Join us for the opening reception of the Omatopia group art show in the historic Joslyn Castle Carriage House Gallery during the July 16th Art Walk from 5-8 pm. The Joslyn Castle & Gardens green space will host an Urbanism Summit, welcoming local organizations to share information on sustainable living, alternative modes of transportation, historic preservation, and beyond at our Art Walk vendor fair.
UNL College of Architecture’s FACT Studio and Partners for Livable Omaha will present work from OurStory Small Houses, an ongoing project exploring how Omaha can build smaller, more flexible, and more attainable homes within existing neighborhoods.
The work imagines a future city shaped by gentle density, aging-ready design, energy efficiency, and beautiful everyday landscapes. The landscape plan shows how two small homes, under construction now in Omaha's Benson neighborhood, can share a modest urban lot with native planting, accessible paths, privacy elements, and low-maintenance outdoor spaces.
The toy houses invite visitors to see housing as a kit of possibilities, including standalone small homes, backyard cottages, and cottage-court clusters that can adapt to different households, neighborhoods, and stages of life.
Together, the pieces ask viewers to consider not just what Omaha will look like, but how it can become more livable, inclusive, and resilient.
Participating organizations include: Bike Walk Nebraska, Heartland Bike Share, SPARK, Preserve Omaha, Omaha By Design, Keep Omaha Beautiful, Omaha Streetcar, Strongtowns Omaha, Omaha Metro, FACT, Livable Omaha, We Make Omaha, Omaha Inland Port Authority, Canopy South, T.H.O.R., MAPA, South Omaha Mural Project and Vision Zero.
Schedule of events:
Live demos by the Omaha Urban Sketchers
The Abra Kebabra Food Truck will be on site for dinner bites
5pm Ambient Music by Jake McFee
6pm Mayor John Ewing will give remarks on his vision for the future of Omaha!
6:30pm – 7:30pm Free walking tour of the historic homes in the Castle & Cathedral District led by Shelley McCafferty of Preserve Omaha