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Hugo Alberto Zamorano is an Omaha artist who began working with us as an apprentice w on our Lithuanian Mural Project.    He has his B.F.A. in Painting from the University of Nebraska at Omaha.  Additionally Hugo has worked on many murals in Omaha, most notably as lead artist for the Mexican Community Mural and now as lead on the Werner Park mural commission.  His work was accepted into 2 juried art shows including the Nebraska National Collegiate Juried Art Exhibition, and has shown in numerous non-juried shows.  He recently was one of 3 UNO students to write successful grants and fund an art show entitled Latino/ Latin American Artists: Exhibition and Conversations.  A wonderfully successful exhibit of local Latino artists that included a series of lectures and conversations with well known Latino artists from Iowa City and New York, as well as art directors from Notre Dame and the Smithsonian in Washington DC. Hugo’s parents were born in Mexico and immigrated to South Omaha from California and he speaks Spanish fluently. His connections with the Latino artists in South Omaha were invaluable for our Plaza de la Raza Mural Group.

Hugo’s web site: hugo39.wordpress.com

Public Art Omaha about Hugo

article about Hugo at UNO with new Engagement Center

contact Hugo at hzamo45@yahoo.com

Essay for Mexican Heritage Mural
This mural project is of great importance to the Mexican community and to Omaha, and myself. One of the great things about Omaha is that it does indeed have a rich history of the U.S and Immigrants in this country. Having immigrant parents, I can see why projects like these are so important. My Mexican heritage has not always played a direct role in my artmaking, but since college, and now more recently in the past two years, it has become a bigger part in my journey as an artist and has helped in building bridges in, and between, my Omaha Community and the art community.
Being involved in organizing last year’s “Latino/ Latin American Artists: Exhibition and Conversations” has furthered my artistic interest in cultural differences and similarities between people in one country, the immigrants from another, and the generations that come after. As part of the group organizing the event, we thought the exhibition taking place in South Omaha was of great significance because there was a lack of Latinos and Latin Americans involved in art, here in Omaha and South Omaha, although nearly half of the population in South Omaha is of Latin American heritage. It is also where I have lived for the past ten years. It was important that a step was taken towards bridging a gap between the different communities in Omaha, as well as show pride in our community, and the best way to do that as artists was through art and by inviting all of Omaha communities to attend the exhibition and various workshops taking place there. The Mexican Heritage Mural will further my involvement in this bridge building, as well as help me grow as an artist who is involved in his community through geography and through heritage. This is why I would be honored to be the lead artist for this project.
Through the years of schooling and being an artist, I have had opportunities to be involved in creating murals and working on projects that advocate and require involvement not only from the artists, but from people in different parts of different communities. This involvement has lead me to gain experience in working with different people towards a process and outcome where everyone is satisfied. I have also been able to learn to draw, paint, and work with different styles of art making for these different projects, as well as my personal work. Such styles include typography through Graffiti Writing and sketching. Also expressive, graphic, and realistic paintings with spray paint and brush in large and small scale works. I have also gone through preliminary sketching for mural projects. I believe that these art and social skill assets will help greatly in the development of this mural.

Hugo Alberto Zamorano
402-709-3428 hzamo45@yahoo.com
Education
2015 B.F.A in Studio Art
2010 Bryan Senior High School
Internships
2011 The Kent Bellows Studio, 3303 Leavenworth Street, Omaha, NE 68105
Apprenticeships
2015 A Midsummer’s Mural, Omaha, NE, 68107
Lectures and Panels
2013 Lecture, “Graffiti Art”, Northwest High School, Omaha, NE
2011 Panelist, “A Community Discussion with Lavie Raven: Urban Art in the Community”, Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts
2010 Panelist, Special Screening of BEAUTIFUL LOSERS (2008) with post-show panel on “The Value of the Youth Voice in Our Community”, Film Streams
Murals and Collections
2015 “Sieninis Paveikslas” Lithuanian Mural Project, A Midsummer’s Mural ,The Lithuanian Bakery at 5217 South 33rd Avenue
2014 “Community Visions” Kent Bellows Studio Collaboration, University of Nebraska at Omaha Community Engagement Center
2013 “Afterwards” 24” x 36”Oil on canvas, University of Nebraska at Omaha Community Engagement Center
2011 “Evolve” Key Stone Trail Mural, Collaboration with Lavie Raven and The Kent Bellows Studio, Omaha, NE
2011 No-So South Omaha Mural, 24th and N, Omaha, NE
2010 “R”, Together INC. Mural, Kent Bellows Student Program, Omaha, NE
2009 W. Dale Clark Library, Kent Bellows Student Program Omaha, NE
Exhibitions
Group Shows
2016 “sweetARTs”, RNG Gallery, Council Bluffs, IA
2015 Bachelor of Fine Arts Thesis, UNO Art Gallery, Omaha, NE
2015 “Bemis Auction”, Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts, Omaha, NE
2015 “Day of The Dead Show”, RNG Gallery, Council Bluffs, IA
2015 “Collective Impact: A Collaborative Painting Project”, Carver Bank, Omaha, NE
2014 “A Show About Process”, Yellow Porch Gallery, Omaha, NE
2012 “The Harvest”, The Kent Bellows Studio and Center for Visual Arts, Omaha, NE
2011 “Hard to Express” Bancroft Street Market, Omaha, NE
2011 “BLK Book: Omaha Street Art”, The New BLK Gallery, Omaha, NE
2010 “Bemis Auction”, Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts, Omaha, NE
Juried Shows
2015 “Latino/Latin American Artists: Exhibition & Conversations”, Bancroft Street Market, Omaha, NE
2013 Nebraska National Collegiate Juried Art Exhibition
2013 Juried UNO Art Student Exhibition
Curating
2015 “Latino/Latin American Artists: Exhibition and Conversations”, Bancroft Street Market, Omaha, NE
2010 “Hard To Express”, Bancroft Street Market, Omaha, NE