Artist Eric Conner recently painted a horizontal “mural” on the intersection of 13th & William Street in Little Bohemia, brining a fresh kind of artwork to Omaha’s public streets for the first time under a new city policy.
The project was a collaboration between We Make Omaha, Local Artists Local Art, Omaha by Design, the 13th Street Business Improvement District and the City of Omaha’s Planning and Public Works departments.
The mural was the first project to move through the city’s Policy for the Installation of Colored Pavement (“street art”) on Public Streets, a framework developed by the Public Works Department to create a clear, consistent permitting process for street art on public right-of-way. The Little Bohemia project serves as a pilot, helping the city test and refine the policy before it is more broadly available.
We Make Omaha, the city’s public engagement effort, helped initiate the project after community members across the city consistently called for more art in public spaces. Recognizing an opportunity, the team offered to pilot the policy, coordinate partners and conduct the public engagement that shaped the final design.
LALA, a local nonprofit dedicated to supporting working artists, provided funding and coordination for the artwork, as well as the process for selecting an artist.
Conner’s design reflects the history and character of the Little Bohemia neighborhood. His design draws on the neighborhood’s Czech and Slovak folk-art heritage, translating it across the intersection’s corner bump-outs.
