OUR HISTORY

Conceived by Laura Alley and funded by the Faith Foundation, Art + Infrastructure was born in Spring 2020 as a way to support local artists during the pandemic. In March 2020, when the reality of Covid began to sink in and the shut downs were beginning, Laura wanted to keep local artists working while also bringing joy to Omaha. She hoped to pull together artists that would create excellent public art in surprising places, the forgotten spaces, the spaces in-between.

Laura believed it was critical that this project was Artist-Lead, so her first calls were to Betni Kalk and Weston Thomson, local artists she admires and has worked with over the years. Laura’s vision required that the art is of excellent quality, and be created by an inclusive, diverse mix of local artists. As the concept took shape, the team looked for an organization to be a fiscal sponsor and administrator. Omaha by Design was enthusiastic to help. 

The success of the initial A+I projects combined with seeing other needs of local artists inspired Laura, Betni and Weston. In 2024, they founded a new nonprofit called LaLa (Local Artists. Local Art.). In addition to future partnerships with Omaha by Design, LaLa will provide artists opportunities for grants, exhibitions, mentoring and public art projects. 

The City of Omaha Public Arts Commission has been an excellent resource and aid in the process, reviewing each artwork to ensure a consistently high standard for public art across the city.

https://mayors-office.cityofomaha.org/2-uncategorised/210-public-art-commission