Iconic Omaha: A Celebration of Design
Calling all Mad Men (and all Mad People)!
Join us for an evening celebrating the history and contributions of the graphic arts. Our current exhibit "Iconic Omaha: Mid-Century Graphic Design" will paint a vivid and nostalgic background to our evening, as guests are invited to sip a martini and settle in for a casual lecture presented by retired UNO Art History professor Nicholas Newman! Mr. Newman will guide us on a journey of the history of commercial art, starting from the very beginning.
Professor Newman has prepared a historical overview leading up to (and including) the 1940s through 1960s, which will address the give-and-take dynamic in commercial advertising between the hand-made and mechanical reproduction. This was seen in many design movements from the mid-19th century to the 1960s.
If you're feeling so inclined, join us in dusting off your Don Draper or Peggy Olson cosplay. This is a great opportunity to flex your mid-century fashion muscle, and we're leaning into the Mad Men-ness of it all.
Tickets are $12. Doors open at 6pm for an open gallery viewing, and our program begins at 6:30pm.
About Nick Newman:
Nick Newman is a Professor Emeritus in Art History from U.N.O. He was raised in Omaha, graduating from Central High School. After majoring in philosophy at Dartmouth College he moved to New York City where he eventually ended up working in office contract furniture and interior design firms. During that time he took courses at Parson’s School of Design and City University, and eventually went back to grad school at the University of Rochester. He taught art history at SUNY-Buffalo, R.I.T. and Boise State before teaching for thirteen years at UNO. His research areas are in the overall range of modern and contemporary art, with emphasis upon design, photography, fashion and architecture.
About the exhibit:
Beginning in the 1940's, Bill Hutcheson and his young company, Hutcheson Displays, Inc., helped define the aesthetic of many of Omaha's most beloved and established institutions. The visual identities of Mutual of Omaha, College World Series, Ak-Sar-Ben Race Track and Coliseum, and many more, were shaped under his creative direction.
From landing at Eppley Airfield, to riding the Omaha Metro bus, to grocery shopping at the Hinky Dinky, Hutcheson Displays' campaigns helped defined the aesthetic of Omaha for a generation.
"Iconic Omaha: Mid-Century Graphic Design" includes original design concepts, production equipment, final ad campaign pieces, and historic documents from Hutcheson Displays, Inc., ranging from the 1940s-1980s. The collection is generously on loan from archive owner Larry Richling.
