staff & board

Brigitte McQueen Shew | founder & executive director
Originally from Detroit, Brigitte earned her degree in Journalism from St. John’s University in New York City. She has worked in advertising, as a pastry chef and spent 10 years in publishing as a Production Manager with Teen People magazine. After adopting Omaha as her home in 2006, she opened a commercial gallery, called PULP. As its Curator, she showcased the work of local and international contemporary artists. Following her desire to better support Omaha’s arts community through non-profit work, Brigitte became the Manager of the Underground at The Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts in 2010. While there, she helped to develop exhibitions and programs that extended the organizations mission to support exceptional talent to the arts community of Omaha. In January 2011, she left The Bemis to further pursue her commitment to cultivating the arts in the community and founded The Union for Contemporary Art.

In addition to her life within The Union, Brigitte is actively involved with the Kent Bellows Studio and Center for Visual Arts, Friends of Planned Parenthood of the Heartland, The Joslyn Museum‘s Community Engagement Committee, Emerging Terrain‘s Events Committee and Filmstream‘s Community Development Committee. She also occasionally gets to bake, knit, quilt and renovate her 99 year old home in North Omaha.

Brigitte can be reached at brigitte@u-ca.org

Kjell Peterson | facilities coordinator
Originally from Oregon, Kjell joined The Union’s staff after the completion of his Studio Fellowship in September 2012. Besides keeping things at our North Omaha facility running smoothly, Kjell’s responsibilities include managing the North Omaha Tool Library (located within The Union) and our Abundance Garden Project. In addition to being incredibly handy, Kjell is also an accomplished ceramicist and boat builder. Example of his work can be found at kjellpeterson.net.

Kjell can be reached at kjell@u-ca.org

 

>> The UNION for Contemporary Art | Board of Directors

Watie White
Member of the Omaha Creative Institute Board of Directors
Member of the Bemis Center Board of Directors
Member of the Art Omaha Board of Directors
Member of the Stockyard Institute Board of Directors
Member of Metro Community College Public Art Commission
Member of the Kids Can Advisory Board
Educator with Kaneko and Opera Omaha
more information | www.watiewhite.com

Dr. Maria Buszek, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Art History | University of Colorado at Denver
Member, College Art Association/Chair of the CAA Committee on Women in the Arts (2010-13)
Juror, Denver International Airport’s Art at DIA program
more information | www.mariabuszek.com

Hillary Nather-Detisch MPA, CFRE
Senior Vice President Community Impact | United Way of the Midlands
First Vice-Chair of The Conference for Inclusive Communities Board of Directors
Past President of the Project Interfaith Board of Directors
Past President of the Association of Fundraising Professionals Nebraska Chapter Board of Directors
Opera Omaha Guild Member
University of Nebraska at Omaha American Humanics Advisory Committee Member
Film Steams Feature Gala Event Committee

Julia Parker
Director of Operations for Building Bright Futures
Omaha Economic Development Corp. | Board of Directors
Omaha Table Talk Board of Directors
Metro Area Continuum of Care for the Homeless Youth Task Force Member
Girl Incorporated: GirlFriends | Board of Directors,
Douglas County Juvenile Justice Provider’s Forum, Task Force & Sub-Committee Member
iCAN: Institute for Career Advancements Needs Mentoring Circles for Women

Mary Zicafoose
Tapestry weaver, teacher, lecturer and consultant
United States Art in Embassy Program -work featured in 14 Embassy collections abroad
American Tapestry Alliance, Co-Director of Resources, Board of Directors
GoodWeave, U.S. Board of Directors
Textile Society of America exhibitions committee chair
American Craft Council member and past juror
Handweavers Guild of America member and past juror
Surface Design Association member and past juror
Robert Hillestadt Textile Gallery member and past Board of Directors
more information | www.maryzicafoose.com

Kate Cavanaugh
Independent Public Relations and Communications Professional
Former Director of Community Relations at Omaha Children’s Museum
Former columnist for The Omaha Sun and Omaha World-Herald
Author of several children’s books
Joslyn Museum Association board member
Friends of Sacred Heart
Green Omaha Coalition
Child Saving Institute

Therman Statom
Member of the Kaneko Board of Directors
Ongoing collaborator with Omaha Public Schools Native American Indian Education Service
more information | www.thermanstatom.com

Kenley Sturdivant-Wilson
Donor Relations Manager for the Joslyn Art Museum
inCOMMON Community Development | Board Member and Development Committee Chair
Member of the Octopuses Garden Board of Directors
Vestry Member of St. Martins Episcopal Church

Drew Weitz
Research Analyst at Weitz Funds

 

photos by Dana Damewood