The Union for Contemporary Art

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Today is Brigitte McQueen’s final day as Executive Director of The Union for Contemporary Art. Though we’ve been long preparing for this moment – and are more than excited to welcome Lakesha Green as our incoming ED starting tomorrow ?? – this is a little surreal. 13 years ago Brigitte drafted our mission, assembled a small board, and punched the clock as our first (and for a while, our only) employee. Today, everything we’ve accomplished has her mark on it. The historic buildings we’ve invested in and given new life, the local artists we’ve given resources and platforms to, the community initiatives we’ve fostered - all have her visioning to thank for it. Even things like the fonts and envelopes and upholstery we’ve chosen through the years are extensions of her style (which is impeccable, by the way ?? ). If you spend any time at The Union, you’ll see immediately the amount of care and attention she has poured into cultivating this gift to the community. And really, we could go on and on. This whole account could be turned into a post-by-post enumeration of all that Brigitte McQueen has given to us - personally and collectively. So here’s just one final glow before we say goodbye . . . . . There is no better living person to party with than Brigitte McQueen! No one more fun and joyous on the dance floor. No one better to get lost in deep conversation with in the corner. No one better to rally the crew and push on to one more - even cooler - after party. She’s been rallying folks to believe in her vision of The Union for more than a decade now. What’s come of it verges on the miraculous. Now, 13 years in, the work speaks for itself. We hope. That’s our charge at least. To take her dream forward to things bigger and more impactful than even she first imagined. A big task. But she’s already shown us, more times than we can count, what it takes to do the impossible. Sending you ALL our love, boss. Thank you for everything. Here’s to your many new adventures. ?? ?? ?? ID: A multiple exposure photo of Brigitte dancing and laughing at our 2019 MOONDANCE fundraiser. Blue streaks of light swirl around her - cause she’s magic like that. (Photo by Ben Semisch)

The Union is closed today. We’re taking some time as a staff to shower love on our founder and Executive Director Brigitte McQueen as she prepares to move on to new adventures at the end of the week. We’re going to make some space here as well, these next few days, to try and do the impossible. We’ll try to put words to the enormity of all that Brigitte McQueen has given to The Union for Contemporary Art these last 13 years. None of this would exist without her. It is really and truly staggering to see all that has come from the first visions of The Union that Brigitte dreamed up (wrote on a napkin in her kitchen - as she tells it) back in 2011. If you’ve had the pleasure of working with Brigitte at any point, you know that she’s always deferring the glory, pointing back to the many hands who have helped make her dream a reality. And this is true – there have been so many hands and supporters through the years. But it’s also true that we really have Brigitte to thank for her singular skill and passion in fighting for this dream. In the face of EVERY challenge, she’s been unwavering - devoted to her vision for a place where the essential work of artists is valued and central in the conversation about how we build community together. We’ve got so much to celebrate in saying goodbye. Thank you for giving us some space to do it today. If you wanna come share some love, thanks, and well wishes to Brigitte yourself, Thursday and Friday are your days to do it. ID: 1 - Brigitte talking to gallery guests during the very FIRST Union show she curated. 2 - From left to right, the very first Union team: Brigitte, Kjell Peterson, Josh Norton, and Paige Serra Reitz. 3 - Brigitte and current exhibiting artist Alicia Reyes McNamara on a scissor lift painting a mural on the original Union building. 4 - Brigitte and her daughter in her office in the original Union building, kicking off our much-loved infant at work policy. 5 - Brigitte standing on North 24th street smiling holding a long measuring stick, marking the end of our first Melt the Mound contest.

It’s HUGE NEWS day! The Union is honored to announce the appointment of our next Executive Director, Lakesha Green! Lakesha comes to The Union following an illustrious tenure serving as Executive Director for The Wagon Wheel Center for the Arts in Warsaw, Indiana. She brings more than 25 years of experience in building capacities for non-profit organizations and has a deep background in theatre arts, including an MFA in Media and Performing Arts from Savannah College of Art and Design. Lakesha shares: “I want to express my deepest gratitude to the Board of Directors for entrusting me with this significant responsibility. I am committed to upholding the values and mission of The Union for Contemporary Art and to working tirelessly to continue the remarkable work that has been achieved thus far. My vision is to create an inclusive and dynamic environment where the arts can flourish, where creativity knows no bounds, and where every member of our community feels valued and inspired. In the coming weeks and months, I look forward to meeting and getting to know the community personally. I am eager to hear your ideas, hopes, and aspirations for our organization. Your input and collaboration are essential as we strive to sustain programs and initiatives that resonate with our diverse community and address its needs and interests.” On behalf of the entire staff and board of The Union we want to express our deep honor that Lakesha will be joining us as our next leader! She’ll be with us starting June 1, 2024. Please join us in welcoming her! We know our founder, Brigitte McQueen, is leaving some very big shoes to fill. But her vision for the vitality and promise of The Union is more vivid than ever for us. We’re all eager to carry her legacy forward into this next beautiful era under Lakesha's skilled leadership. You can learn more about Lakesha Green at u-ca.org/LakeshaGreen ID: Portrait photo of Lakesha Green standing in front of a blue shingled house. Lakesha wears a slight smile, black and white collared dress, and braids pulled into a bun at the top of her head.

We’re still celebrating our sweet, brilliant Deputy Director Paige Serra Reitz as we get ready to say goodbye this week, sending her off on new adventures. In January it will be 10 years since Paige started at The Union! She’s seen all the eras: the scrappy, make-it-up-as-we-go magic of the Burdette Street days; the birth of our Youth Engagement program; the first Abundance Garden; the move to the Blue Lion; the many murals; the growth of our staff from 3 to 20 ... and so many more! Of course, there are the skills and talents people bring to work that you miss when they’re gone (it would take weeks of these Paige posts to outline all those). But the real heartbreaker, the absence we’re really going to feel – is the way Paige made space for us all to be our best selves. Uplifting us – individually and collectively. Always reminding us that brighter, kinder, more equitable futures were possible. That we could make them possible! That we could have an incredible amount of fun in doing it! We will miss doing this work with her. But we’re left with the gift of knowing how to do it just as she showed us. With impeccable style, loads of grace, a huge open heart, and dirt under our nails. Love you, dude. ID: 1 - Paige, Union founder Brigitte, and artist Josh Norton (another of The Union’s first employees). 2 - The original four Union employees: from left to right are Brigitte, Kjell Peterson, Josh Norton, and Paige. 3 - Paige stands in the middle of a group of Art Club students behind a Union Art Club parade banner. 4 - Paige and an art lover holding up a metal frame sculpture that Paige made for a Union $100 art sale. 5 - Union team members Caitlin, Kat, and Paige inside the back of a truck laying on a big pile of black trash bags filled with plastic balls for our 2019 Moondance ball pit. 6 - Paige with Union team members Brigitte, Dan, Danielle, Jacquline, and Sarah during a Native Omaha Days night. 7 - Paige, Brigitte, and Josh smiling together in front of a mural under text that reads Thank You Omaha. 8 - Paige’s most recent staff portrait, looking squarely into the camera with her iconic mix of confidence, fortitude, and grace that we will forever miss.

This week we’re celebrating all the ways we love our soon-departing Deputy Director, Paige Serra Reitz! As she’s cleaning out her desk (and closing her 900 open browser tabs), we’re going through old pics and feeling all the gratitude for what she’s helped us accomplish in nearly 10 years of work with The Union. One thing that’s important to know about Paige is that she brings the party. One moment she’s neck deep in spreadsheets, sleuthing through a mountain of data, solving problems before the rest of us even know they are problems . . . and then in an instant she’s whole-heartedly conjuring fun out of thin air.? From working with our Art Club students to literally and figuratively leading The Union parade? - her eager and optimistic energy has always been contagious. We’ll give you ONE guess as to whose genius mind – so attuned to fun and analytics – came up with our annual #MeltTheMound contest! And when Heartland Bike Share’s new electric bikes showed up on the block, you better believe she was the first one out the door to give it a spin!? ID: 1 - Paige wearing a pink Union Art Club t-shirt and carrying a suitcase speaker during a Juneteenth parade. 2 - Paige in a found-object wearable sculpture, with styrofoam cups on her head and CDs around her neck (part of public programming during artist Angie Seykora’s 2017 exhibition. 3 - Paige with Union team members Sarah and Caitlin during our 2019 Moondance fundraiser. 4 - Paige, holding a large measuring stick in front of the building with Union team member Danielle in the final days of our 2019 Melt the Mound contest. 5 - Paige in the Union parking lot, about to take a ride on an electric bike. 6 - Portrait photo of Paige against a white wall, playing with her hair.

Listen friends. Even though we’ve had many months now to prepare ourselves for saying this - it still feels surreal to share the news that this will be our final week working with our incredible, all-wise, ever-optimistic, deeply-kind Deputy Director, Paige Serra Reitz. Paige was one of The Union’s very first employees. For nearly 10 years she’s been an inspiring leader, leaving her mark on literally EVERY aspect of Union programming. For every major moment of growth and success we’ve enjoyed these last many years, Paige has been there with a steady hand guiding us through. She’s great! We love her. There’s just so much to say and celebrate about our dear Paige and these wild, jam-packed years we’ve shared. So much gratitude to express. So many fun pics! So we’re gonna ask y’all to indulge us. For the next few days this little platform of ours is being turned into a Paige Serra Reitz fan account. 100%. Although we may be posting through some tears, really we’re SOO thrilled for the new adventures Paige has on the horizon. There’s a lot more good she has to sow out there, and so many more lives to touch. We can’t keep her to ourselves forever. We’re just lucky she’s left us with a thousand perfect examples of how to lead with integrity and embrace empathy in every relationship we build. She’s also a badass with the welding torch! Inspiration abounds. ID: 1 - Portrait of Paige against a white wall, she holds her sweet old pup Lyle in her arms. 2 - Paige and Celeste Butler standing arm in arm while working together on a mural. 3 - Paige and a young art club participant smile at the camera. 4 - Paige and a friend reach out and touch hands at the unveiling of Christine Stormberg’s “Welcome to Historic Florence” mural. 5 - Paige at work pulling weeds in the Abundance Garden. 6 - Paige, Joey Lynch, and artist Reggie LeFlore at work preparing a wall for a mural.