest Omaha, one splashed with video images at the zoo, and one that travels to local events, including the College World Series, the Cox Classic golf tournament and area parades. Among the wackiest: "Suffolk/War Horse" by Kenneth Adkins, who sliced up his O! and sculpted the pieces into an equine; Jamie Burmeister's "Omaha Song," which plays tunes about Nebraska's largest city; Statom's "O!," which will be partially submerged in Zorinsky Lake; and Eddie Dominquez's wooden O!, which is slated to be set on fire during Millard Days in August.
The debut: A handful of sculptures have popped up in town since mid-May. The bulk will be installed after Tuesday. Chamber officials identified the sites. Some businesses hosting the works plan sculpture-related events this summer. The sculptures will be displayed for about a year before being auctioned off to benefit a yet-undetermined charity.
More information: Maps and questions for a trivia contest are available at the chamber office at 13th and Harney Streets, many O! locations, area hotels and eventually at www.omahachamber.org.
Starting next week: We review one O! sculpture each Wednesday.
THE FACES BEHIND THE O! PROJECT
The artists and their sculptures get all the attention, but these three project planners helped cultivate the idea and guide the process:
Mark Masuoka
Job: Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts director
Main task: Selecting artists and helping them through the artistic process.
QuO!te: "It (the project) has the potential to be something special. We want it to be edgy. We want it to be totally unique."
Wayne Sensor
Job: Alegent Health CEO
Main task: Providing $150,000 in support from Alegent for materials, stipends and related costs.
QuO!te: "Raising the cultural enlightenment of a community is a way to also raise its spirit and overall health and vibrancy."
Molly Skold
Job: Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce's O! Campaign director
Main task: Taking care of details, including setting timelines and working with city planners.
QuO!te: "The logo is such a versatile symbol that people have really embraced. It lends itself well to a public art project."
If you were the artist
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We asked Omahans: What would you use to make an O! sculpture, and how would that material represent Omaha?
Josue Amaya, 18
Idea: Because Nebraska is "the state of corn," Amaya suggested making a sculpture out of corncobs to represent the state's agricultural roots and, of course, the Cornhuskers.
Cody Gerhardt, 12
Idea: Make it out of ice to represent local hockey teams.
Mikaela Rogstad, 28
Idea: Use a stars-and-stripes theme to represent local military personnel.
Erin Block, 23
Idea: Make an O! out of clay, so that anyone passing by can mold it how he or she wants. Omaha offers so many things to do, visitors can shape their experiences here in many different ways. "You take out of Omaha whatever you want."
Compiled by staff writer Kyle Harpster
Reprinted with permission of the Omaha World Herald.
