THE READER OMAHA MARCH 2022 by PioneerMedia.Me

M a rc h 2022 | volU M E 29 | I SSUE 1

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How One Omaha High School Addresses

Chronic Absenteeism Story and Photos by Bridget Fogarty

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OMAHA JOBS: Welfare Collides With Employment

COVER: How One Omaha High School Addresses Chronic Absenteeism

NEWS: As Obstacles Increase, Help is Offered to Low-Income Homebuyers

NEWS: Omaha’s Irish Roots Run Deep

VISUAL ARTS: Bemis Group Exhibit Examines the Historical ‘Hospitality’ of the Human Body

publisher/editor........... John Heaston john@thereader.com graphic designers........... Ken Guthrie Albory Seijas news..........................Robyn Murray copy@thereader.com copy chief.............. Michael Newgren spike@thereader.com lead reporter............... Chris Bowling chris@thereader.com associate publisher.... Karlha Velásquez karlha@el-perico.com report for america corps member..........Bridget Fogarty bridget@el-perico.com creative services director....................... Lynn Sánchez lynn@pioneermedia.me

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March 2022

O M A H A

J O B S

Denied

With Ample Funds, Nebraska Refuses 90% of Struggling Families by Leah Cates This story is part of a series, published in The Reader and on omahajobs.com, THAT spotlights the experiences of low-income, working families in Omaha. This article is also part of a larger series about inequity in Omaha, titled “(DIS)Investment” (read more on page 12).

very month in 2020, an average of 1,078 Nebraskans who couldn’t afford basic necessities applied to get direct cash assistance through the federally funded Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program.

And every month, an average of 971 of those applications were denied by the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). That’s just more than 90%. “It’s a messed-up system,” said Tanya Gifford, executive director of Lift Up Sarpy County, a nonprofit supporting underserved community members. “We make it so difficult for people to get out of the [state benefit] system –– or even get into it.” Behind every one of those denied applications is the story of a struggling family that isn’t getting the help it desperately needs, Gifford said. The household incomes of these families, which must have at least one dependent age 18 or younger to be eligible, are often too high for TANF benefits, called Aid to

Families in need struggle to navigate what Tanya Gifford, executive director of the nonprofit Lift Up Sarpy County, calls “a messed-up system” –– and most of the time, their applications are rejected. Adobe Stock photo. Dependent Children (ADC) in Nebraska –– but, due to their unique situations, not high enough to make ends meet. Gifford has worked with a mom of three, for example, who temporarily moved herself and her children in with her mom after her kids’ dad was incarcerated and they couldn’t afford their rental house. Hoping to get the family back on its feet, the mom applied for TANF. But DHHS didn’t accept her application because it had to factor her mother’s income into

March 2022

the household earnings which, combined with her income, exceeded what the DHHS considers the monthly need for a family of five: $1,161 per month, or $13,932 per year. Had her application been accepted, the mom would have gotten up to $639 in assistance each month, or $7,668 in a year. Gifford also recalled a family whose father, a scientist, made decent money. But after COVID-19 hit the household and caused him to miss six weeks of work, he applied for

TANF and was denied because his hourly wage exceeded the income level, despite the fact that he was supporting three generations on one income. “Assistance program applications are completely black and white,” said Gifford, who has instructed parents who are given a raise to tell their employers they don’t want it, so they remain eligible for welfare. “It’s a toggle yes or no, put the numcontinued on page 8 /

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ProKarma, Inc. (dba Concentrix Catalyst) Quality Assurance Test Engineer #452305 ProKarma, Inc. (dba Concentrix Catalyst) has mult. openings for Quality Assurance Test Engineer in Omaha, NE; travel and/or reloc to various unanticipated locations throughout the U.S. is required. Responsible for developing, modifying, and evaluate existing software applications according to business requirements to improve software application performance. Req. a Bachelor’s degree in Comp Sci, Engg (any), or related tech/analytical field, plus 5 yrs of exp in an IT/Comp-related position. Alternatively, will also accept an Associate’s degree in Comp Sci, Engg (any), or related tech/analytical field, plus 6 yrs of exp in an IT/Comp-related position. To apply, email Resumes to

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O M A H A ber in a box. There’s no chance to tell your story.” Not having a job can pose a barrier, too. Celeste Akers, who works in community services at the Nebraska Medicine Department of Psychiatry, said parents must prove they’re seeking work or receiving job training or education to qualify, unless they’re too disabled to work. Single parents in this situation struggle to find –– and pay for –– child care and transportation. Other families have trouble applying in the first place, according to Akers, especially since DHHS no longer assigns caseworkers to help people apply for welfare benefits, unless they fall into specific “high needs” groups, such as adults with developmental disabilities. So what happens to the money that’s not going to families?

J O B S

According to a 2020 TANF issue brief from Voices for Children in Nebraska, “the state has saved nearly $79.8 million in federal TANF funds for a rainy day.” The story is similar in other states. According to a viral ProPublica story published in December 2021, U.S. states are “hoarding” $5.2 billion in unspent TANF funds. DHHS says these funds must eventually be used to help families. Yet, right now, parents like the mom of three with whom Gifford worked can’t afford child care or a place to live. The money that could transform their lives is withheld by bureaucracy and red tape. “We’re just spinning the wheel and never helping [families] get out of [challenging] situations,” Gifford said. “We build them up for failure.”

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March 2022

N E W S

How One Omaha High School Addresses

Chronic Absenteeism

Story and Photos by Bridget Fogarty Editor’s note: The Omaha Street School refrained from sharing students’ last names to protect their privacy.

or the first half of her freshman year, Mercy had her routine down at Omaha South High School.

She’d go to one class to be marked “present” for attendance, leave school, come back for lunch, then skip classes the rest of the day. “I just felt like I had nobody there,” she said of South, where students outnumber teachers 19:1. “I just didn’t want to be there, so I wouldn’t ever go.” Six months passed before her parents finally got a call from the school informing them of their daughter’s absences. Shocked to learn Mercy had been skipping school, her parents were even more concerned it took

months for the school to notice and notify them.

or more days of school to the county attorney.

After an Omaha Public Schools student has racked up five days of unexcused absences, school officials are required to communicate verbally or in writing with the parent or guardian of the child, according to Nebraska Board of Education policy. OPS did not provide comment on students’ chronic absences for this story.

That’s when Mercy’s parole officer told her about the Omaha Street School, a private, faithbased alternative high school for at-risk students, including those struggling with chronic absenteeism and truancy.

The call home did little to motivate Mercy. While continuing to skip class, she got in trouble for stealing and was assigned a parole officer. He warned her that she needed to go back to school. Any more absences could extend her probation or send her into the juvenile justice system, since Nebraska school districts have the ability to report students who miss 20

“Kids can’t skip classes here, because someone’s going to notice.” Within the halls of the Omaha Street School’s stone building near the corner of N. 45th and Wirt in North Omaha, about 30 high schoolers start their morning with breakfast before heading to classes. Here, students who struggled in a traditional high school setting get a second shot at earning their high school diploma.

The Omaha Street School receives no federal or state funding and relies on donations. Students learn of the high school by word of mouth or are referred by a counselor due to behavioral issues, poor grades or lack of engagement in their former schools. The most common reasons students come to OSS are truancy and chronic absenteeism, said Linda Reimer, executive director of the Omaha Street School. Chronic absenteeism is when a student misses 10%, or about 17 days, of the school year. In the 2019-2020 school year, about 33,000, or 10% of Nebraska students, were chronically absent, according to data from the Nebraska Department of Education. And the pandemic has made the problem worse.

March 2022

N E W S While chronic absenteeism affects all students, research shows the issue disproportionately impacts students of color. In the Omaha Public Schools district, in which the majority of current Omaha Street School students once attended school, data shows Native, Black, Hispanic and mixed-race students are at highest risk of being chronically absent. In OPS schools, attendance teams made up of a counselor, social worker, nurse, school support liaison and other colleagues meet regularly to discuss students in need and barriers to attendance, an OPS spokesperson said in an email with El Perico. Despite these efforts, “too many of our kids just fall through the cracks,” Reimer said. “Our kids have become invisible in the big schools.” In the largest and most populated school buildings in Nebraska, educators might not have the resources necessary to keep tabs on all the students, said Principal Anthony Williams. That can lead to a student’s habitual absence. “Once kids learn a system to ditch classes, they do it for a while until they’re caught,” he said.

That’s why the Omaha Street School is intentionally small. Class sizes no larger than 10 students, mentorship programs and access to mental health services improve student attendance and allow more oneon-one time and attention from teachers.

The Omaha Street School is a private, faith-based alternative Each student high school for at-risk students, including those struggling is assigned at least one staff with chronic absenteeism and truancy. member who checks in with them regularly Alex shrugged. “You know, their way to help alleviate the and makes sure they’re feeling barriers that may block a stu- nobody really paid attention.” seen, according to Williams. dent from getting to school for Like Mercy, Alex would attend Students also attend HUDL, a a successful day. one class to get his attendance confidential group therapy sesThat means he might pick up for the day before skipping sion with the school’s therapist who checks in one-on-one with students in the morning, drive school the rest of the day. At them home after school, or vis- OSS, if he or another student students each week. it their home when they don’t isn’t in class, the front desk will “Kids can’t skip classes here, show up to see why they missed call home the same day to see because someone’s going to no- class. He said meeting families why a student is absent. tice,” Williams said. where they are can make a difIf the office doesn’t get hold Improving students’ truan- ference when building trust of parents, and the student is with parents. cy is a combined effort among absent again for another day students, staff and families, said “We cannot only go above or two, Principal Williams calls Charles Wilson, a student ad- and beyond for the student the parents. If the school still vocate and athletic director at while they’re here in school, but OSS. Staff members go out of even outside of school,” he said. “When families see us do that, it is like, ‘(OSS staff members) aren’t judging us; we don’t have to hide anything from them.’” Wilson drove Alex, an OSS senior, home from school on a recent cold afternoon in January and passed Alex’s old high school, Omaha North High Magnet School, near Ames Avenue and N. 36th Street.

“Our kids have become invisible in the big schools,” said Linda Reimer, executive director of the Omaha Street School.

March 2022

“Mr. Wilson, I used to skip right over there at 11:30 and go down the street,” Alex said, nodding toward the fast-food chains and gas stations that line Ames Avenue. “Man, in this open area?” Wilson said.

Alex, a senior at the Omaha Street School, poses for a photo between classes.

N E W S has trouble reaching students or their parents, a staff member may go to a student’s home to see why the student hasn’t been at school. Attendance records at OSS show improvements for students who were referred to the school due to their truancy issues, according to OSS officials.

On average, students who enroll at OSS had an attendance rate ranging from 15% to 64% before coming to OSS. Current OSS students have an average attendance rate of 84%, according to OSS attendance data. “If you have that inviting environment or safe environment, kids want to be a part of that,” Wilson said. “They’ll do

anything they can to try to get here.”

Tabula rasa: A clean slate OSS staff members also take a less punitive approach to discipline than at traditional high schools. When students aren’t having a good day, teachers might give them the option to take a break and go to the bathroom, speak with a counselor or meet with Miles Busby, OSS’s behavior interventionist. This process is part of the school’s larger mission of affording each student and teacher tabula rasa — a Latin phrase that means “clean slate” — every day.

AJ, an Omaha Street School senior, smiles in the hallway of the alternative high school.

At first it was hard for AJ, a senior at OSS, to adjust to the idea of a clean slate when she transferred into the school in January 2020.

“Coming from a public school, you’re stuck in this mindset of all of the bad habits that you had, and they slowly break away,” said AJ. At her old school, she felt like teachers held students’ actions over their heads. OSS’s concept of tabula rasa has given deeper meaning not only to each day of school, but every moment. “You can come back to that same class and have a whole new attitude,” she said. Mercy feels more comfortable at OSS and less of the isolation that drove her to skip classes at South. “Every single teacher here, like, you can talk to, and they’ll give you advice,” she said. “I think that’s probably one of the best things about the school — that nobody ever really feels alone, so it’s easier to get through the day.”

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N E W S

“This is home.” As Obstacles Increase, Help is Offered to Low-Income Homebuyers Jose Castañeda is proud of his home, which is the first he has owned by himself.

Story and Photos by Chris Bowling T h i s s t o r y i s pa r t o f (DIS)INVESTED, an ongoing series from The Reader and El Perico investigating the solutions and o b s tac l e s to s o lv i n g SYSTEMIC inequality in Omaha through housing, e d u c at i o n , c r i m i n a l justice and family issues.

s Jose Castañeda walked into the living room, he shut the door behind him. He looked to his left, then his right. There were no couches or rugs on the fresh gray carpet. No pictures on the beige walls. In fact the only thing Castañeda owned in the whole house was the pillow under his arm. But as he spread a blanket on the floor and laid down to sleep in silence, he couldn’t help but feel lucky. “Thank you, God,” he thought to himself. “This is home.”

Castañeda bought the music, or leaning back into his probably spiritually, too. And 1,080-square-foot home in soft leather couches, it’s hard to now, look where I’m at now.” April 2021. Right off the South believe all this is really his. Without good credit, a Omaha bike trail near Vinton “It wasn’t just a process to well-paying job or financial Street, it’s the first house the get my place,” Castañeda said. help, owning a home in Oma48-year-old has owned by him“It was a process to get myself ha is difficult, especially as deself. For years he struggled to there mentally, physically and mand increases amid a shrinkfind a permanent home. Someing housing stock. To get his times he slept on the basement floor of a friend’s house when he had nowhere to A map showing the percentage of people who own the home they go, bringing his live in for reach census tract in Douglas County. service dog, Tiberius, who helps Castañeda, who is almost completely blind. His credit was terrible, and monthly child support payments left little to nothing to save. The idea that he’d ever have a place of his own seemed unbelievable.

Douglas County Homeownership

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March 2022

Charts: Chris Bowling Source: 2018 American Community Survey Created with Datawrapper

N E W S home, Castañeda paid $10,000 more than the asking price on his home, the value of which had already doubled in the past four years. And because owning a home is one of the top ways families build wealth, lack of access can contribute to generational poverty as well as housing instability. But solutions in Omaha exist. Whether through rent-to-own models or housing education classes, organizations offer lowcost, or free, ways for people to get on the path to a down payment, a mortgage and their own home. But it’s not an easy task. Denise Parker, assistant director for homebuying education with Family Housing Advisory Services (FHAS), worked one-on-one with Castañeda for about a year before he was able to find a home. Parker met Castañeda through the organization’s workshops. FHAS, established in 1968 after the passage of the federal Fair Housing Act, which outlawed discriminatory housing practices, strives to eliminate poverty and homelessness in the metro area through education on subjects such as pre- and post-homebuying education as well as financial education. In those workshops Parker said presenters go through the process of buying a home, including: 

Figuring out how much it costs to buy and own a home as well as creating a long-term budget;



What a home loan lender will look for on a bank statement;

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The credit score a buyer should have;

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The cost of homeowner’s and other types of insurance;

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What to look for in a home inspection;

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How to understand a purchase agreement.

Parker said they serve about 200 to 300 people annually and never turn people away. Occasionally one month’s workshop will reach capacity, but Parker said they can find a spot in next month’s class. Most people walk away surprised by how much actually goes into buying a house. “I can’t say how many people take the workshop and they’re just amazed, like, ‘I can’t believe this’ ‘This is so great,’ ‘Thank you so much.’” Castañeda was one of those people. His coworker at Outlook Nebraska, which manufactures sustainable janitorial materials, such as toilet paper, told Castañeda about the classes when they found out about his housing situation. Castañeda’s family moved to Omaha in 1992 when he was 18 to get away from South Central Los Angeles and gangs like MS-13. In Omaha Castañeda stayed out of trouble, but his family had little money, and work was hard to come by without a high school diploma. In 2001 he owned a home with his then-wife until their marriage ended. A few years later he was in a car accident that left him nearly blind. Over the years his financial situation deteriorated as he bounced from rental to rental, and his credit score dipped to a “poor” rating. At Outlook Nebraska he makes about $13.75 per hour, he said, and also receives money every month through Social Security, but child support payments usually leave him with a fraction of that check.

for eight hours. And I was like, ‘Oh, OK. Cool.’” What changed Castañeda’s mind was not only how much he didn’t know, but also how achievable owning a home could be if he stayed on track with FHAS’ program. Through mentoring, Parker helped him get his debt under control, budget his spending and bring up his credit score. By finishing the class he also received a certificate of completion that helped him earn grants through the Nebraska Investment Finance Authority, an organization created by the Nebraska Legislature in 1983 to make housing more accessible. Castañeda was able to get about $5,000, which, added to the $10,000 he saved, gave him enough for the down payment on his $155,000 one-story home.

“I felt pretty confident. I can’t recommend [FHAS enough]. From my heart,” he said. “If I did it, I think anybody can do it.” But not everyone is successful. Even if people penny pinch, bring their credit score back over the cliff and get grants, Parker said it’s not guaranteed someone will find a home. “I just talked yesterday to a client who’s been going through this since 2016,” she said. “You know, they get on track and … then life happens and things keep them back down. And then their credit has been suffering, and so they have to build that back up.” The problems are exacerbated as Omaha, and most of the nation, faces a shrinking supply of more and more housing. Parker said affordable, low-income homes that don’t need costly repairs are ex-

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Even still, he didn’t think he needed FHAS’ homebuying class. “My reaction was like, f**k this shit. For real. Like, why would I have to go? You know? But I went out and I was there

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N E W S

Jose Castañeda, 48, sits in front of his home in South Omaha with his seeing-eye dog, Tiberius. tremely hard to find for under $100,000. Most good homes with low prices range from $150,000 to $225,000, she said. But even those are hard to grab with more middle-class people looking for cheaper options as rising home prices outpace income increases, according to the Wall Street Journal. Homes in Omaha spend an average of nine days on the market before they’re snatched up, according to data from Redfin. com in early February. Recently nonprofits and politicians have highlighted the issue with some figures putting Omaha’s affordable housing shortage at 80,000 units. While organizations such as Holy Name Housing, Habitat for Humanity of Omaha and oth-

ers have prioritized building accessible homes for low-income people, the demand is far outpacing production. Federal COVID-19 relief dollars will probably be used to address housing issues, but how much will be spent and what the money will go toward is still up for debate. Parker’s hopeful Omaha and Nebraska will give the housing market the shot in the arm it needs, especially for people in lower income brackets. Because owning a home isn’t just about having a place to live. Parker said when FHAS asks why people want to buy a home, they get a swath of answers.

March 2022

“Every time, repeatedly, they want to build wealth. They don’t want to give all of their money to a landlord. [They say], ‘I want something to go to me.’ That’s always brought up. They talk about having more freedom, that they can have whatever they want in their house and decorate it the way they like it.” For Castañeda, he wanted all of the above. He felt humiliated sleeping on a basement floor as a man in his 40s. He drank, missed work and hit rock bottom in 2019, he said. He could have easily lost his job, but his bosses and coworkers were patient. So was Parker, who took his calls often and at all hours of the night to talk through houses he toured.

It makes him emotional to think where he’s at now — hanging an expensive, authentic Los Angeles Lakers Lebron James jersey in his own closet or walking around his finished basement and imagining one day building a master bedroom suite. Even the little things get to him, like the feeling of a clean home or the smell of a batch of freshly blended salsa. At the end of the day, it’s all his. And right now nobody can take that away from him. “If you come from where I’m coming from, I mean look at this,” he said, spreading his arms just inside the front door of his home. “I mean, I’m not living rich. But I’m living comfortable.”

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F E A T U R E

Omaha’s Irish Roots Run Deep

City’s 150th St. Patrick’s Day Parade Is Part of Irish American Heritage Month Celebration by Regan Thomas

arch 1 kicked off the U.S. celebration of Irish American Heritage Month. Within the month, Omahans can take part in Irish traditions and learn about the deep history of the Irish settlement in the city. Jim Cavanaugh, Douglas County commissioner and founding member of the Omaha Irish Cultural Center, said, “About 25% of Omaha has Irish roots. It’s a very Irish city.” Omaha businesses, streets and leaders reflect the rich history of Irish surnames, including Brennan, Creighton, Mulhall, Leahy, Fahey, Boyle, Green, Howell, Lynch, Fogarty, Mulligan, Murphy, Mahoney, Moylan and Cavanaugh.

Council Bluffs. Early Irish settlers claimed what is now the 14th and Jones area in downtown Omaha, at the time called Gopher Hill. Gopher Hill refers to the shelter tunnels the Irish built into the side of the hills due to a scarce supply of wood.

From the beginning, the Irish were the largest demographics in The history began July. 4, Participants of 2019 St. Patrick’s Day celebration walk down Harney St. Omaha and a 1854, when Irish native James in downtown Omaha. This year will be the first parade since then. key to the laborFerry took the founding offiing class. They cials to Omaha via his ferry boat built Omaha’s first territorial capitol building, which doubled at 10 a.m. Saturday, March 12. across the Missouri River from as a hotel. This building held (See Picks on page 24.) The pathe one-year anniversary of the rade starts at 15th and Jackson establishment of the Territory Streets and will end around the of Nebraska. In the 1860s, more Old Market. Irish immigrants started to setTimmy Conway, former mayor tle in Omaha to help build the of Omaha’s sister city Naas, IreUnion Pacific Railroad, which land, will lead the parade alongis still in use today. Ireland was side Cavanaugh, the grand margranted independence after shal. Following the parade there winning the war against Britain will music, dancers and poets at in 1922. This year is Ireland’s the Field Club in Omaha to cele100th anniversary of indepenbrate Irish heritage. dence from the British. Daniel Mulhall, the 18th This month, all Omahans can Irish ambassador to the United celebrate this history. This will States, was expected to come be the 150th year that Omaha’s from Washington, D.C., to St. Patrick’s Day parade will be Jim Cavanaugh, Douglas County commissioner, talks with held. This year’s parade will be celebrants during a St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

March 2022

F E A T U R E launch the celebration of Irish American Heritage Month. Mulhall, meanwhile, will be promoting the Huskers’ 2022 season-opening football game in Dublin, Ireland, on Aug. 27 against Northwestern. Mulhall wants to spread his “Go Big

Green” message and encourage Husker fans to attend the game at Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Along with the other events this year, Irish Americans in Omaha will also be celebrating the 20th anniversary of the twinning of Omaha and its Irish sister city Naas (rhymes with “face”). Twenty years ago, Cavanaugh introduced then-Omaha Mayor Mike Fahey and then-Mayor Conway of Naas to each other. The two mayors established a sister city connection, inspiring many Irish people to come to Omaha to celebrate by having receptions, dinners and parties.

Daniel Mulhall, Irish ambassador to the United States.

“That’s the purpose of the Sister Cities Association.

It’s an international group that brings people closer together and fosters good relations,” Cavanaugh said. He emphasized that Irish American Heritage Month celebrations are more than just parades, parties and dinners. They’re about understanding the culture and the history behind the celebrations. “You don’t know who you are or where you’re going, unless you know who you were and where you’re from,” Cavanaugh remembered his grandmother saying. Cavanaugh said all Omahans are welcome to celebrate the great culture and traditions of Ireland. There is something for all ages to take part in throughout March. “It’s a very open and welcoming celebration of Irish American culture, which is open and welcoming to all other cultures as well,” Cavanaugh said.

Douglas County commissioner Jim Cavanaugh. For questions on events or how to get involved in Irish American History Month, contact Jim Cavanaugh at cavanaughlawfirm@aol.com or call 402-341-2020.

Readers' Choice Best of the Big O! Thanks for Voting Us Best Last Year, Omaha! We Appreciate You Letting Your Nomination Fly Our Way Again This Year 1507 Farnam St. • Omaha, NE 68102 https://flyingtimber.com March 2022

ART

‘I don’t know you like that’ Bemis Group Exhibit Examines the Historical ‘Hospitality’ of the Human Body by Jonathan Orozco | Photos by Colin Conces (Visitors must wear face coverings when entering the building and while indoors.)

inishing her three-year residency at the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts with a bang, Sylvie Fortin, the renowned Canadian independent curator, presents I don’t know you like that: The Bodywork of Hospi-

tality. As you can glean from the title, human bodies and how they relate to themselves, one another and the wider world are a major point of interest for this exhibition. Highly ambitious in their scope, the selected exhibiting artists have national and global influence, from Mexico

to Morocco, France to Argentina. These 18 artists are Ingrid Bachmann, Crystal Z Campbell, Jean-Charles de Quillacq, Heather Dewey-Hagborg, Stephanie Dinkins, Celina Eceiza, Adham Faramawy, Mounir Fatmi, Flis Holland, Oliver Husain, Rodney McMillian, Bridget Moser, Pedro Neves Marques, Berenice Olmedo, Kerstin Schroedinger, Jenna Sutela, Ana Torfs and Francis Upritchard. A visit to this exhibition is a must before it comes down in late March, not only for this long list of international art-

ists, but because it is also the strongest group show seen in Omaha since Bemis’ inaugural curator-in-residence Risa Puleo’s Monarchs: Brown and Native Contemporary Artists in the Path of the Butterfly in 2017. Within the four galleries, Fortin’s major area of research is investigated primarily through the medical transplant, something we take for granted in the 21st century. What we may be unaware of is how storied the history of the transplant is, reaching as far back as hundreds of years ago.

Crystal Z Campbell, “Portrait of a Woman I” 2013, and “Portrait of a Woman II” 2013, custom 3-D laser cut solid glass cubes of HeLa Cells

March 2022

ART The first gallery particularly emphasizes the transplant with three very strong works: Mexican Berenice Olmedo’s uncanny sculptures made of prosthetics, Mounir Fatmi’s digitally manipulated photographs of transplants, and American Crystal Z Campbell’s laser etched glass embedded with Henrietta Lack’s immortal cells, better known as HeLa cells. Here, the legacies of racism and how they affect our contemporary medical landscape are investigated and critiqued. Fatmi’s and Campbell’s works, in particular, have a strong relationship to each other. In Fatmi’s

View of the exhibition I don’t know you like that: The Bodywork of Hospitality at the Bemis, 2021 “The Blinding Light 05” and “The Miracle of the Black Leg,” a religious scene borrowed from an altarpiece by the Proto-Renaissance artist Fra Angelico is

superimposed with images of a contemporary medical transplant. It’s ghostly, and on first inspection, one scene is hard to distinguish from another.

“It is believed to be the earliest depiction of a transplant in art, and you have the two saints enacting the miracle. You see the black leg that has just been transplanted.” Fortin said. “What struck me with my research was that the very first depiction of a transplant is already racialized and extractive, so it positions the white body as recipient and the Black body as superhuman, able to donate life and to grant life, but also totally disposable.” Simply put, the historical entanglement between medicine and racism is ongoing.

Oliver Husain & Kerstin Schroedinger, “DNCB” 2021, multi-channel moving-image installation with sound, installation dimensions variable March 2022

ART Renaissance scholar Dr. Amy Morris of the University of Nebraska at Omaha commented on this racializing aspect, saying, “They weren’t performing something during their life. They came back centuries later and then helped transplant this leg. Presumably if you could perform a miracle, you could do anything, so why select a black leg as opposed to a white leg? According to legend, it was the leg of a Moor who had died. It wasn’t vicious that they took the leg, but still, what authority did they have to remove the leg of that person, the dead Moor versus someone else?”

Mounir Fatmi, “The Blinding Light 05” 2013–2017, digital c-print

This is particularly insidious when we consider the life of Henrietta Lacks, an African American woman who suffered from cervical cancer. Without

consent, her cancer cells were extracted and used for medical research because of their immortal properties. It’s as if she continues to live among us. Campbell’s pieces -- “Portrait of a Woman I” and “Portrait of a Woman II” -- are 3D cut solid-glass cubes depicting either a haunting portrait of Henrietta Lacks or a network of her cells. “Henrietta Lacks’ cells, an African American woman whose cells were taken without her consent, is credited with having biological material that led to cures for polio and tuberculosis alongside many scientific developments,” Campbell said. “Her identity was erased for many years, and she long went unrecognized despite millions of people benefiting from the research and billions made in biotech

Celina Eceiza, “La lengua de los distraídos [The Distracted Language]” 2021, site-sensitive installation March 2022

ART

Adham Faramawy, “Skin Flick,” video installation with sound, dimensions variable industries with her biological imprint.” Considering Fatmi’s and Campbell’s pieces are placed next to each other, the message is quite clear. The body of Henrietta Lacks was seen as a donor, something to grant life, yet expendable. And we’re all implicated in this narrative; of us living in the United States, who has not received a polio vaccine? Whereas room one exposes the racist foundations of medicine, the second gallery takes on a significant corporeal turn, using the body as a metaphor for race, gender and migration. One of the most fascinating works here is by Adham Faramawy, a London-based artist born in Dubai, of Egyptian descent. The artist’s work, “Skin Flick,”

presents a trippy experience with men (and one woman) rubbing creams on themselves and others and uses medicines and flowers as symbols. It also speaks to our (and I really mean “male’s” when I type this) own bodily insecurities of aging, libidinal impotence, masculinity, and the fear of death. Faramawy’s work is very sexual in an asexual way. Quite literally, a horned narrator that becomes a host to multiple fungal infections says, “Ageing feels like a betrayal;” “my body, sexuality, and aging are inextricably linked to drugs and supplements to ideas of disease;” “I wish I could change my body at will.” “’Skin Flick is a personal work, it’s a way for me to explore my experiences of intimacy and desire as a queer, migrant body in

a colonial European country,” Faramawy said. “The phrase Skin Flick was offered with lightness of touch and with humor. I meant it as a double entendre, the skin flick as pornographic movie, the flick of the skin as a sensual gesture and sensation, with toxins, ointments, creams, bodily fluids, Pepsi, soil, contaminants testing the body’s boundaries as a site of the political, a border and a boundary, a point of interface.”

highly stylized figures with dyes and soft sculptures are depicted by Eceiza.

One final highlight of this exhibition is an immersive installation titled “La lengua de los distraidos [The Distracted Language]” by the Argentinian fiber-artist Celina Eceiza. The artist draped fabric similar to curtains on walls, creating rooms a visitor is invited to walked through. Existing somewhere in the ethereal or cosmic real,

I don’t know you like that: The Bodywork of Hospitality runs through March 20 at the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts, 724 S. 12th St. Gallery hours are Wednesday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.; Thursday, 11 a.m.-9 p.m.; FridaySunday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. For more information, visit www. bemiscenter.org/.

These are only some of the fascinating works by this roster of artists that covers topics such as the AIDS crisis, infection, medical research, lynching, and the cyborg, among others. Visitors are offered a plethora of threads to take, while reminding you that you are an existing, functioning body.

March 2022

D I S H

Stronger Than Ever

Celebrating Longevity With These 5 Omaha Establishments by Sara Locke

t has been a thrilling decade to watch Omaha’s culinary culture grow and thrive in new and exciting ways. As each newcomer stakes its claim on a little slice of the American dream, we watch as older establishments close to make way for the new. Statistics show that 50% of restaurant and food-service businesses have closed after five years, while 70% have shuttered by the 10-year mark. In spite of statistics, these five area icons have proven that some things were built to last.

Johnny’s Café – 100 yrs 4702 S. 27th

Celebrating a century of serving Omaha this year, Johnny’s Café was opened in 1922 by Frank Kawa. The establishment took its name from a sign on the property, and Kawa quickly turned Johnny’s into a South Omaha staple. The ubiquitous steakhouse has become an Omaha landmark and has been featured on screens both big (Alexander Payne’s About Schmidt) and small (Steak Out with Kix Brooks). The Kawa family can still be found manning the steakhouse, which is steeped in rich history and old-world charm. While some would call the atmosphere “dated,” most recognize comfort in the classic, and in not fixing what isn’t broken.

Orsi’s – 103 yrs 621 Pacific

Located in the heart of Little Italy, Orsi’s Italian Bakery & Pizzeria was founded by Alfonso Orsi in 1919 and is showing no interest in slowing. The scratch bakery has remained an Omaha favorite for over a century by sticking with its time-honored traditions, foods prepared fresh daily, and classic family recipes. The years have seen cosmetic changes and items added to the establishment’s offerings. A fire in the late ’90s resulted in a complete loss, but Bob Orsi rebuilt on the same ground where his grandfather Alfonso had founded the business. Soon, Bob’s son Bob Jr. and his business partner Jim Hall added a deli to the bakery, and in 2010 Orsi’s was sold to Hall and his wife Kathy. The pair reverently preserved not only the recipes, but the family feel Orsi’s offered its customers.

While you can enjoy much of the standard Italian steakhouse fare that finds itself on each of the menus listed herein, you’ll also have the option of private dining for special events, and a relaxed lounge area that attracts live music on weekends and features a happy hour Monday through Friday. Possibly best known as a favorite haunt of billionaire Warren Buffett, Gorat’s brought the Oracle of Omaha back year after year because of its family atmosphere and Buffett’s friendship with the recently passed Louis “Pal” Gorat. Founded in 1944, Gorat’s remained family owned until 2012. Since then, the new owners have respected the legacy and loyal regulars who’ve made and maintained Gorat’s status as an Omaha icon.

Nite Hawkes Cafe – 80 yrs 4825 N. 16th St.

In addition to the establishment’s famous full-sheet pizza and goudarooni, you can find authentic Italian kitchen staples and sundries on the shelves. Look for imported oils, cheeses, pastas, and spiced meats from the deli to create your own authentic dishes at home.

Gorat’s – 78 yrs 4917 Center

Come fame, fortune, or the turn of a century, Johnny’s remains a family owned Omaha establishment that believes in excellent service, fromscratch recipes, and treating loyal customers like family.

While many of the spots on this list have embraced their old-school charm, Gorat’s sits solo in its much more modern atmosphere. That goes neither on my pro nor con list but is simply something to be aware of as you are choosing your evening out and your apparel.

March 2022

Nite Hawkes Cafe opened in 1942, and the Hawkes family has been serving its signature breakfast, lunch, and brunch for four generations. You’ll love the blast-from-the-past prices on portion sizes that will humble you. The menu consists mostly of classic greasy-spoon fare, and rich gravy can be poured onto absolutely any dish and your life will be better

(maybe shorter, but better). The establishment isn’t just hanging in there, but recently closed for a week to redesign its entryway. The new, modern design is still warm, but more inviting than ever.

Cascio’s – 76 yrs 1620 S. 10th St.

Opened in 1946 by brothers Al and Joe Cascio, the restaurant still stands because it stands on firm principles. Family first, customer-focused, and the same all-day recipes that made Cascio’s Omaha’s go-to. While you can now score a bottle of Cascio’s sauce for home consumption, it’s still simmered daily for seven hours in the same 60-gallon kettle in which the Cascio family makes all of its signature sauce. The spot has become an Omaha touchstone for both celebrities and locals looking to turn a meal into a memory, and a Saturday night into a celebration. Most of the family still works on site, and the non-Cascio members of the staff have been there long enough to be common-law cousins to the family. The loyalty isn’t just among those returning to dine, but those who show up to make this labor-intensive love known as homestyle Italian cuisine. We are grateful to these establishments, the families who made them possible, and the Omaha diners who have kept coming back for generations. In a time when it often seems that little can last, it’s gratifying to see these legacies live on.

Together again! Back Sundays IN PERSON @ 10:50 am

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BesT BrewpuB, AgAin Proud pioneers of the fermenter-to-table movement.

ONLINE via Facebook

We WILL NOT be resuming other activities. Masks & social distancing will be required. It would be wrong to say the freshest beer is automatically the best beer. But the best beer almost always tastes its best when it is, in marketing speak, at the peak of freshness. And it’s hard to get any fresher than beer brewed thirty feet away from your table. And it’s doubly hard to get any better than when that table is here at Upstream. But we suspect you already knew that.

7020 Cass Street 402.556.6262 www.fumcomaha.org

Celebrating Over 30 Years Of Making Ice Cream Th e Old Fashioned Way

Two Omaha Locations:

Old Market

Downtown • 1120 Jackston 402.341.5827

Benson

6023 Maple 402.551.4420

tedandwallys.com

Home of America’s Most Premium Ice Cream Ted & Wally’s Ultra-Premium 20% Butterfat Made from Scratch with Rock Salt & Ice March 2022

W PICKS W March 11-April 7

Arte LatinX 2022 Gallery 1516, 6-9 p.m. Masks required

Arte LatinX, a juried biennial exhibition organized by UNO’s OLLAS Latin American Studies program, kicks off its third installment with the theme “In It To g e t h e r / Juntos En Esto.”

March 4-27

March 8

The Color Purple

Parquet Courts with

Omaha Community Masks required Playhouse Experience the stage adaptation of “The Color Purple” at the Omaha Community Playhouse in a select run of performances. Here is a period piece, coming-ofage drama, and musical based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name by writer and Black feminist (or more appropriately, Womanist) Alice Walker. And to be sure, the play tackles adult themes. Still, “The Color Purple” became a widespread hit, received a movie adaptation by Steven Spielberg, and translates exceptionally into a musical. Shows at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Tickets — $25-$45 can be purchased at ticketomaha.com. — Matt Casas

Mdou Moctar Waiting Room Lounge Masks ENCOURAGED

Proof of vaccination, or negative COVID test within 48 hours, will be required. Former Texans Andrew and Max Savage and Austin Brown joined up with Massachusetts-born Sean Yeats and began defining Parquet Courts’ Americana punk sound in 2011 after relocating to Brooklyn, producing “noisy indie rock with jagged punk edges.” (sputnikmusic.com) Sympathy for Life is the band’s seventh studio album. The vast majority of songs were written and recorded pre-pandemic, with the band working on long, improvised compositions. The album was preceded by the singles, “Plant Life,” “Walking at a Downtown Pace,” “Black Widow Spider” and “Homo Sapien.” The show starts at 8 p.m. General admission tickets are $25 in advance and $28 the day of the performance. — Lynn Sanchez

February 2022

Hosted this year by Gallery 1516, the show is expected to include a variety of artists from the Great Plains states, casting a net beyond Nebraska as in past biennials. The organizers continue to expand their initiative to create space for and dialogue about those whose work is often invisible and lacks supporting structures. In conjunction, OLLAS is sponsoring a high school exhibition open to all students in the Metro area to be displayed at various locations through Benson First Friday’s MaMO Gallery. Gallery 1516 is open Wednesday-Sunday by appointment only after the opening event. Check out gallery1516.org and unomaha.edu/ college-of-arts-and-sciences/. — Janet Farber

March 11 - April 15

Dollhouse

Amplify Arts - Generator Masks required Space Generator Grant recipients bring contemporary dance performance to this South Omaha venue. Dollhouse brings together Gayle Rocz, Natalie Hanson, and Matthew Bailey in a collaborative, mixed-media performance, opening March 11 and continuing with performances March 12, 18 and 19. All shows start at 7 p.m.

Dollhouse features contemporary dance, video, music and live streaming, examining how our online and social media presence differs from our offline personas. The Gallery is also open by appointment Thursday and Friday, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. For appointments, additional performance dates and information, go to www.amplifyarts.org. — Kent Behrens

March 11 - May 4

How to Feel At Home — Cheryl Dyer & Sophie Newell

NAC – Fred Simon Gallery Masks required

Two artists and professional freelancers examine recent challenges brought by major shifts in schedules, excess studio time, and themes of home and familiarity in How to Feel At Home, an exhibit by Sophie Newell and Cheryl Dyer. Dyer, who specializes in calligraphy, stretches the envelope on her craft with illustration, intuitive mark-making, and collage. British expat Newell works in intricate and varied collage, bringing new life and story to found objects, abandoned photos and letters and news clippings. The gallery is open only by appointment. Further information is available at www.artscouncil.nebraska.gov/explore/fred-simon-gallery/. — Kent Behrens

March 12

St. Patrick’s Day Parade Party with

Ellis Island Dubliner Pub

The Dubliner is Omaha’s favorite downtown Irish pub, renowned for its annual St. Patrick’s Day celebra-

W PICKS W tion and year-round selection of live music. And when those two strengths intersect, it’s always a good time.

March 20

March 22

March 24 – April 17

Hasan Minhaj: The

Isabel Wilkerson:

King Lear

Holland Performing Arts Masks required Center

Presidential Lecture Series

“King Lear” marks the third of four main-stage plays for BlueBarn Theatre’s 33rd season.

Online Event

The tragedy attributed to Bill Shakespeare is critically beloved, with countless stage adaptations spanning five centuries. “King Lear” revolves around the titular main character who, faced with aging, must divide his kingdom among three daughters — though nothing, of course, goes smoothly.

King’s Jester

This year, Ellis Island will take the stage as the featured act from noon to 4 p.m., and the duo fuses traditional Irish music with over a dozen instruments. The parade starts at 10 a.m., but you can get to the bar at 8 a.m. The celebration runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Check out facebook.com/dublinerpubomaha for more information.

The comedian became a late-night TV mainstay, sharing blunt perspectives on social and political topics informed by his experiences as a Muslim and Indian American.

Rachel Connell:

Minhaj has won two Peabody Awards, was the 2017 featured speaker at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner and has been listed among Time’s 100 most influential people in the world.

Gallery of Art and Design, Metro Community College Masks required Elkhorn

In this one-person show, Minhaj returns to his acclaimed storytelling roots. Tickets for the show (starts at 7 p.m.) are $39.50-$74.50. They can be purchased at ticketomaha.com.

— Matt Casas

March 16-April 13

Justice

If the last two years indoors have shown us anything, it’s that retailers continually improve their grip on our acquisitive nature. What’s more, social messaging has become interwoven with branding and appeal, translated into ads and storefront displays alike. It’s this intersection of consumerism and conscientiousness that is the focus of Des Moines artist Rachel Connell’s show at MCC, Justice. Through her photorealistic paintings of shopping-mall windows, Connell asks viewers to slow down their mall-walking stride to consider the sincerity of projected image and slogans, the “holy texts” of Madison Avenue. Are they merely virtue-signaling or can corporate and consumer culture together manifest higher ideals? For more information, go to mccneb.edu/gallery. — Janet Farber

— Matt Casas

Isabel Wilkerson will speak as part of the Creighton Presidential Lecture series. In 1994, Wilkerson became the first Black woman to win a Pulitzer Prize in journalism, awarded for feature writing.

Shows are at 2 p.m., 6 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Admission is free for season members or $30-$35 for general admission. Check out bluebarn.org for more information.

It is a free live-streamed event from 7-8 p.m. Register by contacting kingfisher@creighton.edu or calling (402) 280-5169.

March 27

— Matt Casas

Reverb Lounge

Members of the The Ophelias met at a time when each served as the “token girl” in various male-fronted bands from their hometown of Cincinnati.

March 22

Nimesh Patel Omaha Funny Bone

Nimesh Patel made comedy history when he became the first Indian American writer for Saturday Night Live in 2017. Patel primarily wrote jokes for the “Weekend Update” segment.

Since 2015, they’ve transformed and rebuilt, so much so that it feels like they’re reintroducing themselves. Their 2021 release “Crocus” represents that state of flux, between dreaming and reality, said vocalist/ guitarist Spencer Peppet. “I had to wring this all out of my chest, and doing that is very vulnerable. But being in a band with such a strong sense of community, trust, care, and love makes that process a lot easier.”

Another career highlight for Patel came in 2016 when Chris Rock added him to the writing team for the 88th Academy Awards c e r e m o n y. Patel lives in New York City and regularly performs at the Comedy Cellar.

The all-ages show starts at 8 p.m. Tickets are $12.

The show will start at 7:30 p.m. with tickets costing $25.

— Lynn Sanchez

Masks required

Her nonfiction work, entitled “The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration,” took her 15 years to research and write and quickly became a National Book Critics Circle Award winner and New York Times bestseller.

March 21

The Ophelias

BlueBarn

— Matt Casas

Art and Soup 2022 Omaha Design Masks required Center

The 25th Art and Soup fundraiser is coming to the Omaha Design Center this month. Few charity events allow you to aid struggling families and individuals while enjoying delicious soup and purchasing one-of-a-kind artwork spanning several genres. But then again, there is nothing quite like this annual fundraiser, with the proceeds providing Visiting Nursing Association services for adults and youth living in homeless and domestic violence shelters. The event runs from 2-5 p.m. Go to vnatoday.org for more information.

— Efren Cortez

February 2022

— Matt Casas

F I L M

20/20 Vision

Only 26 More Years Until I Catch Roger Ebert

by Ryan Syrek

umor me.

who brought his dog to a showing of A Million Ways to Die in the West. Getting angry about errors introduced by copy editors into a review that prompted me to send an email in which I declared I didn’t need that much oversight because “I am editor.”

Or don’t.

After 20 years, I am good with however you choose to respond to my cinematic ramblings, rantings, and ravings with open arms and sloppy wet kisses. Thank you. Je t’aime. Please come again. I don’t really remember precisely how it happened or why it was allowed to, but as of March 2022, I’ve been reviewing movies in The Reader for exactly two decades. After the towers fell, but before the Iraq War sequel, I strolled into an office in downtown Omaha and persuaded some kind-hearted editors to let me write a movie review.

How embarrassingly lucky I am.

Regrets, I’ve Had a Few (Not Lyrics From a Paul Anka Song)

Fools. That review was for Blade II. I’m just thankful that our beloved John Heaston, publisher and editor of The Reader, was slow to accept that the internet wasn’t a fad, or I’d have to link to it here. I remember it was a slack-jawed rave filled with so many unnecessary adjectives, unlike my terse, succinct, carefully honed prose these days. That they let me write another was a tender mercy. That I’ve done one just about every week for more than a thousand weeks now is some kind of lunatic miracle. If you don’t mind ─ and I really hope you don’t because I mind if you do ─ I’d like to walk through some of the highlights, lowlights, and notable nonsense of the last 20 years. In a lifetime filled with expected ups and downs, in the midst of what feels like a historic globo-societal upheaval, reflecting on this most unexpected “career” is something like a prayer I’m making.

Memory (Not the Song From Cats) In middle school, bullies used to chuck me down a big hill outside at lunchtime. Don’t worry, this wasn’t in Omaha, we don’t have hills. I used

I honestly have fond memories of every bit of hate mail. My first was a letter mailed to The Reader because of a typo in Pontius Pilate’s name in my Passion of the Christ review. Since then, I’ve been called “Disney’s Bitch” in Facebook messages, got quasi-death threats for my Hateful Eight review, and took the most heat of all for my B- review of Moonrise Kingdom. Don’t cross the cult of Wes Anderson, y’all. It legitimately never bothered me. My first thought, every time, was “It’s so nice of them to read my stuff.”

Blade II launched my reviewing career and put Guillermo del Toro on the mainstream map. I’d say we’ve done about the same since, right? He’s got Oscars, I also know people who are bald… to hide at the last lunch table in the cafeteria with my best (only) friend, Andrew, to avoid the aforementioned hill chucking. We would talk about comic books. Specifically, we would talk about Spider-Man. In 2002, not even three full months into my dream job reviewing movies, Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man was set to be released. What is the equivalent of this? Becoming an astronaut the same week first contact is made? Becoming a doctor the month someone decided leeches were a bad idea? Becoming a standup comedian the year a new way to do sex is introduced? I was in grad school at Creighton. While on break from an evening class, I got a call from my editor telling me she got me into a preview screening at the now-abandoned AMC Oakview. To make it, I had to leave that moment. My professor overheard and mouthed the word “Go” in slow motion. When I got there, it was packed. I don’t mean “It was busy.” I mean the over-capacity crowd seemed on the verge of riot. I couldn’t even get through the lobby. Then I saw her, pinned between studio reps and security. The editor who had my pass made eye contact with me. She whipped around, whis-

March 2022

pered into a studio rep’s ear. Studio rep grabbed security dude. Security dude did the “Moses parting the Red Sea” gesture and yelled “Move aside, this man is press.”

Reader, I would like this on my tombstone I was escorted to the theater, where I found my name printed on a sheet, pinned to a centered seat in the middle of the theater. “Ryan Syrek. Film Critic. The Reader.” I still have it. I carry so many “forever” memories because of this job. The insane number of hours I spent screening shorts submitted for the Omaha Film Festival in that long-running event’s early days. Bickering with Heaston for months about changing from a star ranking system to letter grades. Attending Film Streams’ opening night. Working with the Barstow family as it planned to open Aksarben Cinema. Debating whether the movie or book version of The Shining was better at an event to raise money for the Omaha Public Library. Getting in knock-down, drag-out internet fights with douchebag provocateur Max Landis and alleged novelist James Dashner. Falling in deep, real love just outside a multiplex. Laughing so hard at an intoxicated man

Some stuff does bother me, like what a dumb idiot I used to be. Reading past reviews is like binge-watching only the “Scott’s Tots” episode of The Office for a week. From flat-out bad opinions to embarrassingly reductive and ignorant perspectives that reveal my privilege and implicit bias, going through old articles is throwing myself into a haunted house made of my own words. And that’s just stuff I wrote in 2021. Every critic should get better with time. Each movie watched is another chance to learn, to expand horizons, to climb into what Roger Ebert called an “empathy machine.” What I’m saying is, if you are mad that I hated your favorite movie, you’re probably right, and I’m probably wrong. Unless it’s Baby Driver. I don’t regret “making movie reviews political.” I regret not doing it earlier. I regret the years I spent not

F I L M

realizing the responsibility I had to place art in context with the real world. I regret the reductive language I used, like describing certain elements as “feminine” without unpacking the loaded associations of that term. I regret all of the things I should have explored, criticized, and questioned but ignored.

Moonfall and It Can’t Get Up If Aliens See This Movie, They’re Never Gonna Call Us Back by Ryan Syrek

But to end even this section on a positive, I was asked by a friend if I was ever ashamed of all the bad jokes I’ve made over the years. I told him how I once got The Reader to publish a review of Hidalgo titled How to Love Your Horse and Not Get Arrested. So, no. No, I do not regret any of the bad jokes.

I Swear (Just Like the All-4-One Song) Given the state of, you know, everything, it seems insane to speculate about what the next 20 years of doing this could be like. On good days, when hope barely noses past despair, I think about how it could feel to reflect on an Ebert-long critical career. I just want to keep doing this for you, with you. I want to have Heaston keep chiding me for not going further, not doing more. I want to keep butting heads with buttheads and headbutting butts who want cultural criticism to be reduced to “objectively saying whether or not other people will like a movie.” Here’s a spoiler alert two decades in the making: Nobody can tell others if they’ll like something or not. Nobody can even say if art is “objectively” good. There is no objective criticism, jackholes! I promise to stop calling readers “jackholes.” I promise to be unflinching in reviewing my own reviewing. To not assume after at least a thousand reviews that I am anywhere close to where I could be and should be. I promise to remember how lucky I am to have this role, this outlet, and these people around me. I can’t believe Omaha has had an alternative newspaper survive for this long. Heaston and others sometimes cringe when I praise them for it, but it is so special. This is all so special. I promise I’ll never stop being thankful for that. The kid who hid from bullies at lunch has held his dream gig for 20 years now. This man is press. I am editor. Thank you. Je t’aime. Please come again.

Don’t you hate it when evil space robots have a beef with the aliens who built Earth’s moon? No, I didn’t drop acid, but the writers of Moonfall totally did.

obody voluntarily chooses to see Moonfall because of the writing. Fun trick: You can cut that sentence off before the word “because,” and it’s still true. The only conceivable reason folks may be interested in seeing writer/director/ end-of-the-world-enthusiast Roland Emmerich’s latest bit of disaster escapism is because actual disasters have a tendency to be real bummers. To that end, Moonfall does look like a million bucks! It cost nearly $150 million, so that’s not a great return on investment … The template for all apocalyptic movies is as follows: It must open with a small but important CGI moment, sashay immediately into a scientist/doctor discovering a phenomenon no one believes, flourish into widespread special effects chaos, and curtsey with a noble sacrifice and decent dose of optimism. Emmerich threw that playbook out the window. That’s because he’s done so many of these that he knows the plan by heart. Square-jawed astronaut Brian Harper (Patrick Wilson) is outside doing nebulous space tasks when a murmuration of robots kills his astronaut buddy. Said robo-jerks render his mission leader, Jocinda Fowler (Halle Berry), unconscious, and then burrow into the moon. Weirdly, nobody on Earth is willing to buy

the whole “sentient alien drones murdered my space pal and then gave the lunar surface a new B hole” thing. Brian gets fired. Ten years later, you’re never going to believe what happens … A conspiracist and self-proclaimed “doctor,” KC Houseman, discovers that the moon’s orbit is changing. He believes this validates his crackpot theory that the Earth is actually orbited by an extraterrestrial megastructure. In real life, KC would be an incel, QAnoner who loves Elon Musk. That last part does make its way into the movie, so you know the rest is true. KC is reminded of Brian’s wild claims, tracks him down, and begs him to believe that NASA must go the moon and kill the evil intergalactic Roomba living inside it. Sounds like a perfect plan, KC, no notes. The bonkers, cuckoo, whackadoodle alien business is actually somewhat fun. The problem is, that constitutes around the smallest portion of the film. To modernize a Mitch Hedberg joke, if the film’s running time were a pie chart of how Americans react to science, the good portion of the film would be the slice marked “responsibly follow it.” A weird amount of the film is spent following Brian’s doofus son as he drives Jocinda’s kid to Colorado. That’s definitely what audienc-

es want to see. Fewer shots of the moon creating a “gravity wave” that explodifies buildings, more of a charisma-free road trip. One of the most dizzying parts of Moonfall is how it treats the passage of time. You’ll think you followed someone continuously in real time, and then someone will suggest that many days have passed. The only thing less sensical is the dialogue, which features two all-time lines. You ready? “If the Earth can get a second chance, I think we deserve one, too.” And then “Your consciousness has been uploaded to the moon.” Poetry. Just pure poetry. Blockbuster spectacle epics are bigscale B movies. Laughable dialogue and a complete ignorance of the laws of physics, space, and time are to be expected. Those aren’t sins, they’re just the raisins in our trail mix: We eat around them. But to be boring? To leave Michael Peña on the side? To bring the corpse of Donald Sutherland out for two minutes only? Unforgivable. The last time the moon was involved in pop culture this obnoxious, domestic abuser Ralph Kramden was using it as a threat.

Grade = D

O t h e r C r i t i c a l V o i c e s t o C on s i d e R Allison Wilmore at Vulture says: “Throughout the movie, Berry and Wilson deliver lines about how the moon is going to smash into the Earth with the solemn dedication of performers in a revival of Long Day’s Journey Into Night.”

Charles Pulliam-Moore at The Verge says: “Whenever Moonfall gets too busy with being interesting, it repeatedly stops to introduce multiple, thinly fleshed-out characters like Harper’s wayward son Sonny (Charlie Plummer) and Fowler’s military general ex-husband Doug (Eme Ikwuakor), who serve no real purpose other than to deliver stilted lines that pull focus from what audiences actually show up to these sorts of movies to see.”

March 2022

Jennifer Heaton at Alternative Lens says: “Its few fleeting moments of value are mostly unintentional as you find yourself laughing at its sheer impudence, but it’s not even bad in a unique enough way to be enjoyed ironically.”

B A C K B E A T

Common Ground

M34N STR33T Connects People Across Creative Worlds by Virginia Kathryn Gallner

34N STR33T is the brainchild of Brenton Gomez (alias Conny Franko) and Adam Haug (alias Haunted Gauntlet). The name anchors them to the place where they created the music: 34th and 33rd streets in Gifford Park, running north to south through midtown Omaha. Haug sees this as the mean in a mathematical sense, the common ground where everything comes together — where it all began. “When I think of M34N STR33T,” Haug said, “it’s a good place, like Sesame Street. A place where people come together and get along … a collaboration between both of our worlds making this sound.” Under the stage name Conchance, Gomez was one of the first hip-hop artists to play the Slowdown in early 2008. Haug came up in the local punk, hardcore, singer-songwriter, rap and hip-hop scenes. Gomez and Haug have been friends for about 13 years, starting to collaborate when they were students at UNO. Their first song together ended up on M34N STR33T’s 2014 album Mutants of Omaha. Each has his own solo

project as well. As M34N STR33T, they’ve played Maha Music Festival, the main room at Slowdown, The Waiting Room, O’Leaver’s, and gone-but-not-forgotten Brothers. Haug is the instrumentalist. He spends hours searching for source material for his beats and samples, digging through old records, YouTube, and VHS tapes for music loops and dialogue. Some of the sounds were written by Haug on piano or guitar. “People assume with rap and hip-hop in general that the art of sampling is, like, a cheat, or an easy way out,” he said. “It’s a real hodge-podge, quilted-patchwork collage of sound.” Gomez provides the counterpoint to this patchwork collage. “He’s definitely the poet, the lyricist. Constantly reading and writing,” Haug said. “His style of jazzy flipping and ripping, dodging bullets style of scatter rap … that contradiction between harshness of his style with the more melodic stuff … It’s that contrast between him and me that makes M34N STR33T special.” Haug sees himself as the man behind the curtain, “constantly in front of my laptop doing the art, social media, making the beats, the graphics,” while Gomez is the face of the group. They often start with a simple loop or progression. Gomez writes the lyrics, and Haug refocuses the song toward those words. Haug noted the authenticity of the lyrics: “Conny doesn’t write about stuff he doesn’t know.”

Cover Art for M34N STR33T single Hungry — Photography by Joshua Foo

March 2021

Gomez thinks of their music as art rap because everything has deeper meaning beyond the surface. He loves the

Brenton Gomez (left) and Adam Haug — Photo by Harrison Martin process of storytelling “the way you can use language in a very unorthodox manner, really showcase who you are.” His lyrics also draw on a love of literature, especially larger-than-life magical realist authors such as Gabriel García Márquez and Jorge Luis Borges. Gomez and Haug also make a point of collaborating with local artists and photographers when they can. They brought in Joshua Foo to do the cinematography for their latest release, Hungry, and got Foo’s brother Sam and Lauren Abell to make the video teaser. The track started as a livestream on Twitch, with Haug making beats and playing guitar for an online audience, and Gomez writing lyrics after the livestream. Gomez describes Joshua Foo as “one of the most potent creatives I know in the city.” They had known each other for years, back when Caffeine Dreams was a creative hub in the city, and rekindled their collaboration when they ran into each other at Archetype Coffee in 2021. This year, M34N STR33T has an album coming out on LA label Org Music. Gomez developed a relationship with the label over several years, and now the record nears its release day on vinyl.

As someone who collects VHS, vinyl, and other physical artifacts of music and pop culture, Haug is excited for something tangible to share with fans. Gomez has released music on vinyl under different aliases as well. “If the internet was to shut off today, some people’s artwork would be lost into the metaverse, or whatever we call this shit. You can walk down the street and buy and hold the things we’ve created,” Gomez said. “They’re artifacts of our existence.” Haug wants to make Omaha proud but also expand their audience outside the city through this release. “This is not what’s popular on the radio. This is uniquely us. We’ve always been the underdogs, the DIY … We prided ourselves in coming from that underground music scene.” The new album, titled Besos, is for Gomez a way of talking about how to feel love. He sees the power of a kiss as a vehicle for love and affection, something that can build a bond or destroy it. After Besos, they plan to continue doing limited vinyl releases and are already working on their next album. Haug is excited for the future. “Some of our best art we’ve put out as a group is on the horizon.”

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March 2021

C R O S S W O R D

These Go To Eleven

AnswerS in next month’s issue or online at TheReader.com

— and five down — by Matt Jones

Across 1. Toning result 12. Celebrity gossip website 15. 1993 Mary J. Blige hit that reached #5 on the R&B Singles Chart 16. Elvis’s longtime label

23 27

18. Acne wash maker 30

21. Radcliffe’s group

22. Dear one?

47. “Breaking Bad” businessman/drug lord Gus 40

23. Violinist Menuhin 43

30. Eldest von Trapp child in “The Sound of Music” 35. Pet Shop Boys’ longtime label 36. Locates 37. Comparable

12. Apparel that 7. Boy’s name that 58. Words before “of gets “dropped,” means “God is my smell,” “of self,” and facetiously nation” in Hebrew (A “of right and wrong” Dish with grapes, MILE anag.) 13. CI times XI walnuts, and mayo 8. “San ___ High School 14. Former groupmate of Bookstore category football rules!” Harry and Liam that features the (shouted line near 1. Cat scratch sources town’s authors the end of “Bill 20. Decoy vessel used as 2. Friends, ‘90s-style & Ted’s Excellent early as WWI Squishee purveyor on Adventure”) “The Simpsons” 3. Russian infant 24. Actor Kier of “Dancer emperor of 1740-41 9. Pearl Jam bassist Jeff in the Dark” Record the meeting, (too young to be the in a way 10. Actors Reed and 25. Morse code “terrible” one) Meredith Baxter component Blues guitarist Mahal 4. E-mail writer (when she took a husband’s surname) 26. Provisional terms Place where it’s hard 5. ___ a positive note to pass 27. Old Prizm automaker 11. Pilots 6. Chain that merged “Hold On Tight” 28. Australian coat of with AMC Theatres group arms bird

43. 50.

53. 54. 55. 56. 57.

Down

March 2022

48. Neurobiologist Joshua who developed the “brainbow” by mapping neurons with different colored proteins (and whose name uses letters from “synapse”) 49. “___ un Principio: From the Beginning” (1999 Marc Anthony greatest-hits album) 50. In the wee hours

39. Tomei of Spider-Man movies 40. Where Will Shortz is the “Puzzlemaster”

45. Work alongside “El rey Lear,” “La tempestad,” and “Ricardo III” 46. Furnish a new crew

27. Throws out

41. Igneous rock that solidifies deep in the earth (like a god of the underworld) 44. Scottish builder of stone walls (not Dutch, surprisingly)

40. Vacuum hater?

42. ___ hen’s teeth

17. Bitter almond, as seen in French desserts 19. It’s posed for passersby

29. Frank McCourt’s sequel to “Angela’s Ashes”

51. Birthstone that shares a first letter with its month

52. “... a Saint Bernard in his prime, five 30. On the ___ (running) years old, nearly two hundred pounds in 31. Garten who had weight ...” a 2022 moment responding to Reese © 2022 Matt Jones Witherspoon 32. Canal zone? 33. Guardian Angel Curtis who was the Republican nominee for NYC mayor in 2021 34. Northern Silicon Valley city 38. “Highlights for Children” do-gooder

AnsweR to last month’s “The Birthday Game” A T H A N D

L O A N E R

G A L A X Y

D J A M

O A H U

U N I S

Z O D A P O P A L

A H D E M A R I R T U P G A A U G B L E U A R T G E B O P I A C L L O E S T

A C C T

H O H O H B O U S S Y J B U E K E E B O X

C R O P C O S R T W N A O N Y E S P R I I L X L

R A B A T I N E R T I A

I K E Y T I T E A M A S T L S U A U N T L S O N E T T E S G E M U R D Y L O V E N M A Y A I R E E T D S

C O M I C S Garry Trudeau

JeffREY Koterba

Jen Sorensen

March 2022

H O O D O O

Listen Up

Blues Music Award Nominees, Including Our Own Héctor Anchondo, Are Announced, While Venues Highlight Popular Touring Artists by B.J. Huchtemann Omaha’s Héctor Anso watch facebook.com/ chondo has been nombluessocietyofomaha for inated in the national late-breaking updates. A Blues Music Awards curated list of area blues organized by the Blues events is available at Foundation, the Ameriomahablues.com. can blues scene’s highThursday, March 3, the est award for excellence. BSO and Buck’s Bar & Anchondo’s 2021 release Grill, 27849 W. Center Let Loose These Chains on Rd. in Venice, present VizzTone Records was Nashville Americana recognized in the Acousband David Graham & tic Blues Album category the Eskimo Brothers. alongside heavyweights This show starts at 9 Maria Muldaur, Eric p.m. to accommodate Bibb, Catfish Keith and Buck’s busy dinner hour. EG Kight. Dues-paying Albert Castiglia (left) and Mike Zito bring a Pro tip: go early and members of the Blues whole lot of rockin’ blues guitar to Omaha enjoy a top-shelf, homeFoundation cast their at the BSO Presents show at Stocks n Bonds style dinner. Check out votes to determine win- on Thursday, March 24, 6-9 p.m. On this tour, the rest of the rising ners. Anyone can become each performer will play with his own band country and Americana a member and support followed by a jam. stars playing the popular the foundation’s mission Photo FB.com/mikezitomusic venue at bucksbarandgrill. for $25. A number of loc o m / e v e n t s . cal audience favorites, with your friends. The monthly Thursday, March 10, 6-9 p.m., at including Carolyn Wonderland, column posts live the first ThursThe Jewell, catch Latin America’s Sue Foley, Danielle Nicole, day of each month at thereader. new blues star Jose Ramirez. Tommy Castro, Curtis Salgado, com under music, another place He’s not the baseball player of the Mike Zito and Albert Castiglia, you can find and share the link. same name, but his new recording are nominated this year. See the On Facebook, it generally reposts is titled Major League Blues, just nominees and find out more at each Thursday with an update on out on Delmark Records. He was a blues.org/43rd-bma-nominees. Vot- the Thursday and weekend shows 2021 Blues Music Award nominee ing closes March 18. The awards of note. Please share to your social for his debut album Here I Come, will be announced in a ceremony media platforms and help spread produced by acclaimed blues planned for Wednesday, May 5, in the word on blues shows in our guitarist Anson Funderburgh. Memphis. The International Blues area. The Jose Ramirez Band won Challenge is rescheduled for May second place at The Blues 6-9. Foundation’s 2020 International Blues Society of Blues Challenge in Memphis. Omaha Presents Spread the Blues Check out joseramirezblues.com. The Blues Society of Omaha Thursday, March 17, 6-9 p.m., News (BSO) continues to organize the it’s popular St. Louis guitarist As we hope to breathe contin- Thursday early show series that and Ruf Records artist Jeremiah ued recovery and normalcy into began under former BSO Presi- Johnson at Stocks n Bonds. our music scene, here’s a favor dent and longtime bar owner Ter- Thursday, March 24, 6-9 p.m. at you can help with. Social media ry O’Halloran. The BSO Presents Stocks n Bonds, catch double the metrics continue to grind online series puts the focus on keeping guitar muscle with Mike Zito posts into zero views, so if you the music alive for fans to enjoy in and Albert Castiglia and their find this column valuable, please person and giving touring musi- Blood Brothers tour. The event go to The Reader’s Facebook page cians a place to play. Venues and promises to feature each artist at facebook.com/thereaderomaha artist schedules have been chang- with his own band followed by a and like and share this column ing due to life as we know it now, jam session between the players.

March 2022

The Rocky Athas Band plugs in March 31, 6-9 p.m. at Stocks n Bonds. Athas served eight years in the prestigious guitar player’s slot with John Mayall’s band and is also a well-known player on the Texas scene, nicknamed the Malice from Dallas.

Zoo Bar Blues Lincoln’s historic Zoo Bar has a variety of shows in March, including David Graham & The Eskimo Brothers on Friday, March 4, 9:30 p.m., Jose Ramirez on Wednesday, March 9, 6-9 p.m., and Boston-area keyboard virtuoso Bruce Katz on Friday, March 11, 5-8 p.m. Check out all the shows, including regular weekly shows and last-minute bookings at zoobar.com or the events at facebook.com/zoobarblues.

Hot Notes Bruce Katz can be seen in Omaha at The Jewell, Saturday, March 12, 7-10 p.m. April is shaping up to be a big month with two shows from West Coast blues harmonica virtuoso Mark Hummel and his all-star blues revue featuring celebrated contemporary blues guitarists Rusty Zinn and Billy Flynn and the acclaimed rhythm section of Wes Starr and RW Grigsby (two of the Lone Star representatives in Hummel’s Golden State-Lone Star Revue). Don’t miss these phenomenal players currently scheduled for Wednesday, April 13, 6-9 p.m., at Lincoln’s Zoo Bar and Thursday, April 14, 6-9 p.m., at The Jewell in Omaha. Find the details at markhummel.com/tour-dates. Tommy Castro & The Painkillers are scheduled for Lincoln’s Zoo Bar Monday, April 11, 6 p.m.

O V E R

T H E

E D G E

Checkout Time What Happens When a Building Is Past Due? by Tim McMahan

hen I began working downtown in 1988, Jobbers Canyon still existed.

about the homeless who use it as a warming station or a place to hang out? Yes, that is a problem, but a library isn’t the solution.

One hot summer day in late August, my job mentor, Jim Fogarty, and I went to lunch in the Old Market and afterward walked through the empty canyon of vacant warehouses in our jackets and ties. No wrecking ball was in sight, but the decision already had been made — Jobbers Canyon would be cleared to make way for ConAgra’s multi-building office campus. Fogarty pointed out the shortsightedness of it all, how the buildings could be converted into offices, into multi-residential housing, into anything. Instead of being torn down, Jobbers Canyon could become a nationally recognized example of a repurposed historic district, perhaps even a tourist attraction in a city that badly needed one. There was vocal opposition to the development by a loud, rowdy few. But a couple of years later, those “big, ugly red brick buildings” (as ConAgra head honcho/ blowhard Mike Harper described them) were gone, replaced by “modern” office buildings that had all the architectural charm of a collection of Pizza Huts. Jump cut 34 years later to a conversation about downtown development with my close friend and hair stylist of the stars. “Can you believe what they’re doing downtown to the main library?” he said while trimming my eyebrows. “Tearing it down to build a new high-rise headquarters for Mutual of Omaha.” “Wow,” I said, surprised. “I didn’t know you went to the library, let alone that branch.”

As with Jobbers Canyon, there was opposition from a loud, rowdy few who argue their testimony at City Council meetings was not heard. It was heard. It was just ignored. And for the hundred or so vocal protestors at City Hall, there are literally thousands of Omaha citizens who don’t care what happens downtown.

“Well, it’s been a while, I guess,” he said, as he leveled my sideburns. “Actually, I haven’t been in there in years. But that’s not the point.” But it was the point, I said. It was the central point. A couple of days later while waiting in line at the downtown Pickleman’s, the discussion played out again with a lawyer friend of mine, but from a different angle. “Man, I cannot wait for them to tear down that old, ugly library,” he said through a facemask emblazoned with a corporate logo. “I will happily grab my own hammer and lend a hand, ho-ho.” “Wow,” I said, surprised. “You sound like you really hate the library. How long since you been there?” “To a library?” he guffawed. I haven’t been to a library in decades, since I was in law school. Who goes to a library?” “Well, I do,” I said, sanctimoniously. “In fact, I go to that library every couple weeks.” He shot me a side-eye. “I still want to tear it down.”

So it all comes down to either hating the building’s Brutalism design or loving the idea of libraries in general — even if you don’t actually use them. I don’t actually use the library, either. I use its books. Yes, as pretentious as it sounds, I still read books — the kind printed on paper and bound in hard covers. I don’t like e-books or “listening” to novels. But I don’t have the space in my house to buy books. And except for my core collection — which I reference over and over — I have no desire to keep a book I’ve already read. Ever try to give away a book? The only thing more impossible is throwing one away. I place holds on novels through omahalibrary.org for pick up at W. Dale Clark, right across the street from my office. I go in, grab them, and leave. And when it’s time to return them, I use the outside book drop. As long as I can still order and pick up books at a different branch (or better yet, at a kiosk), I don’t care if they tear it down. Short-sighted? Maybe. I’m sure others still use that library; I just don’t know who they are. What

Even more anger was focused on the fact that a small group of people (the enormously powerful Heritage Services, Mutual of Omaha and a handful of developers) has reportedly been kicking this idea around behind closed doors with city officials for some time. My, if all those angry people only knew how many decisions about public property were made without their input. Big cities demolish, rebuild, and demolish again. It’s inevitable, especially when money’s involved. If we’re lucky, the truly historic structures are spared. But there will always be winners and losers. Epilogue: As I drove downtown past where the ConAgra campus used to be, I noticed new apartments and condos rising where the Pizza Huts once stood, designed to look like converted old warehouses, just like the ones that used to make up Jobbers Canyon. Over The Edge is a monthly column by Reader senior contributing writer Tim McMahan focused on culture, society, music, the media and the arts. Email Tim at tim.mcmahan@ gmail.com.

March 2022

n oTICIAS PARA MARZO 2022 // New s for March 2022 FLI P

CO VER