Studio 24 Residency

The Studio 24 Residency is an invitational program for experienced and emerging BIPOC artists with socially engaged practices. We support artists working in interdisciplinary arts, literature, music composition, theatre, and visual arts. By carefully selecting artists, we provide our community with unique and impactful opportunities to engage with their work, while providing artists with the time, space, and resources needed to deepen their connection to their creative practice. 

The residency is supported by The Wallace Foundation as part of their Advancing Well-Being in the Arts initiative. Each year, The Union will invite three artists who identify as persons of color, including but not limited to artists from the African Diaspora, Indigenous, Latina/Latino, Middle Eastern, and/or Asian descent, to join us as residents.

Studio 24 residents receive the following support from The Union:

• An honorarium of $2000 per month ($6,000 in total)
• A materials + supply stipend of $1,000
• A food + incidentals stipend of $200 per month ($600 in total)
• A travel stipend (up to $800) to cover the expense of getting to and from Omaha, NE
• Lodging on-site in the Kali Baker Studio, a fully furnished living and work space within our facility, that includes a well-equipped kitchen, bath, and personal laundry room
• Access to The Union’s co-op studios

Artists participating in the residency are asked to design a community engagement project. This is a reciprocal exchange: our community gets to engage with the artist's work and life experience, and the artist gets to deepen their understanding of the communities we serve. Project ideas are flexible and can include a workshop series, an interactive exhibition, a public art installation, a performance series, or a documentation project.

Birmingham, Alabama native Kiara Thomas is a proud graduate of Alabama State University and a member of Alpha Psi Omega National Theatre Honor Society CHI CHI Cast. She has worked productions from musicals to straight plays and everything in between, and is committed to fostering creative, organized, and inclusive environments that support powerful storytelling and meaningful audience connections.

The Kali Baker Studio is a 1,000 square-foot live/work studio located in The Union’s main facility in the heart of North Omaha on the iconic corner of North 24th and Lake Streets. Studio 24 residents reside and work in the Kali Baker Studio. The space is dedicated to the legacy of Kali Baker (September 30, 1976 – October 2, 2020), a founding member of The Union for Contemporary Art’s board of directors and a steadfast advocate for social justice in our community. The studio was designed to provide our artists in residence with a space that’s both functional and beautiful – somewhere they can both work and rest.

Take a virtual tour of the Kali Baker Studio!
LAUNCH 360° TOUR
 

Amenities include:

• A well-equipped kitchen that includes an electric oven, dishwasher, touch-controlled faucet, and full-sized refrigerator. It is also outfitted with cookware, an Insta-pot, cookbooks, cooking utensils, food prep and storage containers, and a pantry stocked with basic spices and dried goods. There is also a butcher block kitchen island with seating.
• A full bathroom with a walk-in shower and touch-controlled faucet, stocked with towels, soaps, hair dryer, curling iron, facial and nail care supplies, make-up mirror, period products, and first-aid supplies.
• A living space with a full-sized bed with a hypo-allergenic mattress, down and/or foam pillows and an assortment of bedding, including a weighted blanket. Other furnishings include: a dresser, a clothes rack with hangers, and a seating area with plants and tons of natural light.
• The laundry room includes a washer and dryer, clothes iron and steamer, and a folding clothes drying rack. Laundry supplies are provided. The room also includes a washout sink.
• The studio space includes a work table on wheels and a chair, an easel, enamel paint trays and cleaning supplies. There is also a 9’ x 10’ plywood-backed wall that artists are welcome to hang in-progress work on. A pottery wheel can be added to the space upon request.
• Bi-weekly cleaning service for living quarters