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UNO Art Gallery. Image property of UNO Gallery.

UNO Art Gallery. Image property of UNO Gallery.

By Gabriel Escalera

Professor Emerita Barbara Simco Helps Bring UNO Alumni Exhibition to Life

February 4th, 2025

After retiring from teaching painting and drawing at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, Barbara Simco remained deeply passionate about the arts. Simco noticed an unexpectedly low response when the UNO Art Gallery called for alumni submissions—an event not held on a regular schedule.

“The idea of an alumni show comes up occasionally, but it’s not on a set schedule,” Simco said.

Determined to increase participation, she turned to social media, contacting former students and personally inviting them to submit their work. She quickly caught their attention by directly messaging them and spreading the word. As more alumni responded, the number of submissions steadily grew.

“So I went through all my friends’ lists and reached out to former students,” Simco said. “That resulted in many more submissions.”

Thanks to her efforts, the exhibition became a vibrant celebration of UNO’s alumni, highlighting the creative legacy of the School of the Arts and demonstrating Simco’s lasting impact on the community.

Simco said she is excited to reconnect with former students and learn about their careers. She noted that this year’s show is particularly diverse, with no set theme—any type of work was welcome as long as alumni created it.

“It is an open-theme show, so we have a wide variety of two-dimensional work,” she said.

The Juried UNO Alumni Exhibition, the largest of its kind, features artists from the past five decades. It highlights exceptional talent while celebrating the strong sense of community that continues to define the School of the Arts.

“When I looked at the show, it was very gratifying,” Simco said.

The exhibition runs through Feb. 21, with a reception Friday at 5 p.m. More information is available at unomaha.edu.