Mission
The spirit and programs of the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts are based on the conviction that exceptional talent deserves to be supported. Our practical commitment to this belief is achieved by providing well-equipped studio spaces, living accommodations and a monthly stipend to artists who are awarded residencies. These artists come from around the world to work within a supportive community of like-minded people. The atmosphere and environment offer an ideal situation for creative growth and experimentation and encourage artists to confront new challenges.
Brief History....
In 1981 artists Jun Kaneko, Tony Hepburn, Lorne Falke and Ree Schonlau founded the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts. Initially, the Center began as an Artist-In-Industry program called Alternative Worksite, which placed artists at industrial sites where they could create their work. From 1981-1984, the Artist-In-Industry program operated during summer months on an average annual budget of $35,000. The combination of an unfamiliar studio, the productive exchange of ideas and creative development resulted in an ideal forum for a dynamic art-making process. During that time, ideas also emerged regarding the general needs and facilities that artists require to conceptualize and create art. Accordingly, the concept of providing opportunities to artists through extended residencies at studio and workshop spaces began to form. Over 100 artists who had participated in the Artist-In-Industry program shared their experiences and information. This survey indicated a real need for a residency program that would remove artists from their daily responsibilities and allow them to focus exclusively on creating art. Emphasis was placed on an atmosphere that would be supportive and collaborative as well as conducive to self-challenge and experimentation.
Board members and artists residing in locations throughout the United States, responded to this general consensus by taking action to establish a year-round residency program in Omaha. In 1984 Executive Director Ree Schonlau began searching for studio facilities that would accommodate multiple artists working in a wide-range of media. She established a consortium consisting of the City of Omaha, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, private and corporate foundations and the Mercer family, who owned the vacant 170,000-square-foot Bemis Bag Warehouse, and she convinced this group to develop the studio program in the century-old Bemis Bag Warehouse.
Upon approval, renovation began, and facilities were designed that included fourteen studio/living spaces with heating, air conditioning, kitchens and baths. The first floor was renovated to produce a 4,000 square-foot exhibition space, administrative offices, and a 6,000 square-foot ceramic sculpture studio complete with three large-scale gas kilns. In accordance with its new home, the program was named the Bemis Foundation, and full-time programming began.
By the late 1980s, it became evident to both resident artists and the Bemis Center supporters that this program fulfilled a vital need in the arts community. As the Center’s programs grew, exhibitions and public outreach expanded. It therefore became necessary to secure the Bemis Center’s future by providing the Residency Program with a permanent home. The solution appeared just down the street in the 100,000 sq. ft. McCord-Brady wholesale grocery warehouse. The Bemis Center purchased the McCord-Brady Building in 1992, and renovation on the basement and first and second floors began in 1993. The Bemis Center's new permanent facility opened to the public in 1995.
In July 2003, Mark Masuoka joined the Bemis Center as Executive Director and Chief Curator. Masuoka, who previously served as the director of both the Nevada Institute for Contemporary Art in Las Vegas and the Museum of Contemporary Art/Denver, earned his Master of Fine Arts degree from Cranbrook Academy of Art in 1987, although he first came to Omaha in 1986 as an assistant to Jun Kaneko. He returned in 1989 as a Bemis Center Artist-in-Residence.
As Executive Director, Masuoka has developed a human resource plan that hires the best and brightest arts professionals to manage the Bemis Center's projects and programs. He firmly believes that the organization’s staff is its greatest asset, and the Center’s team provides day-to-day management in a creative, supportive and professional environment.
Since his arrival, Masuoka has built upon the Bemis Center’s international Artist-in-Residency program by developing a marketing and management plan that has significantly increased applications, with more than 600 artists from over a dozen different countries vying for residencies each year. He has also instituted sweeping changes that have transformed the Bemis Center into one of the most significant centers for contemporary arts in the Midwest. He reorganized and revamped the education and community art programs and created the award-winning Art 4 Omaha community-based public art projects, which take the conception and creation of contemporary art directly to the community.
In 2004, Masuoka and Jeremy Stern, the Bemis Center's assistant director, developed the bemisUNDERGROUND in order to offer unique professional opportunities for community artists. The bemisUNDERGROUND is an innovative curatorial residency program that provides 6 artists/curators with an unique experience to develop and manage exhibitions that run for 5 weeks from beginning to end. Also in 2004, the Bemis Center launched its new web site, which receives over 100,000 hits and 8,000 unique visitors from over 60 countries every month.
Today, the Bemis Center presents over 20 cutting-edge exhibitions annually. These shows, which run in the Center's 3 main galleries, feature emerging and established artists and span all visual art mediums including video, installation and performance art. By showcasing the newest talent and internationally recognized artists, these exhibitions present a true global arts perspective. Recent exhibitions have included Signal Channel: Contemporary Video Art, Jun Kaneko: Beyond Butterfly, Kent Bellows, Contemporary Artists from Peru and Ken Little: Little Changes.
Additionally, the Bemis Center has developed an effective membership program, which has taken membership from under 50 in 2003 to nearly 1500 active members in 2007. Visitor attendance has increased to over 1200 visitors each month. ArtTalk, the resident artist monthly lecture series, has alone increased eight-fold, providing audience members with the opportunity to experience new work by artists from all over the world. Other events such as Slide Jams and Gallery Talks enhance the dialogue and interaction between the community and contemporary artists and transform this on-going dialogue into arts discovery.
The Bemis Center participates in global conversations on a daily basis with contemporary artists, and its staff is proud that it serves as a significant community-based art center. Future plans will continue to build upon these exciting innovations in arts programming, management and financial stewardship while maintaining a strong presence in the contemporary art world.
__________________________________________________
The Bemis Center is a proud member of the Alliance of Artists Communities. For more information about the Alliance, please log on to their web-site at: www.artistcommunities.org.
