zoom
Left: Lampworker Tom
Friedman makes glass
beads during a Hot
Shops open house this
past May.
Top: Julie Sopsack
demonstrates marble-
ized papermaking
at the open house.
Bottom:
F l a m b e a u D o e
welcomes visitors at
the center’s entry.
o r g / e d u
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WHEN THE HOT SHOPS ART
C e n t e r in O m a h a , N e b ra s k a ,
h e ld an o p e n h o u se in M a y ,
6 , 5 0 0
v is ito r s ca m e th ro u g h .
P e o p le w h o ’d n e v e r th in k to
e n te r a g a lle r y c h a tte d w ith a rt-
ists, ty p ic a lly d ise n g a g e d te e n s
trie d th e ir h an d s at c la y , and
c r o w d s w a tc h e d w id e -e y e d as
an a rtist s w ir le d m o lte n glass
lik e c o tto n c a n d y .
H e ld t w ic e y e a r ly , th e se
o p e n h o u se s a re a re la x e d and
c o n v iv ia l art p a r ty fo r th e c o m -
m u n ity . N o d ress c o d e o r ja rg o n
se p a ra te th e a rt c r o w d fro m th e
“ h o i p o llo i.” A n d th e re are no
stu p id q u e s tio n s ; p re s c h o o le rs
an d P h D s a lik e can a sk , “ H o w
d o y o u d o th a t? ” I f th e h ig h e st
g o a l o f a rt is e n g a g e m e n t, th e se
e v e n ts are a su cce ss.
T h e H o t S h o p s o p e n e d in
1 9 9 9
as stu d io sp a c e fo r w o r k -
in g a rtists in a
9 2
,
0 0 0
-squ are-
fo o t fa c ility th a t h ad h o u se d
a S e rta m a ttre ss fa c to r y ; it
q u ic k ly b e c a m e a v e n u e fo r
a rtis tic e n g a g e m e n t w it h th e
c o m m u n ity . In su m m e r
2 0 0 1
,
fo r e x a m p le , H o t S h o p s fo u n d -
ers la u n c h e d a su m m e r s c u lp -
tu re p r o je c t d e s ig n e d to sp a rk
p u b lic in te re s t in art. T h e
J .
D o e P ro je ct,
d r a w in g o n sim ila r
p u b lic art p ro je c ts in N e w Y o r k
and C h ic a g o , d istrib u te d
1 0 6
fib e rg la ss m a n n e q u in s to lo ca l
a rtists , w h o in te rp re te d th e
h u m an fo rm in an a rra y o f n o te -
w o r t h y w a y s . T h e life -s iz e
s c u lp tu re s w e r e p la c e d a ro u n d
th e c it y , in m alls an d p a rk s and
o n s tre e t c o rn e rs ; w h o le fa m i-
lie s fo llo w e d m ap s to m o re th an
1 0 0
s ite s. “ T h e
D o e
s s tre tc h e d
o u r v is io n s o f b e a u ty and in v it -
ed s to r y te llin g ,” sa y s c e ra m ist
T im B a r r y , a H o t S h o p s fo u n d -
in g m e m b e r. A r t w a s o u t o f th e
g a lle rie s , o f f th e p e d e s ta ls , and
p a rt o f e v e r y d a y life .
S cu lp to r and fo u n d in g m e m -
b e r L e s B ru n in g se e s a g r o w in g
in te re s t in a rt in O m a h a and
a ttrib u te s it to a c c e s s ib ility ;
p e o p le h a v e seen art in p u b lic
sp a ces an d b e c o m e m o re fa m il-
iar w ith it, a n d m a n y h a v e
a tte n d e d an o p e n h o u se an d
d e c id e d th a t u n d e rs ta n d in g it
isn ’t so h a rd a fte r all. T o so m e
d e g r e e , art h as b e e n d e m y s ti-
fie d fo r th is M id w e s te r n c ity .
'A t th e H o t S h o p s , o u r e m p h a -
sis is o n p r o d u c in g art. W o r k is
s o m e th in g p e o p le ca n re la te to ,
an d s e e in g th e h a rd w o r k th a t
a rtists d o to a c h ie v e th e ir id eas
d im in ish e s th e su p p o s e d g u lf
b e tw e e n th e ‘re a l’ w o r ld and
th e art w o r ld .”
T h e H o t S h o p s w a s o r ig i-
n a lly d e s ig n e d to h o u se fo u r
'h o t” a rt stu d io s (c e ra m ic s ,
g la ss, ir o n w o r k , a n d b r o n z e
c a stin g an d fa b ric a tio n ). T o d a y
th e re are
5 6
in d iv id u a l a rtist
s tu d io s, fo u r g a lle rie s , c la ss-
ro o m s, a fra m in g b u sin e ss, c o m -
m o n stu d io areas fo r to o ls an d
e q u ip m e n t, an d th re e c o re s tu -
d io s: L e s B ru n in g S c u lp tu re ,
C r y s ta l F o r g e (g la ss), and H o t
S h o p s P o tte r y .
“ H o t S h o p s is a p la ce w h e r e
‘w h a t ifs ’ - id eas an d m a teria ls -
are e x p lo re d and c r e a te d ,” sa ys
B a rry . O n e p a rtic u la r “ w h a t i f ’
sp a rk e d th e n o n p ro fit O m a h a
C r e a tiv e In s titu te in
2 0 0 8
,
fu n d e d b y th e H o t S h o p s A r t
F o u n d a tio n , w h ic h g r e w fro m
th e arts c e n te r. V is ito r s w h o
h ad w a tc h e d a rtists at w o r k at
th e H o t S h o p s co u ld g o a ste p
fu rth e r an d tr y fo r th e m s e lv e s .
A t O C I w o r k s h o p s , p a r tic i-
p a n ts m ig h t tw ir l a b lo w p ip e
tip p e d w ith m o lte n g la ss,
e x p lo r e rh y th m w ith A fr ic a n
d ru m s, o r m ix c o lo rs on ca n v a s.
‘O u r w h o le g o a l is to b rin g
c r e a tiv ity to th e c o m m u n ity ,”
sa y s O C I e x e c u tiv e d ir e c to r
S u san T h o m a s . A s a v e r y literal
e x a m p le , O C I a rtist T o m M a y
jo in e d th is y e a r ’s C in c o d e
M a y o p arad e, d ra w in g ca rica -
tu res o f p e o p le a lo n g th e ro u te
an d h a n d in g o u t c h a lk .
O C I also te a c h e s c r e a tiv ity
sk ills to b u sin e sse s an d p r o fe s -
sio n a l sk ills to a rtists. T h o m a s
b e lie v e s c re a tiv e th in k in g is
v ita l to a c ity : “ It o p e n s m in d s
an d b ro a d e n s p e o p le ’s e x p e r i-
e n c e s ,” sh e sa y s.
“ C r e a tiv it y fire s u p v ib r a n c y
an d v ita lity , e c o n o m ic d e v e lo p -
m e n t, an d d iv e r s ity . T h e arts
k e e p a c it y a liv e .”
- S U Z A N N E S M I T H A R N E Y
h o ts h o p s a rtc e n te r.c o m
o m a h a c r e a tiv e in s titu te .o rg
S u za n n e S m ith A r n e y is an art-
lo v in g fre e la n ce w riter in O m aha.
0 2 6 a m e r i c a n c r a f t
o c t / n o v n
Friedman and Sopsack photos: Courtesy of Ken Guthrie
/ D u e
photo: Courtesy of Tim Barry
