UNO, OPS Students to Unveil North Omaha Mural

OMAHA - The Learning Community Center of North Omaha is getting a new art installation thanks to a partnership between students from the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) and the Blackburn Alternative Program.

On Thursday, Dec. 10, at noon, students from both institutions will be at the Learning Community Center, 1612 N. 24th St., to unveil a new indoor mural created by the two groups.

The mural is a 20-foot, eight-panel, full color piece that features books, pencils, musical instruments, and other icons representative of the Learning Community mission. The center in North Omaha is a hub for a comprehensive early childhood and family engagement partnership.

The project is the culmination of a semester-long service learning project that paired UNO students from a Foundations of Color and Visual Literacy course with high school students from an Art 2 class at Blackburn.

The Learning Community Center of North Omaha opened its doors in January of this year to address the academic achievement gap experienced by those who live in lower-income areas.

“Since a majority of studio art practices focus on individual, in-the-studio works, I wanted to get the students outside of class to experience arts-based service learning and find out how their skill sets can be applied to the larger picture of their communities,” explained Jave Yoshimoto, assistant professor of art at UNO.

Throughout the course Yoshimoto worked with Blackburn art instructor Hillary George to teach concepts such as the psychological impact of color and how various images can evoke positive emotions in viewers.

“We’ve been very impressed with the thoughtfulness of this project as it relates to our community and mission. It’s another great example of our valued relationship with the Service Learning Academy at UNO,” said Renee Franklin, Executive Director of the Elementary Learning Centers.

Following the unveiling, students from both institutions will discuss lessons learned from the semester-long project and provide individual reflections on the many ways people can become involved in their communities.

The partnership between UNO, Blackburn and the Learning Community of Douglas and Sarpy Counties was organized through the UNO Service Learning Academy’s P-16 Initiative. As part of UNO’s Service Learning Academy, the P-16 Initiative facilitates partnerships between three key groups:

- UNO students and their teachers
- Preschool-through-high school students and their teachers
- Community organizations and their members

Through these service-learning partnerships, P-16 brings the classroom into the community through application of education to find solutions to real-life problems.

For questions, please contact:

Charley Reed | UNO Associate Director of Media Relations
unonews@unomaha.edu, 402.554.2129

or

Loretta Carroll | Owner of Carroll Communications
Loretta@carollcomm.com, 402.393.2991


Related Links
UNO Earns Presidential Award for Community Engagement
Blackburn, UNO Partner to Celebrate Food and Fellowship
University of Nebraska's Buffett Early Childhood Institute

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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