For as long as Nicole Benegas, Executive Director of Bluebird Cultural Initiative, can remember, her father, Steve Tamayo, has been involved in cultural work. As a member of the Sicangu Lakota tribe, Tamayo established a school at Standing Rock, protested the pipelines, and was appointed Native cultural expert with the Smithsonian Museum. Tamayo is the […]
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“I have always felt that one measure of a successful community is its art culture,” said Donna Dahlsten, a former art teacher at Lewis Center School District in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Donna’s first experience with arts and humanities came from her parents, who encouraged both art and education. She went on to major in art […]
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Margaret Hornady David’s love for the arts began early on in kindergarten when her teacher played “Peter and the Wolf” and led the class through the story. To this day Margaret clearly remembers it. In high school at Grand Island Senior High, she describes herself as being a theater nerd. In college, her love grew […]
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Dance for Parkinson’s Brings Joy and Healing Nine years ago, in a revelatory moment, Ruth Davidson Hahn, saw a local highway billboard that caught her attention. It read, “Nebraska has the highest rate of Parkinson’s disease per capita in the world.” Ruth knew from her many years of the dance life – professional training starting […]
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The Board of Directors for Nebraska Cultural Endowment is excited to welcome Maggie Smith as NCE’s new Executive Director. Maggie most recently served as Director of Operations at KANEKO, where she co-lead fundraising and development strategy, while overseeing marketing, communications, programming and operations. Prior to joining KANEKO in 2019, Smith taught college writing courses […]
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As I wrap up my final days with the Nebraska Cultural Endowment (NCE), I would like to share some reflections on my time of growth, learning, and transformation with this wonderful organization: *** The Beginning *** I was hired at the ripe age of 26 after about a year as the head of development at […]
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