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Road Signs Turned into Art by UNO Students

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Omaha – Students see road signs every day on the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) campus – but not quite like this.

On Monday, Feb. 24, students from David Helm’s “Art in Public Places” class will display artistically-designed road signs across the UNO campus as a way to understand how conceptual art can function in public spaces. The students will learn what type of language is appropriate for such spaces, what permissions are needed to display work in public venues and what types of controversies may arise in response.

“I wanted to design an assignment where the students had to think about what public language is and how it works in a specific space,” said Helm, a professor of sculpture in UNO’s Department of Art and Art History. “I came up with this idea for them to work with visual ‘ingredients’ that are familiar to people. That way, they will immediately recognize what it is, but the artistic elements leave it open to interpretation.”

The student artwork will be on display across campus from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. on Monday with students convening at the UNO Criss Library to discuss their experiences immediately after.

For questions, please contact Charley Reed, UNO media relations coordinator, at 402.554.2129 or by email at unonews@unomaha.edu.

About UNO’s Department of Art and Art History
 UNO’s Department of Art and Art History strives for artistic excellence through discourse and engagement in the classroom and various local and global communities. The department fosters critical and analytical thinking; visual literacy and creative expression; and mastery of various art disciplines to educate artists, scholars and teachers to become leaders in their chosen careers and contribute to the world through creative practice and research.

About the University of Nebraska at Omaha

 Located in one of America’s best cities to live, work and learn, the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) is Nebraska’s premier metropolitan university. With more than 15,000 students enrolled in 200-plus programs of study, UNO is recognized nationally for its online education, graduate education, military friendliness and community engagement efforts. Founded in 1908, UNO has served learners of all backgrounds for more than 100 years and is dedicated to another century of excellence both in the classroom and in the community.

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