THE FOLLOWING IS A
VISUAL HISTORY OF
MY ARTS PROJECTS.
Or, cut the fat and here’s my resume.
Film Photo LNK
~2019 - Oct ‘22
In high school, I skipped a lot of classes to hang out in the darkroom. When I eventually dropped out, I desperately missed my access to chemistry and enlargers, so I started a Discord to meet other analogue photographers in my area.
Film Photo LNK met its unfortunate demise at the same time as the end of HQ.
May it forever rest in peace as the awesome, drama-free analogue photography institution that it was.
Over time, this Discord expanded into photo walks (weekly meetups to walk neighborhoods and shoot scenery together), shared development and photography equipment, a community-organized Instagram, and Polaroid photo booths at local art markets to raise money for a physical darkroom space- which we eventually obtained.
The space- which eventually became HQ- allowed us to build our public access darkroom, begin the FPL Lending Library, where anyone could borrow and learn from our collection of film cameras, public film development in partnership with local craft stores ($5 negatives, $5 scans, an insane deal, looking back), and a big FPL Christmas Party, where we all met up and white-elephanted our unwanted old cameras.
But then, when all hope was lost…
HQ.
(Dec ‘21 - Oct ‘22)
HQ started as the physical darkroom goal of Film Photo LNK. Unfortunately, darkrooms are not profitable. So when bands from the punk venue the place used to be call and ask if they can play shows and split profits…
After the first few punk shows, the decision was made to expand as a combination punk venue/DIY community arts center. Poetry nights, music lessons, painting and ceramic nights, a baseball team, a gardening club- all classroom programming was entirely free.
Bathroom situation.
Poets performing at recurring Wednesday night Poetry slam.
Elizabeth Hayes' Boogie Ball.
No AC = Frequent Rooftop Vibing. Got us in trouble on several occasions.
HQ existed for 8 months and ended with a 3-day music festival. It is the best program I ever ran- the level of personal commitment from myself and the team that assisted in its execution is unmatched. So many variables lined up to make HQ an incredible success.
Unfortunately, due to declining mental health, I resigned from my position as Director after the festival. It closed soon after."
I have spent the rest of my art career chasing the feeling I felt at HQ’s peak, with its 100-hour work weeks and incredibly intense community involvement.
Someday.
Lincoln band “Wicked Bones” performs “Honeybee” by Steam Powered Giraffe at HQ. Marshall Johnson, long-haired guitar player at left, would advise on the next project- Caravan.
CARAVAN
or
CARAVAN ART CORPS.
(Dec ‘22 - Feb ‘23)
Caravan, or the Caravan Art Corps, didn't last long. The idea was to create a community and music series based around acoustic shows in the woods of state parks. A modern take on the hippie movement.
Unfortunately, some jackass (me) started it in the middle of winter.
Caravan had a few shows and a good business plan, but unfortunately, poor timing led to its demise.
Would love to revisit the concept someday- but actually, @cornjam_ seems to have taken it on in a lot of way!
Depression Year
Mar ‘23 - Dec ‘23
During this period, nothing of note occurred.
I dated the wrong women and slept in a basement.
CoHo After Hours
Jan ‘24 - Mar ‘24
CoHo After Hours was the conversion of Lincoln coffeeshop ‘Coffee House’ on 14th & P into a jazz venue in partnership with UNL’s Glenn Korff School of Music. While the Glenn Korff relationship would be better realized down the line, this was a start.
Coffee House operated for about three months before a musician brought beer, the owners got spooked and the thing shut down.
Very possible that I was that musician. Still coming out of the depression year.
CoHo was renowned for its quiet, listening-room alternative to Lincoln’s more punk rock offerings.
The Lincoln Arts Council
Sep ‘23 - Oct ‘24
I would describe my time with the Lincoln Arts Council as ‘frustrating’- it was my first experience within the nonprofit sector, and my first peek into the red-tape, politics, and mismanagement of arts administration groups.
I spent most of my time at the LAC writing proposals for program that would never receive funding, providing more effective/efficient work at Joe’s Coffee and El Proyecto, and wishing for change.
I was able to go ahead on some programs- my Tower Square Arts Markets let me build a quality art market program and SOTA was a series of collegiate-level panel discussions on various aspects of arts logistics.
I also worked in depth with Wilder Pierce on the Factory concept for an arts-based downtown-Lincoln collective gallery and fleshed out the Blank Canvas program, which is still an on-going goal.
During HQ, conversation frequented around expansion, and expansion takes money- I had the data to justify funding, and frequently went to the Lincoln Arts Council to request it. I didn't get the funding I needed, but, given my proficiency with creating arts spaces on minimal budgets, I was given a job.
El Proyecto
Oct ‘24 - Ongoing
El Proyecto was already going when I got involved- love of my life Sam Crisler had already established the place as a DIY venue. I just got to throw a few more shows, but the big one was getting Jonah Bennett and Sean LeBita set up running a weekly student jazz jam with the Glenn Korff School of Music.
My only regret is that I got my next job- the Norfolk Arts Center- so quickly after starting this with Sean and Jonah that I couldn’t put all the pieces I’d set up together. Staff at Glenn Korff were prepared to market further, the North Omaha Music Association was discussing grants, I just couldn’t finalize it. Still, Sean’s there every Thursday, laying it down for the people. Check her out!
Joe’s Coffee / Sketch Club
May ‘24 - Ongoing
I held several studios as part of the Parrish Art Studios collective for 2-3 years, and usually tried to combine community programming, music, and cheap coffee.
Joe’s Coffee, studio #3, was started as a ‘low effort’ project- I was burnt out from the Lincoln Arts Council and just wanted to drink beer and make large scale art and host underground music.
It’s at this point that I’m taken to court and unfairly accused of theft by a Parrish artist, but that’s a whole other story. Fuck you, Mason! That art has been returned, and you’re a bastard!
I started an event called “Sketch Club”, which was an open studio concept- I would bring out excess art supplies and beer and we’d all work together.
When I left Joe’s Coffee for the Norfolk Arts Center, Keren Carlson took it on and grew the program to include ~30-50 weekly members. The program continues to this day at the Parrish Art Studios, Mondays at 7pm.
Norfolk Arts Center
March 1st ‘25 - June 6th ‘25
I started working for the NAC at the start of March of ‘25. I established several new programs, primarily expanding their performing arts programming, and began to rewrite their gallery handling standards.
In our May 2025 Juried Show, Omaha artists Alex Jochim submitted a piece of himself and his partner kissing. Kim Darling, juror, accepted it and I installed the piece. This caused extreme donor distress and my executive director removed the piece. I worked with the community to formulate a response to this act of censorship. I maintain that this is a two-part issue; I personally take issue with the removal as it was an act of homosexual discrimination, but I also take issue that, as a gallery, we did not stand by our selected jurors’ decisions and our mission statement of accessibility for all.
Efforts to organize response led to the 4th St. Space, an alternative, non-discriminatory arts space for the Norfolk area.
I resigned from my position at the Norfolk Arts Center due to a conflict of beliefs.
4th St. Space
April ‘25 - Ongoing
The 4th St. Space was created out of a need for a non-discriminatory youth arts space in Norfolk, Nebraska.
It will be an arts gallery/venue flex space, artist residency, and class space with common gallery.
It is very much a work in progress, but community support is high.