Arts&Entertainment
outlet for Lincoln arts
Webster’s dictionary defines “local” as some
thing that has a “definite spatial form or location.”
For Larry Taylor and a number of Lincoln
artists, writers and musicians, the term holds a dif
ferent, more specific connotation. “Local” is here,
“local” is them and, since last Sunday,
“LOCALincoln” is the League Of Creative
Artists-Lincoln. *
On Jan. 9, LOCALincoln had the first in what j
Taylor hopes will be a long line of shows combin
ing local visual, musical and literary art.
The inaugural evening started at 7 p.m. in the
Malone Center gymnasium, 2032 U St., as a num
ber of people milled about observing the art,
which was displayed throughout the gym.
This was followed shortly thereafter with liter
ary readings by local poets and writers and music
by two local acts and one national act.
Like most ideas, Taylor said the idea for
LOCALincoln was hatched at a party where he
met his partner, Luther Mardock.
“Luther and I didn’t even know each other
until November,” Taylor said. “But we got to talk- j
ing about how there really isn’t a scene here, but
there is a lot of talent. So we wanted to do some- 1
.4.1•_M 4
Ullllg. 1
From there, the two tested the waters by ask- «
ing for support from local businesses - some
thing Taylor assumed would be tough to get.
“It turned out we got it all done in one day,
actually one afternoon,” Taylor said. “The sup- m
port was amazing. Even if (businesses) couldn’t j
contribute money, a lot of people wanted to
(help), and they were all very excited.”
After gaining the help of a local bar - Doc’s Jj
Place, 140 N. 8™ St., three local music outfits -
Dietze Music House, 1208 O St., Recycled m
Sounds, 12110 St., and Zero Street Records, ■
120 N. 14th St., and three specialty stores - the J
Ozone, 120 N. 14th St., Avant Card, 1323 O St. 1
and Coffee Culture, 13110 St., the team contact- *
ed the artists, writers and musicians, who Taylor
said were equally receptive.
“Nobody really knew about us ahead of time,
so people weren’t vying to get in,” he said. “We
approached them, so it was a fun change for the
artists to be recruited.”
One of the artists who participated was
University of Nebraska-Lincoln art student
Jennifer Helzer, who displayed photos, ceramics
and mixed media pieces at last Sunday’s event.
“I was really excited,” Helzer said. “I thought
it’d be a good chance for local kids to come togeth
er. From what I know, artists have to work pretty ■
hard to promote themselves. If there’s a group of
artists who work together, that’s a really great
thing.”
Despite the acoustic and aesthetic limitations of
the Malone Center gym, Helzer said she thought the event was a good experience as
well as a good starting point for future shows combining the local arts.
“I think it was sort of difficult because it was a Sunday night and the night before school
started again, but I think with the right time and place, it could be a really positive thing,” she
said. “I think this could show people what’s really going on in Lincoln.”
Taylor said he was pleased with the eagerness of the artists involved.
“It feels great,” he said. “It feels even better to have an audience that wants to come see this.
I was amazed and overly pleased at the reception we got. I wasn’t expecting it.”
He said he and Mardock are already planning the next LOCALincoln event for the end of
February or the beginning of March, and he hopes the organization will grow with each pro
duction. (■'
“We intend to work sort of incrementally, dreaming big but working in small steps until,
hopefully, we profit and can do more fun, exciting things,” Taylor said. “Hopefully, as more
people hear about us and as we prove ourselves, we can only go up from here.”
■ Story by Jason Hardy 1 Illustration by David Jana