The Blog

The collaborative artwork of middle school students from Omaha Public Schools will be on display at The B Side of Benson Theatre during the month of March.

The opening reception for the Express Yourself Art Exhibition is Saturday, March 2, from 4:00 to 7:00pm at B Side. The show is sponsored by WhyArts, the Basic Hope Foundation’s S.O.A.R. Program, Collective for Youth and Omaha Public Schools. S.O.A.R., a local after-school program, provides incentives for improved grades, program attendance and the Student of The Quarter Award. The acronym stands for:

• Self-control resulting from a greater understanding of oneself
• Others for whom more compassion and empathy are developed
• Appropriate attitudes and awareness in choosing effective conflict strategies
• Relationship management at school, home and in the community

The student work was created through a series of workshops led by WhyArts teaching artists Joe Broghammer, Amanda Caillau, Rich Chung, Kim Darling, Brandon Mass, Tom McLaughlin, Sarah Rowe, Katherine Scarpello and Hugo Zamorano. The participating middle schools are Monroe, Morton, McMillan, Marrs, Norris, Nathan Hale, Lewis & Clark and King Science Magnet.

The March 2 opening reception is free and open to the public. Attendees will be able to meet the artists and enjoy spoken word performances and refreshments.