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Friday, Dec. 14: Amplify Arts, formerly known as the Omaha Creative Institute, is having a 2018 Grant Recipient Exhibition highlighting the recipients’ work and contributions to Omaha’s ever-evolving creative landscape. They will discuss the ways in which being awarded grants impacts their careers, communities, and Omaha as a whole. If you plan on attending, plan on interacting with several local artists (including the inimitable Angie Seykora, featured in Omaha Magazine earlier this year here) and feel please free to ask questions. Find out about the other artists and the work Amplify Arts is doing are here. (Featured image is an Umoja Choir Open Rehearsal, Oct. 2018)
Friday, Dec. 14: Join pianist Donovan Johnson and his band of musicians for a special evening of jazzy nostalgia as they perform the Music of Vince Guaraldi and The Peanuts. This annual event at Love’s Jazz and Arts Center celebrates one of America’s most well-known and beloved composers—the man behind the catchy music of Peanuts classic animated cartoons. Get your tickets here and take a little trip back to simpler days.
Saturday, Dec. 15: Girls Make Noise is an interactive workshop and a collaboration between Omaha Girls Rock and Love’s Jazz & Arts Center. The premiere of this union will introduce instruction in instrument exploration, sound production, and spoken word & lyrical performance. Their goal is to empower local youth through music. The workshop is free and open to 10-16-year-old girls, femmes, and gender-expansive youth. There is no registration—it’s first come, first serve, and happening at Love’s Jazz and Arts Center from 1-4 p.m. this Saturday. Find out more here.
Saturday, Dec. 15: The holiday season is the season for people who like to dress up, and the Jitterbug Jingle Ball is the perfect excuse to get fancy and do some dancing. (There are even prizes for the best-dressed attendees.) This Christmas ball features music from Miss Jubilee out of St. Louis (if you say it right, it rhymes). There will be snacks, a raffle, and gifts for sale. Not exactly a lord or lady of dance? No fear. They will offer a lesson for beginners at 7 p.m., with the official dance following at 8 p.m. Learn all about this swinging event here.
Saturday, Dec. 15: Looking for a one-stop shopping experience that will yield the perfect, unique gift for that hard-to-shop-for person in your life? (We all have one.) If you head to the Westside Community Conference Center this Saturday, you can peruse the Not Yo Mama’s Holiday Lollapalooza Craft-O-Rama Extravaganza and the Native American Craft Fair in one place. Both fairs start at 9 a.m. Find out more about the weirdness you will find at the Lollapalooza fair here, and learn more about the Native American fair here.
