Behind the Scenes

In celebration of the 160th anniversary of the Omaha Public Schools and the district’s impact in the city of Omaha and nationally, the Omaha Public Schools Foundation, Nebraska Arts Foundation, and the Lozier Foundation funded a mural housed in the foyer of the Teacher Administrative Center. Omaha muralists Michael Giron, Rebecca Harrison, and Richard Harrison, with their combined 68 years of art expertise, brought the mural to life by illustratively recounting the past and present of the Omaha Public Schools. Inspired by the work of Larry Rivers, an American whose work influenced contemporary pop art, the mural is a patchwork of images that follows the timeline of Omaha Public School’s history and shows the district’s rich diversity. While the mural explores the district’s history, its final two panels capture students’ and the community’s perspective of the future of Omaha Public Schools from current day through the year 2040.

 About the Artists

A Midsummer’s Mural

A Midsummer’s Mural is a community of faith and imagination that has been painting Omaha for more than 20 years. Their team consists of over 14 talented artists, who have earned numerous awards including the Award of Excellence from the Mayor of Omaha and the Governor of Nebraska. Some of their latest work includes the Mayan Community Mural, located at 24th and N Streets and the Irish Community Mural, located at 33rd and L Streets.

Richard Harrison, Rebecca Harrison and Mike Giron are the artists behind the Omaha Public Schools 160th Anniversary Mural. Richard Harrison, owner, received an MFA from North Carolina School of the Arts and a Bachelor of Arts from Ottawa University. He began working professionally in large-scale art in 1989. His work can be found in Omaha, Chicago, South Carolina and Denver. Rebecca Harrison began working with A Midsummer’s Mural in 2013 after earning a degree in art history from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Mike Giron, New Orleans native, received a degree in art from the University of New Orleans and a MFA in Fine Art from the University of Colorado-Boulder. He has been nominated for Best Public Art in Omaha and Best Two Person Art Show in Omaha for his show at the Nebraska Arts Council Gallery.

Visit https://www.amidsummersmural.com to see more of A Midsummer’s Mural’s work.

Thank you to our sponsors!

 The Project Team

Advisory Council