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Juanjose Rivas Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts Photo by Colin Conces49
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Sound Art + Experimental Music

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Jeremy Toussaint Baptiste LOW END Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts Photo by Daniel Muller

Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts launched its Sound Art + Experimental Music Program in May 2019 with generous support from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Embedded within Bemis Center’s renowned international Residency Program, this program offers a unique experience for artists working in sound, composition, voice, and experimental music.

Benefits

Time + Space
Community
Financial Support
Technical + Administrative Support

Facilities + Resources

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Live / Work Studios + Amenities

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Project + Installation Spaces

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Okada Sculpture & Ceramics Facility

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Sound Studio

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Clare Haas Howard Research Library

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Interns

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Community Partnerships

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Public Presentation

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Low End

LOW END is Bemis Center’s music venue and an integral part of the Sound Art + Experimental Music Program. The unique artist-designed space located in Bemis’s lower level includes custom seating, theatrical lighting, an anamorphic perspective stage, and industrial-grade audio equipment. LOW END features free live shows by local, national, and international sound artists, composers, and experimental musicians. These performances aim to not only build new audiences and a greater appreciation for nontraditional forms of music but also to liberate artists to take risks and present truly avant-garde work.

Graduate students participating in the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s design-build program, FACT (Fabrication and Construction Team), worked in close collaboration with Jeff Day, UNL professor and architect with Actual Architecture, artist and carpenter Sean Ward, musicians, sound engineers, mechanical experts, and Bemis staff to envision the new facilities for Bemis’s Sound Art + Experimental Music Program. Under the guidance of Day, the students designed and helped build the Program’s custom facilities including a recording and rehearsal studio and music venue, LOW END. Forthcoming amenities as part of this program include a green room for performers, a custom bar, and pre-event lounge.

LOW END
Design

Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts LOW END Performance Space Rendering by FACT

LOW END Performance Space Rendering by FACT

Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts LOW END Performance Stage Rendering by FACT small

Architectural rendering of the program’s dedicated performance space, LOW END, by FACT. The space accommodates approximately 250 guests for free performances by leading national and international sound artists, musicians, composers, and vocalists. Pictured here, the venue will offer a unique artist-designed space with custom seating, theatrical lighting, and an anamorphic perspective stage, along with professional-level sound equipment.

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ELIGIBILITY

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DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION

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ACCESSIBILITY

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OPPORTUNITIES AND EXPECTATIONS

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FEES

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APPLICATION REVIEW PROCESS

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Frequently Asked Questions

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Who is eligible to apply?

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I’m currently enrolled in an academic program, can I still attend the residency during semesters off?

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What is the stipend used for?

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How do international artists-in-residence get paid?

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What items are provided in my live/work studio?

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Is smoking allowed in my personal studio?

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May I bring my pets?

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Can my family stay with me?

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If I am selected for the residency invitation and am unable to attend, may I defer?

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What recreational or extracurricular activities are available?

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I don't see my question, how do I get more information?

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LOW END performances and Bemis Center's Sound Art + Experimental Music Program are made possible by:

LOW END performances are also supported, in part, by:

Trudy and Larry Lundquist

Additional support provided by New Music USA’s New Music Organizational Development Fund.

The LOW END venue is made possible, in part, by:

Mammel Foundation
Lisa and Tyler Owen
Annette and Paul Smith
Anonymous*


Special thanks to our partners:

Actual Architecture Company
AO*
Eyman Plumbing, Heating & Air
FACT (Fabrication And Construction Team), University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Harpo Foundation
Lund-Ross Constructors
Robert Peters Company
Security National Bank
Sean Ward
Robert Webber

GET MORE ART IN YOUR INBOX

Bemis Center for
Contemporary Arts

724 S. 12th Street
Omaha, NE 68102

402.341.7130
info@bemiscenter.org

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Thu 6 pm–8 pm
Fri 11 am–5 pm
Sat 11 am–5 pm
Sun 11 am–5 pm