March/April 2010 The Encounter by Omaha Magazine

Old Market • Downtown • Riverfront

www.oldmarket.com

March/April 2010

Weaving the Social Fabric DJ Brent Crampton

ART PAINTER PAULA WALLACE FACES HESSE MCGRAW

OMAHA MAGAZINE • 5921 S. 118TH CIRCLE • OMAHA, NE 68137

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At the Old Market’s Front Door 10TH & HOWARD STREETS

Gifts for any season, or reason For Mother’s Day or every day, we offer an unmatched selection of gifts! Cottage Garden music boxes play beautiful melodies and include a nice sentiment in the lid – or insert your own photo or note. We celebrate the spirit of giving at Christmas, and all year round. Come see our large selection of Cottage Garden Music boxes.

1007 HOWARD ST. • (402) 345-9627

Handmade chocolates & fudge Our gourmet chocolates and fudge are handmade in our kitchen with the finest ingredients. Our tempting selection of sweet treats also includes: • Vermont Truffles • International Licorice • Nostalgia Candies • Sugar-Free Varieties • Jelly Bellies • Salt Water Taffy • Molded Candies for Weddings

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The souvenir and traveler’s store Small in size but large on variety! Find essentials for travelers, Nebraska-made gifts, Heartland apparel, Husker items and souvenirs. We’ve been called “the hotel gift shop, without the hotel prices.”

1003 HOWARD ST. (402) 345-8198

New Patients Welcome Early Morning and Emergency Availability The Old Market’s favorite spot for lunch & dinner.

Award-winning food & wine list – open late 7 nights a week. Call for reservations.

M’s Pub

422 S. 11th Street

•

342-2550

www.MsPubOmaha.com

Italian & Mediterranean specialties served in“the Old Market’s most beautiful dining room,” complemented with the area’s largest selection of Italian wines.

1108 Howard Street

•

342-2050

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the encounter | march/april 2010 3

Second Chance

Old Market Downtown • Riverfront

Antiques & Collectibles

Bought and sold by the handful, or houseful

Furniture Architectural Items China Glassware Toys & Dolls Books Huge Selection of Vintage Clothing & Jewelry on our Lower Level

Over 30 Years in the Old Market

1116 Jackson St. 346-4930 Mon-Thurs 10am-6pm / Fri-Sat 11am-9pm / Sun 12-6pm

MARCH/APRIL 2010

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the encounter | march/april 2010 5

DOWNTOWN DINING

G.M. Steven Summers,

“ W ” Rock Bottom appeals to a lot of different senses.

6 march/april 2010 | the encounter

at left, with Executive Chef James Davis

Rock Bottom’s Solid Start Downtown brewpub sees great opening on Harney Street story by Chris Aponick | photos by minorwhitestudios.com

hen Greg Cutchall approached the owners of the Rock Bottom restaurants about letting him open an Omaha Rock Bottom franchise, they were skeptical. “They felt the Rock Bottom concept was too difficult to franchise,” Cutchall recalls. “After several meetings, I got them to see the light.” Now Cutchall and company are proving how successful the company’s first franchise can be, having set up Rock Bottom Gold Medal Tap, 1101 Harney St., inside the former Famous Dave’s. General Manager Steven Summers said success has come quickly to the downtown Rock Bottom in the months since its November 2009 opening. The restaurant’s craft beer, the

department

chain’s region-specific menus, and a laid-back environment have brought in crowds from day one. It was Cutchall’s appreciation for the Rock Bottom format that led him to make the dramatic transformation of the former Famous Dave’s locale. What was once a blue-collar, wood-trimmed BBQ joint now jives with the modern, urban trimmings of Old Market staples like M’s Pub and Upstream Brewing Company. “Rock Bottom appeals to a lot of different senses,” Summers says. Cutchall says the bar business crowd is a big change from the location’s past restaurants, where the business day seemed to sputter out after the dinner rush. “After 8 or 9 o’clock, you could shoot a cannon through the place,” Cutchall says. There’s already been a nearly 60 percent spike in late-night business. The kitchen stays open as late as 11:30, offering a latenight menu during the final hour of food service. While most Rock Bottom locations host in-house breweries, the 185-seat Omaha location gets its beers delivered from Rock Bottom brew masters in Colorado. As a franchise location, Cutchall decided to couple the eight – soon to be nine – Rock Bottom proprietary beers with a selection of six other hand-picked guest brews. Executive Chef James Davis says he was drawn both to the concept of Rock Bottom and the chance to work with Cutchall. He said he and other on-site Rock Bottom chefs have a good working relationship with the chain’s research and development chefs, telling them what works, what sells and what doesn’t. In turn, the executives are trusted to do what’s right with the menus that have been put together. Davis, an Omaha native who trained at the Phoenix Le Cordon Bleu Academy, had previously worked at Omaha’s biggest brewpub, Upstream Brewing Company. Davis and the local management team have taken their freedom as franchisees to tweak some offerings with local touches. For example, the restaurant hand cuts their steak selections, some of which are shipped fresh from Omaha Steaks. Davis also gets to tinker with his own daily specials, which aren’t offered at any other Rock Bottom. “They have given us some good room to play,” Davis says. So far, he and Summers agree that the big menu hits have been what they call “upscale comfort food.” Items like chicken pot pie, braised short ribs, a slow-cooked bone-in pork loin, and a macaroni, chicken and cheese dish are big sellers, providing a homespun taste on the varied brewpub menu. Meanwhile, the wait staff work the second half of what Cutchall calls “polished casual.” Summers leads the way, often stopping to talk with customers about food and beer. “It’s easy to be at a place where you’re passionate about what’s going on,” Summers says.

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the encounter | march/april 2010 7

COVER STORY

“ S ” We aim to transcend

Weaving the Social Fabric Brent Crampton’s Loom by David Williams | photos by minorwhitestudios.com

issues of

race, age

and income.

8 march/april 2010 | the encounter

waying to global soul, funk, Punjabi, disco and bhangra (Google away, gentle reader, Google away), Sasha Fernandez was among the impossibly large, elbow-to-elbow crowd crammed into the Indian Oven on a recent winter night for Loom, Brent Crampton’s themed dance party. The Indian-American community was out in full force in a room dotted with women draped in traditional kurtas, and the Mumbai-born Fernandez doubly appreciated Loom honoring her native country (a sequel to an earlier Bollywood night). But she would have been there regardless of the evening’s theme.

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the encounter | september/october 2009 9

cover story “I think I can say that I have been to every Loom event,” she said. “There aren’t a lot of things that can bring together this type of diversity in Omaha, but Brent always finds a way to collect the most interesting people.” Loom may be the popular dance soiree that has brought Crampton three Omaha Entertainment and Arts Awards as best DJ, but the underpinnings of the nomadic party are firmly rooted in ideas of social change. Crampton’s tag-line of “Weaving the Social Fabric through Dance” speaks to traits he discovered as a teenager. “In high school I was a social butterfly who drifted between several different groups,” said Crampton. “I’d bring those disparate friends together on weekends because it seemed like the most natural thing in the world to do, even if it led to a few awkward moments. Some thought I was weird, but it was like an epiphany for me, this idea that I have a knack for bringing people together.” The throbbing dance parties may reflect echoes of the ‘90s rave scene — something the 25-year-old Crampton is too young to have fully experienced — but Loom has managed to transcend the glow-stick mentality and now finds itself playing some of the most sophisticated rooms in town. From the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts to the Joslyn Art Museum and from the Indian Oven to Love’s Jazz and Art Center, the Univer-

sity of Nebraska – Omaha graduate weaves the fabric of a city at some of its most prestigious cultural magnets. Loom, joined by co-creator and “dance floor catalyst” Jay Kline, has a first-Thursday-of-every-month home base at España, the popular tapas bar in Benson. Crampton also holds a Saturday night residency shaking the rafters at Sake Bombers. “Accessibility is the key,” Crampton said of his decidedly egalitarian philosophy. “We aim to transcend issues of race, age and income.” One of the reasons they chose España as a home for Loom, Crampton explained, is that the restaurant was fertile ground for something dramatically different, something that could evade the labels inevitably attached to any player on the nightclub circuit. “We’ve been successful at defining ourselves by writing our own rules, by making our own scene,” one that includes such an eclectic array of collaborators as belly dancers, visual artists and spoken word performers, all accompanied by ever-present musicians on African percussion instruments. “The contemporary urban idea of nightlife may seem pigeon-holed and plastic,” said Crampton, “but we try to stick to the simple idea that movement is the most ancient of art forms, an aesthetic that is central to the human condition.”

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the encounter | march/april 2010 11

DOWNTOWN STORY

Susan Hoffman Brink in her store, Second

“ S ” It’s fun because it’s like organized chaos in there.

12 march/april 2010 | the encounter

Chance Antiques

The Thrill is in the Hunt Downtown antique stores make for a treasure hunter’s paradise story by Heather Heier Lane | photos by minorwhitestudios.com

tep into a mega mart and you’ll find racks of cheap, plastic products, dozens of the same t-shirt, and what can best be described as two-move furniture. You know the kind…Take it home, assemble it yourself, then put cardboard under the leg to keep it level. Furniture that won’t last 10 years, let alone two trips in a moving van. If you’re looking for good, old-fashioned quality, perhaps it’s time you give antiques a try. Whether you are a collector, a hobbyist or simply a shopper, antique stores offer an enormous variety of unique items at prices everyone appreciates. Jennifer Evans is a fan. A collector of old maps and vintage Christmas books, who lately has taken a shine to Victorian and turn-of-the-century pieces from India, Evans loves antiquing. “I am always on the lookout for

department a fun, unusual piece that I just cannot live without,” says Evans. “Part of the fun of antiquing is that there is a perfect piece for you out there somewhere, you just have to find it! It is ultimately more satisfying than just going into a store and purchasing a new piece, the thrill is in the hunt,” Evans explains. If you’re ready to take the plunge, a great place to start is Second Chance Antiques, 1116 Jackson Street. “Antiques appeal to a lot of different people who want a lot of different things,” says owner Susan Hoffman Brink, who opened Second Chance in 1971. The store has an eclectic mix of items, and Brink proudly displays pretty much anything that is old and interesting. And affordable too. According to Brink, the antique business seems impervious to the recession. “My customers don’t indicate a problem affording the prices,” she says. In fact you can find jewelry at Brink’s shop for prices comparable to K-Mart, with quality equal to Von Maur. Deirdre Evans admittedly lusts after vintage plastic jewelry and becomes entranced by the huge selection of Lucite and Bakelite whenever she visits Second Chance. Deirdre thinks the selection there is the best and biggest in Omaha. Jewelry is not on Deb Peterson’s list, but pounded aluminum by Rodney Kent, Willow Springs Brewery merchandise, and beautiful crystal are three things Peterson is always searching for. “I’m a shopper, and I love to know the history of things,” says

Peterson. Even when she doesn’t find something to add to her collection, Peterson always enjoys soaking up the history in an antique shop. She often shops at Second Chance and says, “It is entertaining to go in and browse. It’s fun because it’s like organized chaos in there.” Another must-stop shop is Antiques and Fine Art at 309 S. 16th Street. Owners David Shaw and Andy Hotz make sure to have a variety of fine hand-made items on hand at all times. They usually have at least one Tiffany lamp, and feature items representing many eras. Shaw, an artist who studied at the Royal Academy in London, and a former history teacher, has owned the business for over 20 years. He brings a ton of knowledge to the table and travels the United States extensively, always looking for quality pieces to showcase at the store. While dealers from all over the country buy from Antiques and Fine Art, there’s no need to be intimidated. You don’t need a doctorate in art to shop there, or the $1,450 it would take to buy the Tiffany lamp. You can go in with as little as $20 and still find something wonderful. So, are you up for a touch of chaos, a bit of a dig, and perhaps even a history lesson? Then give antiquing a try. You may find something, or you might strike out, but you will definitely meet a character or two along the way. With a little legwork, chances are strong you will find something that was built to last—not end up in a landfill.

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1311 HOWARD OMAHA, NE 68102 (402) 342-7175 FAX: 402-342-9426 the encounter | march/april 2010 13

DOWNTOWN FEATURE 14 march/april 2010 | the encounter

â&#x20AC;&#x153;

There is so much talent, without the ego.

feature

O! Fashion: Spring Stage at the Holland by Molly Garriott | photo by minorwhitestudios.com

lip through the pages of a fashion magazine, and you’ll see elaborate layouts featuring waif-like models sporting couture clothing in unexpected (a polite way of saying “odd”) combinations. Price tag for a single article aside, walk down Omaha’s streets in half the get-ups presented on the glossy pages and you’d meet a raised eyebrow or quizzical stare. Left of center it may be, but the Old Market is still worlds away from Greenwich Village. Fashion does not belong merely to the well off. It is not the sole property of the skeletal. It is one of the few art forms in which all members of society can participate. We may not have the talent to mold a sculpture or pluck a song from a guitar. Our budgets might not allow for season tickets to the playhouse, and our Saturdays might be spent at children’s sporting events rather than the art museum. But every time we sift through our closets, we have the opportunity to engage in art. What we wear and how we wear it is a form of expression. It is this self-expression that O! Fashion celebrates with its spring runway show, held May 22 at the Holland Performing Arts Center. The brainchild of Lincoln native Mary Beth Pinckney and Omahan John Gawley, the event’s mission is to “promote the inner beauty of individuals through the artistic self-expression known as fashion.” Pinckney is in marketing and communications but has always maintained an interest in fashion. She met Gawley through mutual friends and a shared interest in photography. Gawley is a graphic designer who worked as a fashion photographer in Phoenix before returning home to Omaha. Both Pinckney and Gawley attended Omaha Fashion Week this past fall. Buoyed by the talent and enthusiasm for

the event, they decided to direct and produce a spring counterpart to the autumn show. “We felt a spring show would round out the fashion year,” says Pinckney, “and really meet the standards of other cities in having fall and spring shows.” The two wanted to create a show for all people, irrespective of size. Most runway shows cater to sizes 0-4, maybe 6. O! Fashion celebrates the beauty of all shapes. The designers involved will be presenting designs to fit the audience, says Pinckney. “We want them to be able to sell their designs at the show.” Some of the designers involved with the event previously participated in Omaha Fashion Week. Others are new to local runway shows. Jane Round is one of the designers showing her collection in O! Fashion. At 16, she is the youngest designer involved with the project. Round creates feminine dresses and jackets reminiscent of the 1950s. It is a reaction to the overly casual way her contemporaries dress today. The full skirts, high waists and classic lines of the 1950s appeal to her: “Dressing up is fun.” She uses both vintage and modern fabrics for her creations. Round began designing the eight pieces for the show in mid-February. All will be for summer or early fall wear. The chance to present her fashions in public appeals to the Millard North sophomore. But so did the chance of raising money for charity. The launch party, to be held May 21, will benefit the Green Coalition. Each participating designer or boutique owner is asked to create one eco-friendly outfit, a challenge about which Round is especially excited. Jessica Latham, owner of Bellwether Boutique in the Old Market’s Passageway, is another participant. She will be showcasing vintage collections for summer and early fall in the runway show. Latham

sees Omaha’s growing interest in and support of local fashion as another way for the city to explore the arts. Omaha has a thriving music and visual art community; she believes fashion is another artistic medium that needs to be encouraged. “The beauty of working in fashion in Omaha is so much more organic [than in larger cities].” Latham previously lived in New York City, working in the fashion world as a buyer and stylist. Omaha designers are not motivated by self-promotion, she has found. “There is so much talent, without the ego.” Pinckney says the event will be “more than a runway show.” A pre-show cocktail hour, red-carpet entry with photographers, live entertainment and DJs will “make it an experience.” It is the first time the Holland Center for Performing Arts has hosted a runway show. Ed Hurd, the director of performance rentals for the center, says the Holland became engaged as “another way to become involved in the community.” A 50-foot runway will extend from the stage into orchestra seating. Says Hurd: “The Holland is a modern venue perfectly suited for high fashion presentation.” From the very beginning, Pinckney and Gawley wanted O! Fashion to do more than showcase local talent. They wanted to support a charity in the process. The local chapter of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society is the recipient of the runway show. Pinckney and Gawley have set a goal of $15,000. The goal for the launch party, benefiting the Green Coalition, is $5,000. Fashion may be fun, but it does not have to be frivolous. General admission tickets are $25. A $100 VIP ticket includes front-row seating and a swag bag. Purchase tickets at www. ticketomaha.com. For more information, visitwww.bigofashionshow.com. the encounter | march/april 2010 15

DOWNTOWN FACES

“ R ” You have to remember that we’re not a museum.

16 march/april 2010 | the encounter

Hesse McGraw Curator at the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts by David Williams | Photos by minorwhitestudios.com

egurgitating a resume as a means of beginning a Faces column would seem the easy way out; an act of journalistic indifference. But when it comes to Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts Curator Hesse McGraw, the temptation is simply too great. McGraw was the founding director and curator of Paragraph, a nonprofit gallery in Kansas City, Missouri, and has been the assistant director of the prestigious Max Pro-

feature tetch Gallery in New York. He was a senior editor of Review, a Kansas City-based culture magazine, and his other writings may be found in such publications as Art Papers, Dots & Quotes, Empty Magazine and The Kansas City Star. A frequent lecturer at the Kansas City Art Institute, McGraw is also a familiar face among juries at fine art and architecture schools and organizations throughout the country. He has produced dozens of exhibits throughout the Midwest, New York and London. McGraw’s own artwork has been named the best of Kansas City, St. Louis and Omaha by various publications and organizations in those cities. Oh, did I mention that Hesse McGraw is only 30? Now in his third year at the Bemis Center, McGraw continues an ambitious expansion of programming at the entity that occupies a hulking brick edifice at the corner of 12th and Leavenworth. Always widely known for its internationally acclaimed artist-in-residency program, which has brought almost 1,000 artists from six continents to live and work in Omaha over the center’s 28-year history, the past decade has found the Bemis making a new name for itself as the area’s most compelling exhibition space and a champion of public art projects. And now, feeding off the energy and creativity of one who could amass such a resume as the one above, the Bemis Center is firmly established as the progenitor of the area’s most thought-

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provoking array of cultural happenings. “You have to remember that we’re not a museum,” McGraw said in discussing the eclectic blend of endeavors launched since his arrival, including an ongoing collaboration with Film Streams, the nonprofit art-house cinema. “Curatorially, I am interested in the crossovers that happen between disciplines and the seamlessness between contemporary art, architecture, performance, music and film,” said McGraw. “It’s a position that denies boundaries to establish a dialogue between seemingly disparate activities in creating a hybrid that is vital, new and surprising.” McGraw and his artist/wife, Cobi, live in Council Bluffs in a Second Empire Victorian home whose ornate exterior belies an interior design that features clean lines punctuated by an extensive collection of contemporary art. The McGraws are expecting their first child this spring. With a resume that could have taken him anywhere, McGraw chose Omaha. “I came here to build something important,” he said. “There is a sense of camaraderie among Omahans that is refreshing and nurturing, that gets things done. And there’s an amazing relationship between the Bemis and the community that creates opportunities to realize projects that are far beyond [what] I could have ever done in New York.”

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the encounter | march/april 2010 17

DOWNTOWN HISTORY

Durham Museum docent

“

Jean Johnson

The tours greatly enhance the Durham Museum experience.

18 march/april 2010 | the encounter

Durham’s

Magical History Tours are waiting to take you away by Linda Persigehl | photos by minorwhitestudios.com

uch like the Beatles’ Magical Mystery Tour can take you away to the world of St. Pepper’s, the Durham Museum’s magical River City History Tours can take you on an adventure back in time to Omaha’s youth. And whether you’re a life-long resident of Omaha, a transplant here from another town or even state, or just visiting, you’re guaranteed to learn something about Omaha’s successful, influential, even sordid past on a Durham Museum trolley tour. You may even gain a new appreciation for the River City! In all, The Durham offers four uniquely interesting tours, each conducted via Ollie the Trolley and narrated by a well-versed and enthusiastic museum docent. Tours run 60 to 75 minutes long and are offered regularly May through September, weather permitting. Cost is $10 per tour for museum members; $15 for non-members. Tour & Lunch, $20 for members; $25 for non-members. A retired Dist. 66 schoolteacher and Durham Museum docent of 18 years, Jean Johnson

department go ‘Oh yeah.’ The tour makes a visit to the museum experience more powerful, and vice versa. Each can stand alone, but both are better paired together. It really helps connect the dots… makes it more enriching.” Here are summaries of all four River City History Tours. Warning: Once you go on one trolley tour, you’ll feel compelled to see them all! Plan accordingly. The Gritty City Durham’s “The Gritty City” tour — the first history tour the museum began offering — takes guests back to the days when Omaha was home to saloons, gambling dens and other shady establishments that catered to a less-thanrespectable clientele in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Tour the Third Ward and learn how political bosses of the day had their own Tammany Hall of sorts right here in Omaha. Find out where the illegal stills during Prohibition where hidden, and where there were rumored to be operating brothels. And exactly why an 1869 issue of Harper’s magazine warned its readers against travel to the River City! said the tours greatly enhance the Durham Museum experience. For several years, she’s led the tour spanning North Omaha. “On my tour, we visit the site of the Trans-Mississippi Exposition, the Mormon Settlement in Florence, and Fort Omaha and the Standing Bear story,” Johnson said. “These are spectacular sites, and while we drive the tour I always try to give the tourists context so that when they come back to the museum and see the historical pictures and actual maps, they

Millionaires & Mansions The “Millionaires & Mansions” tour takes riders through the West Omaha of the early 1900s to see where the “movers and shakers” and well-to-do of the day lived, many in beautiful homes in the Gold Coast and midtown neighborhoods. Among the stops on the tour: Joslyn Castle, home to George and Sarah Mercer, who made their fortune in the ready-print news business; the Mercer mansion, home to prominent

physician Dr. Samuel Mercer, in the Walnut Hill neighborhood; and two mansions built by beer magnate Gottlieb Storz, found in the Blackstone neighborhood. You’ll learn tales of how these founding families of Omaha lived, celebrated, and contributed to the growth and prosperity of our city. The Magic City The Durham’s “The Magic City” tour takes patrons on a ride through South Omaha, home to the Union Stockyards beginning in 1884. The yards led to explosive growth in the area, garnering South Omaha the title of “fastest growing community in the U.S.” in 1890 (hence the Magic City nickname.) You’ll hear stories about the thousands of immigrants that flooded into South Omaha to work the packinghouses, smelting plants and breweries — their lifestyle, struggles, and efforts to make Omaha their own — and the melting pot of cultures and languages that resulted and remains a major influence still today. From Expositions to Jazz Musicians: Exploring North Omaha’s Heritage While many feel NoDo is in need of revitalization today, years ago North Omaha was THE place to be! The “From Expositions to Jazz Musicians: Exploring North Omaha’s Heritage” tour highlights the diverse and vibrant community found in North Omaha a century ago. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, businesses along 24th Street thrived, and music halls, especially those devoted to jazz, made North Omaha an entertainment and cultural center. The NoDo area was also home to the Trans-Mississippi Exposition of 1898, a six-month celebration of technology intended to show all that life was civilized west of the Mississippi River. The expo had a lasting effect on the area. Tour go-ers will also learn about the Mormon Settlement in what is today Florence in the 1840s, and of the trial of Ponca Indian Tribe leader Standing Bear and his legacy in North O. For more information about these tours, please visit www.durhammuseum.org the encounter | march/april 2010 19

DOWNTOWN ART

“ I ” No mat-

ter where the art

is used,

it should

be good.

20 march/april 2010 | the encounter

Not Your Average Farmer’s Daughter Artist Paula Wallace

by Leo Adam Biga | photos by minorwhitestudios.com

t’s not every farmer’s daughter who can say her father encouraged her to be an artist. But that’s the story painter-printmaker Paula Wallace tells. She said she has memories from age 3 of making crayon drawings at her family’s Panama, Iowa farm. Her father and “spitfire” Grandma Alexa, a quilter and sketch artist, recognized her talent. “I think they thought I was good,” Wallace said from her spacious studio stocked with finished and in-progress works at NoDo’s Hot Shops Art Center, 1301 Nicholas St. She studied art at Iowa State and the University of Iowa, where she graduated with a family studies degree. She intended on an art therapy career, but found herself instead making commercial and fine art in Chicago, where, she said, “I had all kinds of jobs.” She studied at the Art Institute and was active in various art leagues. After 20 years there, her then-husband took an Omaha post. The couple moved here in 2004, the start of “a strange twist of fate” that proved bittersweet.

department “That first year was a challenge at best,” she said. “There were lots of not so nice things that happened — a move from hell because everything in that moving truck that wasn’t sour and moldy was bent, broken and ripped. My husband lost the job he came here for, and he got a girlfriend.” Besides a broken marriage, Wallace, now divorced, lost artwork in the move. She felt adrift in an unfamiliar new town with neither a studio or a network. All her contacts and friends were in Chicago. “I really thought hard about just taking what I had left and turning around and going back,” she said, “but I didn’t. One of the reasons I didn’t is a good friend of mine who was living in Paris called and said, ‘I was online looking up things about Omaha and saw a website for this place called the Hot Shops, I think you should go check it out.’ So I did and it happened to be a couple days before the deadline for applying to the (now defunct) Barker Art Residency.” Wallace applied for and landed the gig. “Being able to come here helped me enormously. The Hot Shops has been a great place for me to make connections. This is where I do my work, this is where my studio and office is. It’s a place where I can collaborate with others, and that’s a real gift. Not every artist is in an environment where they can walk down the hallway and bounce something off other artists who can be their mirror.” She said the venue put her more in touch with her own sensibilities. “It got me back into my work and into another aspect of my work I hadn’t done in quite a while, oil painting. I did other kinds of artwork but always very clientoriented— illustration, murals, custom painting. But I hadn’t really thought about what my voice was as an artist because I was always giving voice to somebody else, and in that three months art residency I did 60 paintings. I treated it like a full-time job. With a couple exceptions, I sold all those paintings.” She doesn’t buy labels that brand commercial artists “sell-outs” and fine artists “flakes.” “Art is art is art,” she said. “No matter

where the art is used, it should be good.” Her earnest, often whimsical voice is expressed in mostly figurative work. Her “characters” range from archetypes to real-life subjects. “I like working with people, I think there’s a landscape in every face, a landscape in every body. I paint from the inside out — I try to give my people a soul, I try to paint them with the qualities of humanity we identify with, so that when you look at them you might feel like you could know them. A lot of my work is based on lines from poetry or literature. It’s very visual and I try to make manifest in imagery the feelings of the character who’s telling me the story.” She occasionally collaborates with poets who create verse to accompany select pieces of her work. She also writes her own poetry to inform her work. With Omaha as “my home”, she’s stretching her craft and working more “intuitively.” Wallace views art as a healing, inspiring medium and is unapologetic about spiritual themes in her work. Active in Christians in the Visual Arts and Episcopal Church in the Visual Arts, she leads retreats/workshops on using art as prayer and on creative practices in worship. A series of paintings she began in Chicago interprets the Passion. Her stations of the cross have shown widely, including at Omaha’s St. Cecilia’s Cathedral and St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church. As a society, she said, “we diminish the importance of faith-based or spiritually based art, almost as if that connection trivializes it, where to the contrary, I think some of the most enduring and well-respected art that has survived and shown its place in history was commissioned by church, and we’re still in awe of it. I sell a lot of art that has some Biblical imperative or that questions some spiritual desire or law or rule I’m trying to understand. For me, it works.” A strong social conscience shows up in her work, including the PotLuck — Art for Food exhibit she curates at Hot Shops. Artists and guests bring nonperishable food items or grocer gift cards to support local food pantries. Wallace’s work can be seen at the Dundee Art Gallery and Hot Shops.

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The Original Old Market Irish B ar Nightly Specials Live Irish Music Weekends Open 11a.m.

1205 H arney St. 342-5887

dublinerpubomaha.com the encounter | march/april 2010 21

CONDO LIFE

“ O ” I’m in love with living here.

22 march/april 2010 | the encounter

From Stark to Stunning An Omaha interior designer turns a bleak empty space into a warm and comfortable condo home. by Judy Horan | photos by minorwhitestudios.com

maha interior designer Beth Putnam stumbled onto a true decorator’s dream when she first saw a condo in the Old Market’s Jackson Lofts. The condo was just a shell — a bare, empty space on which she could imprint her style from the bottom up. Some people might have been daunted by the idea of starting from scratch. But Putnam wouldn’t have it any other way. “I have never lived in a home without completely remodeling it,” she says. From just a bleak box when she and her husband, John Inserra, bought it seven months before moving in, the space has been transformed into a relaxed, attractive home. “My main goal was to make it comfortable,” adds Putnam. “I wanted it warm and peaceful.” The monochromatic décor of grey and brown shades and subdued colors encourages peace

department

At left, a wall of rich walnut cabinets separates the music room from the dining area. Above, shades of gold and warm woods decorate the master bedroom, while open drapes allow sunlight to flood the room. At right, art work lends character, while mirrors help open up the space.

and quiet. In fact, the condo is surprisingly quiet with 8-inch solid concrete ceilings and floors. Walls are brick and windows are sealed against street noise. They rarely hear their neighbors, even though a family of musicians lives above them. A white oak floor with saw marks still visible gives the condo the look of an old warehouse. The building was once home to an equipment company. Ceilings are more than 11 feet high, with spacious windows almost as tall. Draperies are kept open all night, so they can enjoy sun flooding into the master bedroom in the morning. A multi-purpose room stretches 72 feet across the front of the condo. The long room houses the living, kitchen, dining and library areas and showcases rich walnut cabinets and original brick walls. Stainless steel cabinets give the kitchen a modern look. Appliances (microwave, dishwasher, two refrigerators) hide behind walnut doors. But the modern, sleek-looking kitchen gets little use. “We eat out almost every night,” says Putnam. More than 30 restaurants sit in the Old Market, giving the couple ample dining choices. They do cook on Sundays when their two grown children, their spouses and six grandchildren arrive for a weekly family dinner.

A music room with a piano and a media room with two Murphy beds for guests sit off the multi-purpose room. In the master bedroom is a king-size canopy bed with iron posts and track lighting above for accent. A three-tiered walk-in closet has a connecting laundry room off of the master bath. The bath features a walk-in shower, free-standing bathtub and a trough sink. Putnam has made efficient use of doors to save space. Sliding doors on exposed stainless steel rails are used in the bedroom, bathroom and media room. Doors that pull out and fold back also save space in the dining area. The high-security building above the Passport Restaurant at 11th and Jackson streets also provides underground heated parking. The couple had no intention of moving from their home in Fairacres until they first saw the space. One of her clients had taken Putnam to see a unit, and she fell in love with the building. That client now also lives there. “I’m in love with living here,” says Inserra, an attorney and president of the condo association. “The Old Market has that urban feel we like,” adds Putnam. They have lived blissfully for almost a year in the condo with Louise, a French bulldog whose off-white fur helps her blend into the monochromatic decor. The waddling dog has one quirk. Louise likes to lick guests’ toes. the encounter | march/april 2010 23

10TH TO 14TH STREETS BETWEEN LEAVENWORTH & FARNAM, OMAHA 1

www.OldMarket.com 7

24 march/april 2010 | the encounter

Merchants Attractions OLD MARKET / DOWNTOWN / RIVERFRONT

ANTIQUES

Antiques & Fine Art...(16th St). ......... 341.9 942 Fairmont Antique Mall...H4 .............. 345.1778 Joe’s Collectibles...H5 ..................... 612.1543 Retro Recycle...E5 ............................ 341.19 69 Second Chance...G5 ........................ 346.4930

BOOK STORES

Jackson Street Booksellers...H5 .....341.2664 New Realities Books & Gifts...E7 ..... 342.1863 Soul Desires Books & Coffee...G7 ...898.7600

CLOTHING & ACCESSORIES

Lotus ...F4 ......................................... 346.8080 Namaste...E7 .................................... 341.7069 Nebraska Clothing Co...E8............... 346.6114 Nouvelle Eve...E6 .............................. 345.4811 Overland Outfitters...E8 ................... 345.2900 Retro Recycle ...E5 ........................... 341.19 69 The Souq Ltd...E7 ............................. 342.2972 Trocadéro...E4 ..................................934.8389

DOWNTOWN HOTELS

Courtyard by Marriott...(10th & Douglas) ....... 346.2200 DoubleTree Hotel...(16th & Dodge)...346.7600 Embassy Suites Hotel...F9 ...............346.9000 Hilton Convention Center Hotel .......998.3400 Hilton Garden Inn...(10th & Dodge) .. 341.4400 Redick Plaza Hotel...(15th & Harney) .............. 342.1500 Magnolia Hotel...(16th & Howard) ... 342.2222

HOME FURNISHINGS

Crawdad’s...E5 ................................. 341.3930 Habitat .............................................. 342.0044 Julia Russell ...(11th & Douglas) ....... 891.0691 Kraft DC ...(16th & Leavenworth)......342.2790 Room...E7 ......................................... 342.7666 Zongkers Custom Woods ................ 344.7784

GALLERIES

1301 Gallery...(13th & Nicholas) .......342.6452 Artists’ Cooperative Gallery...D7 ..... 342.9 617 Bemis Ctr. for Contemporary Arts...K4 .......... 341.7130 Fred Simon Gallery...A8 ................... 595.2122 Garden Of The Zodiac...E7 .............. 341.1877 Hot Shops...13th & Nicholas ............342.6452 Images of Nature...D5 ......................341.8460 Jackson Artworks...G6 ..................... 341.1832 Julia Russell ...(11th & Douglas) ....... 891.0691 Omaha ClayWorks...H5 ....................346.0560 Passageway Gallery...E7 .................. 341.1910 Sirens at the Loft...F6 .......................933.3333 White Crane Gallery...E7 .................. 345.1066

HEALTH SERVICES

Acupuncture Libba Harmon, LAc .......................... 214.6265 Massage Therapy Sandy Aquila LMT...E3 .....................345.5078 Lisa Christensen LMT...E3 ............... 850.6651 Barb Rost LMT (19th & Douglas)...... 345.7500 Medical Dr. John Bartholet, DC...E3 .............. 342.2216 Downtown Chiropractic (2111 Douglas) ......... 345.7500 Derek Fender, DDS...D4 ...................342.3901

Dr. Mark Goodman, MD...L1 ............280.5500 Dr. Stephen Peterson MD...L1..........280.5500 Dr. James Polerecky DDS (19th & Farnam) .... 341.7576 Dr. Ritch Miller DC (2111 Douglas) ... 345.7500 Heartland Pathology (310 S. 16th) ... 346.0195 Omaha Dental Spa (11th & Howard) 505.4424 Physical Therapy East & West Physical Therapy...E3 ..345.5078 Psychotherapy, EMDR, Hypnotherapy Jannette Davis, MS, CST .................341.2230 Cynthia Duggin, MSW, LCSW ..........345.5078 Bobby Escolas, CMHT (Hypnotherapist) ...... 990.2979 Jeff Stormberg, PhD (Psychotherapist)......... 393.0642 Tim Swisher, MHR, LMHP, LADC ....341.2230 Pharmacy Depot Drug (1416 Dodge) ................. 544.DRUG

MUSEUMS & ATTRACTIONS

Omaha Children’s Museum...(500 S. 20th) .......... 342.6164 The Durham...J9 ...............................444.5071 Joslyn Art Museum...(24th & Dodge) .............. 342.3300 Lauritzen Gardens...(100 Bancroft)..346.4002 Henry Doorly Zoo...(3701 So 10th St) ............. 733.8401 Qwest Center Omaha (10th & Capitol)............ 341.1500

OLD MARKET PROPERTIES

902 Dodge Condos ......................... 884.6200 Brandeis Building .............................9 34.1224 Farnam 1600 Building ......................342.1616 Grubb/Ellis Pacific Realty ................345.5866 Harney Street Appartments .............9 34.7510 Old Market Lofts...J7 ........................345.8000 Riverfront Place ................................397.4837 Shamrock Development/Paxton Building ...... 934.7711 Skinner Macaroni Apartments...H1 .346.2346 The Cornerstone.............................. 346.0510 The Greenhouse Apts...A9 ...............341.3200 TipTop Building...(16th & Cuming)....345.8000

PUBS & TAVERNS

Bar 415...E3 .......................................346.7455 Barry O’s ...E8 ..................................341.8032 Billy Frogg’s Grille & Bar...E5 ...........341.4427 Bullpen...G6 ...................................... 502.5150 Dubliner Pub...D4 .............................342.5887 J.D. Tucker’s Bar...E8 .......................9 34.519 0 Julio’s...F2 .........................................345.6921 Irie...D7 ..............................................504.4901 La Buvette Wine & Grocery...F7.......344.8627 M’s Pub...E6 ......................................342.2550 Mr. Toad’s...E8 ..................................345.4488 Myth Lounge...F6..............................884.6985 Nomad Lounge...(J8) ........................884-1231 O’Connor’s Irish Pub...F3 .................934.9790 Old Market Tavern...F8 .....................341.0191 The Stadium Club Sports Bar & Grill...E8....... 359 .129 0 T Henery’s Pub...C6 .........................345.3651 The Underground...F7 ......................341.3547 Upstream Brewing Co...G6 .............344.0200 Urban Wine Company...J7 ...............934.0005 Waters Edge Lounge @ Embassy Suites...F9 ..... 346.9000

the encounter | march/april 2010 25

Merchants Attractions OLD MARKET / DOWNTOWN / RIVERFRONT

RESTAURANTS

801 Chophouse at the Paxton...B1..341.1222 Farrells Bar...(902 Dodge) ................884.9947 Ahmad’s...E8.....................................341.9 616 Billy Frogg’s Grille & Bar...E5 ...........341.4427 Delice European Bakery...E4 ...........342.2276 Falling Water Grille @ Embassy Suites...F9 ........ 346.9000 Famous Dave’s...D6 .........................614.9333 Flatiron Café...(17th & Howard) ........344.3040 House of Lee...F4 .............................991.9330 Indian Oven...E7 ...............................342.4856 Joe Banana’s ....................................346.7227 Julio’s...F3 .........................................345.6921 La Buvette Wine & Grocery...F7.......344.8627 Liberty Tavern (10th & Davenport) ...998.4321 Little King...H21 ................................344.2264 Lucky’s 10-0-One (10th & Pacific) ...9 91.1001 M’s Pub...E6 ......................................342.2550 Matsu Sushi...B8 ..............................346.3988 Michael’s at the Market...C6 ............346.1205 Nicola’s...G3 .....................................345.8466 O Dining...A8..................................... 502.7888 Old Chicago...D6 ..............................341.1616 Omaha Prime...E7.............................341.7040 Passport Restaurant...H6 ................344.3200 Rick’s Cafe Boatyard........................345.4545 Sam & Louie’s Pizza...H6 .................884.5757 Spaghetti Works...F6 ........................422.0770 Stokes Bar & Grill...(E5) ................... 408-9000 Subway...E4 ......................................341.8814 Sullivan’s Steakhouse (222 S. 15th St.) .......... 342.4432 The Diner...D5 ...................................341.9 870 The French Café...F7 ........................341.3547 Trini’s...E7..........................................346.8400 Twisted Fork...E7 ..............................932.9600 Upstream Brewing Co....G6 .............344.0200 V. Mertz...E7......................................345.8980 Vincenzo’s Ristorante...D4 ...............342.4010 Vivace...E6 ........................................342.2050 Zio’s Pizzeria...F4 .............................344.2222

elegance

cuisine

intimacy

SPECIALTY FOODS & COFFEE

13th Street Coffee C0....G3 ..............345.2883 Aromas...I8........................................614.7009 Bickford Bakery...I8 .......................... 9 34.7450 Cubby’s Old Market Grocery...H3 ...341.2900 Delice European Bakery...E4 ...........342.2276 Hollywood Candy...F3 ......................884.7688 La Buvette Wine & Grocery...F7.......344.8627 Maggie Moo’s Ice Cream...H21 .......933.5280 MJ Java...B3 & F7 .............................342.5282 Old Market Candy Shop...F8 ...........344.8846 Old Market Eea House...G3 .............934.8538 Patrick’s Market...(E1).......................884-1600 Soul Desires Books & Coffee...G7 ...898.7600 Ted & Wally’s Ice Cream...G5 ........... 341.5827

SPECIALTY SHOPS

restaurant and wine bar Lower Level Old Market Passageway • 402.345.8980 • vmertz.com Matthew Stamp •General Manager•Sommelier Kyle Anderson•Executive Chef Award of Unique Distinction • Wine Enthusiast

26 march/april 2010 | the encounter

Ashley Collectibles...E3....................934.3100 Big Brain Productions...H5 ..............342.2885 Chameleon...E7 ................................342.4444 Cibola of Omaha...F7 (509 S 11th) ...342.1200 City Limits...E3..................................345.3570 Cornerstone Gem & Bead Co....G3 . 346.4367 Drastic Plastic...F4 ........................... 346.8843 DSR Power Sports...E3 ....................9 91.1383 Etc. Gifts...F7 ....................................342.2846

Garden Flowers...F7 ......................... 614.5661 Garden Of The Zodiac...E7 .............. 341.1877 Goldsmith Silversmith...F7 ...............342.1737 Homer’s Records...E5 ......................346.0264 Iron Decor & More...G5 ....................346.6123 Jay Welter Cigars...(18th & Jackson)345.19 65 Kessler’s...H5 (1125 Jackson) ..........715.5888 Mairzy Doatz...F6.............................. 934.4815 Namaste...E7 .................................... 341.7069 New Realities Books & Gifts...E7 ..... 342.1863 Old Market Habitat Floral...E6 ......... 342.0044 Old Market Sundries...F8 ................. 345.8198 OM Gifts & Imports...E3 ................... 345.5078 Overland Outfitters...F8 ................... 345.2972 Perspective Jewelry...D4.................. 934.4416 Red Square...E7................................ 342.8878 SG Roi Tobacconist...F7 .................. 341.9264 Souq Ltd...E7 .................................... 342.2972 Tannenbaum Christmas Shop...F8 .. 345.9627 Trocadéro...E4 ................................. 934-8389

SERVICES

At the Loft Spa...F6...........................505.4100 Michael Boyle, Attorney...E7 ............359.1000 Centris Federal Credit Union...C3 ...334.2000 Commercial Optical...G3 .................. 344.0219 Dietz United Methodist Church ....... 346.9115 Don Fiedler Law Offices...F7 ........... 346.6263 First National Bank...(F5) ..................885-2574 Fringes Salon & Spa...G8 ................. 345.0404 Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce...D2 346.5000 Omaha Convention & Visitors Bureau...B8 .... 444.4660 Hair Market Salon...E7 ..................... 345.3692 J P Cooke Rubber Stamps...F2 ....... 342.7175 Klein Law Offices...H3 ...................... 391.1871 Magical Journeys Carriage Service...E7 ........ 453.6745 Movers Not Shakers ......................... 614.9770 Old Market Car Wash...J2 ................ 393.2819 Old Market Encounter ......................884.2000 Old Market Mini Storage .................. 342.0022 Old Market Web Site .....www.oldmarket.com Omaha Healing Arts Center...E4 ......345.5078 Omaha Public Library...(15th & Farnam) ......... 444.4800 Omaha Yoga School...E7 .................346.7813 Pinnacle Bank...(10th & Douglas) ..... 346.9180 Security National Bank...(11th & Howard) .......... 344.7300 Sirens...F6 ......................................... 933.9333 Stinson, Morrison, Hecker LLP...C3 342.1700 Urbane Salon & Spa...B8 .................934.2909 Susie’s Baskets...D4......................... 341.4650 Sutera Law Offices...E6.................... 342.3100 Visions Framing Studio...K4 .............342.0020

THEATRES & ENTERTAINMENT

Blue Barn Theater...G6 ..................... 345.1576 FilmStreams...(14th & Webster) ........ 933-0259 Holland Performing Arts Center...(12th & Douglas) .............................................345.0606 Omaha Symphony...(16th & Howard).............. 342.3836 Opera Omaha...(17th & Farnam)....... 346.4398 Orpheum Theater...(16th & Farnam).345.0606 The Rose...(20th & Farnam) .............. 345.4849

Pinnacle Bank would like to welcome you downtown. owntown. Visit us in the historical Riley Building at 1016 Douglas On The Mall, 402.346.9180 or online at pinnbank.com

t h e

w a y

b a n k i n g

s h o u l d

Downtown and Council Bluffs 09_POG14_DOWNTOWN.indd 1

MARCH EVENTS 3/4: First Thursday Art Talk for March. Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts. Current artists-in-residence give presentations of their work and discuss their creative processes. Always insightful, these discussions provide a rare opportunity to meet artists and learn first-hand about their inspirations, approaches and techniques. 7 p.m. Free. 3/1 - 3/18: Family & Children Film Series: Best of the NY Int’l Children’s Film Festival. Film Streams. Various $9/general; $7/ seniors, students & teachers; $4.50/Members. 1340 Mike Fahey St. 933-0259 http://filmstreams.org. 3/1 - 3/26: The Fred Simon Gallery: Mary Day. The Fred Simon Gallery. Displaying the artwork of contemporary Nebraska artists. The Fred Simon gallery is located in the Nebraska Arts Council offices. Every weekday Free. 1004 Farnam St., Lower Level. 5952122 www.nebraskaartscouncil.org. 3/1 - 4/11: Defining Moments: Works by Bryan Collier. Joslyn Art Museum. See watercolor collage illustrations for the Caldecott Honor Award picture books Martin’s Big Words and Rosa, as well as Visiting Langston and others. Tues-

Sat/10am-4pm; Sun/ noon-4pm; closed Mon $8/adults; $6/seniors and college students; $5/youth (ages 5-17); ages 4 and younger free. 2200 Dodge St. (402) 342-3300 http:// www.joslyn.org. 3/1 - 4/18: The Human Touch: Selections from the RBC Wealth Management Art Collection. Joslyn Art Museum. An exhibition of contemporary artworks devoted to the human figure. The collection ranges from serious to whimsical, from realistic to abstract, and includes photography, painting, and sculpture by established and emerging artists. TuesSat/10am-4pm; Sun/ noon-4pm; closed Mon $8/adults; $6/seniors and college students; $5/youth (ages 5-17); ages 4 and younger free. 2200 Dodge St. 342-3300 www.joslyn. org. 3/1 - 4/18: Construction Zone. Omaha Children’s Museum. Construction Zone is a kidsized world of building where kids can explore with machines, tools, a super-sized dig pit and more! Tues-Sat/10am4pm; Sun/1-5pm $2 in addition to regular museum admission ($7/ Adults & Children 2 & Over; $6/Seniors 60+), Members pay just regular admission. 500 S. 20 St. 342-6164 www.ocm. org.

3/1 - 5/7: Borderland Abstraction. Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts. xhibition of new abstraction. Artists include Nils Folke Anderson, Tim Bavington, Nate Boyce, Michelle Grabner, Amy Granat, Mary Heilmann, Matthew Kluber, Takeshi Murata, Ara Peterson, Eli Ping, Eric Sall, Colin C. Smith and Wendy White. Opening Reception on Fri, Jan 22, 6-9pm. Tues-Sat/11am5pm Free. 724 S. 12 St. 341-7130 www.bemiscenter.org. 3/1 - 5/8: James Woodfill: Stations. Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts. Exhibition of installation and sculpture by artist James Woodfill. Opening Reception Friday, Jan 22, 6-9pm, Gallery talk with artist on Sat., Jan 23, 12pm. Exhibit is from Jan 22-May 8. James Woodfill makes sculptures, installations and public art works that often include light, sound, video or kinetic elements. TuesSat/11am-5pm Free. 724 S. 12 St. 341-7130 www. bemiscenter.org. 3/1 - 5/9: Spring Flower Show. Lauritzen Gardens - Omaha’s Botanical Center. A gorgeous indoor floral show allows visitors to experience garden beauty inside during the winter and spring months. Daily/9am-5pm $7/ adults ($6/Nov-May); $3/ages 6-12; free/ members & age 6 &

b e

Member FDIC

March/April Calendar of Events 3/31/09 10:27:28 AM

under. 100 Bancroft St. 346-4002 http://www. lauritzengardens.org.

p.m. Tickets start at $19. 409 S. 16 St. 345-0606 www.ticketomaha.com.

3/1 - 5/16: Great Plains: America’s Lingering Wild. Joslyn Art Museum. Michael Forsberg, internationally known conservation photographer, presents 60 works that provide an unparalleled encounter with the wild creatures and breathtaking landscapes of one of the world’s greatest natural grasslands. TuesSat/10am-4pm; Sun/ noon-4pm; closed Mon $8/adults; $6/seniors and college students; $5/youth (ages 5-17); ages 4 and younger free. 2200 Dodge St. 342-3300 www.joslyn. org.

3/4 - 3/7: Disney on Ice Celebrates 100 Years!. Mid-America Center. Disney on Ice Celebrates 100 Years! Join the celebration as 65 of Disney’s unforgettable characters from 18 beloved stories come to life in Disney On Ice Celebrates 100 Years of Magic! Featuring Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Goofy, Donald Duck, Jiminy Cricket, Pinocchio, Disney Princesses, The Lion King, Mulan, Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, and Toy Story. Thu, Fri/7pm; Sat/11am, 3pm, 7pm; Sun/1pm Thurs Reserved Admission: $10$55 plus applicable fees; Fri-Sun Reserved Admission: $15-$35 plus applicable fees. One Arena Way. (712) 326-2295 http://www. midamericacenter.com.

3/3 - 4/4: 44th Annual Triumph of Ag Expo. Qwest Center Omaha. One of the largest farm shows in the Midwest -- come see everything for the farm and ranch. More than 900 exhibits and over 600 companies. Antique farm tractors and equipment displays and seminars on both days. 5-Sep Free. 455 N. 10th St. 346-8003 http://www.showofficeonline.com. 3/4 - 3/4: Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana. Orpheum Theater. Expert footwork, swoops and swooshes, and sizzling attitude make for a lively, can’t-miss show. This premier flamenco troupe brings down the house in sell-out shows around the world! 7:30

3/5: Council Bluffs Home Improvement Show. Mid-America Center. Fri/3pm9pm; Sat/10am-8pm; Sun/11am-4pm $6/ adults; free/12 & under. 3/5: Randy Sabien and The Fiddlehead Band. Holland Performing Arts Center. Five-alarm fun – straight-ahead jazz fused with blues, calypso, and swing. These mischievous fiddle veterans dart from mellow to cookin’ – you’ll jump out of your seat! 8 p.m. Tickets start at $25. 13th & Douglas

Sts. 345-0606 www. ticketomaha.com. 3/5 - 3/21: There’s an Alligator Under My Bed. The Rose Theater. Families will see firsthand how the children sneak past the alligator under the bed, the Big Nightmare in the closet and the Silly Scary thing that lives in the attic. For ages 4-12. Fri/7pm; Sat-Sun/2pm $16; Free with Membership. 2001 Farnam St. 345-4849 www.rosetheater.org. 3/6: Omaha Symphony Rocks: Classical Mystery Tour. Omaha Symphony. Imagine the Beatles playing in concert with a live orchestra. What would they have sounded like? Experience “Penny Lane” with a live trumpet section and the beauty of “Yesterday” with a string quartet, as these marvelous mop-tops perform all your favorites exactly as they were written and orchestrated. 8 p.m. $15-$60. 1200 Douglas St. 3/6: Ruthie Foster. Holland Performing Arts Center. Ruthie Foster’s voice is drop-dead gorgeous, especially when tackling the ups and downs of life. Compared to Aretha Franklin, Foster’s energy on stage is dazzling. She’s an undeniable powerhouse – whether she’s belting out a little blues, funk, soul, or jazz. 8 p.m. Tickets start at $25.

the encounter | march/april 2010 27