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El Museo Latino
4701 South 25 Street Omaha, NE 68107
www.elmuseolatino.org
facebook:/elmuseolatino instagram:el_museolatino Twitter: ElMuseoLatino
Magdalena A. Garcia
Executive Director
mgarcia@elmuseolatino.org
+1 (402) 731-1137
Yes
Please see attached Team description with the information requested.
Please see attached Organizational Chart. The Board of Directors is the governing part of El Museo Latino. The Executive Director reports to the Board of Directors. The staff reports to the Executive Director.
El Museo Latino opened as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational organization on May 5, 1993, in the historic Livestock Exchange Building and operated as the first Latino art and history museum in Nebraska. In October of 1997, the museum moved and leased the North side of the building and shared the space with the Polish Home. In July of 1998 the museum purchased the current building. In 2000, El Museo Latino repaired and replaced the red-tile roof, installed an elevator, renovated the North restrooms making them wheel-chair accessible, and added an accessible ramp on the East side of the building from the alley door. In November of 2015, El Museo Latino placed the current building on the National Register of Historic Buildings. Ms. Garcia has served the Greater Omaha community for 29+ years as the founder and Executive Director of El Museo Latino.
Elevating the Tradition / Elevando la Tradición – El Museo Latino
13285724.0
9000000.0
Capital project
El Museo Latino’s Elevating the Tradition / Elevando la Tradición capital campaign will renovate, expand, and reconfigure the El Museo Latino (EML) museum located at 4701 S 25th Street in Omaha, built in 1898 and placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2015. This will meet rising cultural demands in the immediate community of South Omaha, the larger Omaha metropolitan area, and the Great Plains region. The current usable space in the museum is 18,000 sq. feet and the project will double its usable space to 39,000 sq. feet. The current space has received no significant updates except for minor repairs and ongoing facility maintenance since 2000 when the red tile roof was repaired and replaced, an elevator was installed, an accessible ramp to the Lower-Level entry in the back of the building and updated the north restrooms. El Museo Latino has presented and exhibited thousands of works of art, hundreds of installations, and countless hours of performances and community events in spaces that were modified only slightly from their original iteration in the 20th century when the property at 4701 S 25th Street was known as the Polish Home. This renovation and reconfiguration of EML will provide additional classroom spaces, an art library, artist studios, and dedicated collection storage and prep area. Other additions will be a family restroom, and accessible restrooms. The exterior, the historic building will be restored, point-tucked, waterproofed and energy efficient windows will be added. The outdoor green space will be regraded, drainage system installed, trees, shrubs, and flowers will be planted, and outdoor lighting will be added along with a performance area. The renovation and expansion will preserve the historic building which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 2015 and will create 4-8 new FT positions at the museum after the completion of the project. During the final design phase of the project, 4 positions will be filled at Alley Poyner Macchietto Architecture, 3-6 positions across the different areas of Engineering and the Construction phase will employ 90-100 construction jobs, in a variety of trades and project management.
El Museo Latino’s capital project is ready to start as soon as funds are secured. See attached TIMELINE.
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Fundamental Change (i.e., a proposal that will continue to elevate North or South Omaha's presence and perception within the region, significantly improving the lives of area residents through physical development) Long-Lasting Economic Growth (i.e., a proposal that will foster gainful employment opportunities and financial investment in the area, leading to the creation of generational wealth and widespread economic vitality in North and South Omaha) Transformational (i.e., a proposal that will help energize, recharge, or spur significant and favorable advancements in North or South Omaha's function or appearance)
Quality of Life (i.e., create or enhance natural spaces, mixed uses, parks, safety, etc.) Sustainable Community (i.e., create or enhance housing, services, education, civic uses, recreation, etc.)
Elevating the Tradition / Elevando la Tradición capital project will renovate, expand, and reconfigure the El Museo Latino (EML) museum at 4701 S 25th Street in Omaha, built in 1898 and placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2015. This will meet rising cultural demands in the immediate community of South Omaha, the larger Omaha metropolitan area, and the Great Plains region. The current usable space in the museum is 18,000 sq. feet and the project will double its usable to 39,000 sq. feet. The current space has received no significant updates except for minor repairs and ongoing facility maintenance since 1998. The project will also include repairs to the historic building while also making it more efficient with an update to all HVAC, electrical, and plumbing. Gallery spaces will receive updates, expansion, and environmental improvements. There will be additional classrooms, collections storage and prep areas, studio spaces, and a bilingual art library added. The courtyard used for community events will also receive updates to improve water drainage, mobility/accessibility, and security. There will be updates to the gift shop, kitchen, restrooms, and administrative offices to improve efficiency. This grant will go towards constructions costs. EML is the only Latino art museum within a 500-mile radius presenting a strong advantage for regional tourism which has led to a longstanding relationship with Omaha’s Convention & Visitor’s Bureau. EML is part of many tourists’ Nebraska experience and has been included in New York Times features. Nebraska benefits from the cultural value that EML adds as a diverse, inclusive, vibrant state with cultural touchpoints throughout. South Omaha has historically been home to Omaha's immigrant population who worked in the meat packing and railroad industries that dominated the socio-economic fabric of South Omaha through the 1960s and 1970s. Originally constructed in 1886, the two-story building served as the first site of South High School. From 1916 to 1930, the building served as South Central School, a primary school located in South Omaha. For six years after the school's closure, the building was known as the American Legion.. Starting in 1936 until 1998, the building was known as the Polish Home. In October of 1997, El Museo Latino shared the building with the Polish Home. In July of 1998, El Museo Latino purchased the building, and it became the museum’s permanent home. This project’s renovations will help to restore more of these historic community functions to South Omaha neighborhood by making El Museo Latino’s event space more available for community events and improving the quality of life for our South Omaha neighbors. The project will update, seal, and repair the historic building while making the building more energy efficient; it will create classroom spaces that better serve our youth and community; it will create dedicated areas for collection storage and prep area; will create studio spaces; will create a bilingual art library dedicated to Latin American arts; will update all the systems including HVAC, electrical and plumbing; and transform the courtyard space. This will help create sustainability for El Museo Latino’s operations for the future. The interior of the building will retain its rectangular, dual-winged shape with some of the areas re-designed and repurposed. The exterior of the building will remain red brick and limestone and will have the red brick restored and tuck-pointed. The interior will be restored to have a vintage but contemporary finish. The central courtyard facing west of the building will be resurfaced to slope water and drains away from the building and renovate to better utilize as an outdoor program space.
El Museo Latino is an extremely valuable and unique resource for the South Omaha community, in several ways. The most apparent is El Museo’s ability to support, foster, share, and preserve the works of local, regional and national artists. El Museo Latino does tremendous work, with limited resources, to provide those services and qualities to the surrounding community. This project will provide the space and tools El Museo Latino needs, to solidify its position as a beacon for the arts in our community and provide the means for the organization to extend its reach and expand its programing. There were several ideas and comments from the visioning workshops that touch on the arts in the community and the culture it provides, but the most direct connection was the identified opportunity to “Capitalize on the culture – arts, restaurants, culture”. South Omaha is tremendously fortunate to have such a deep and rich culture, that bolstering cultural centers like El Museo Latino, will provide a greater opportunity for that culture to be shared with the surrounding neighborhoods and the broader community. While the primary function of El Museo Latino is centered around the showcasing of works to its patrons, it also functions as a community gathering space. El Museo Latino already hosts diverse events in its current space, but that effort can be amplified after renovations are complete. The renovation plans include significant upgrades to El Museo’s community room, which will provide a welcoming and purposeful shared space for the community to utilize. The need for shared space was a reoccurring theme within the visioning workshop findings, which led to it being listed as a prioritized opportunity. While the community space will be used to host an array of activities, El Museo Latino will also have the opportunity to expand its arts education services within the newly developed classroom space. The contributors at the workshops expressed the need for expanded education around culture and the arts, for all age levels. The education programs that El Museo Latino provides, creates an opportunity to support community connectedness and positive mental health. Another significant benefit of these education activities is they also provide a safe and welcoming space for the youth of South Omaha.
This project aligns with the priorities of LB 1024 in a significant way, listed in Section 4, Subsection 3, of the bill. The alignment lies in the priority of funding economic recovery for organizations which were “disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 public health emergency”. El Museo Latino was impacted disproportionately, by both the slowdown of the overall economy, and the limited ability to receive patrons during the crisis. Providers of arts and culture were some of the hardest hit organizations because they rely on in-person attendance and community engagement to sustain operations. Both of those measurements of engagement were close to zero for El Museo Latino throughout the pandemic. El Museo Latino was able to sustain operation during COVID but sees this project as an opportunity to not only recover some of those losses but strengthen its position beyond what it was prior to the pandemic.
El Museo Latino anticipates the creation of up to 8 FTE museum positions once the renovation is complete. The wages for the museum positions are based on local and regional salary ranges and salary surveys such as the 2022 Nonprofit Association of the Midlands Salary Survey and the American Alliance of Museums Salary Survey for the Mountain Plains Region. The proposed temporary construction positions are based on Davis Bacon wages.
The museum will create and employ 4-8 FTE new positions.
Temporary Constructions Jobs will include: The final design phase of this project will help employ 4 positions at Alley Poyner Macchietto Architecture and 3-6 positions across the different areas of engineering. The construction phase of the project will employ 90-100 constructions jobs, in a variety of trades and project management.
The proposed museum positions at El Museo Latino are based on local and regional salary wage survey ranges and commensurate with experience. The proposed temporary construction positions are based on Davis Bacon wages.
The museum positions that will be added will align in providing immediate and ongoing opportunities for individuals, businesses, and contractors in the Qualified Census Tracts as the museum will post the open positions along with the requirements for the jobs. Some area might require speaking English and Spanish while other positions may require only English. The museum will also be able to provide residencies to local artists through the museum’s residency program which provides space and material support for the creation of works.
El Museo Latino’s capital project is transformational as it will help to energize and spur significant favorable advancements in South Omaha. The museum visitors will be welcomed with an updated and renovated space that will provide a better experience for our guests and will also help in creating a better perception of South Omaha. The renovated space will also make the corner of 25th and L Street much more beautiful as the historic building will be updated and preserved for future generations. The museum’s capital project will continue to diversify the economy and improve the local neighborhood. As the only Latino art and history museum in Nebraska that is located in South Omaha, the museum attracts visitors and tourism not only from immediate surrounding communities but from surrounding states. El Museo Latino is a destination point for tourists who visit Omaha and the Greater Omaha Area because the museum not only provides an opportunity to view Latino art and history exhibitions, but because the museum offers other cultural programs including traditional folklorico dance performances and shares the experience of a first voice museum speaking about our own history, traditions, and culture. El Museo Latino improves the local neighborhood with the existence of a cultural arts organization present within the Latino community and as part of the South Omaha community. With the completion of this capital project, El Museo Latino will continue to renovate, redevelop, restore, and improve the local South Omaha neighborhood at the corner of 25th and L Street. The building is on the National Register of Historic Places and is a part of Omaha history and should be a source of pride. Today more than ever, we need to value the arts. Art allows us to examine what it means to be human, to voice and express, and to bring people and ideas together. The arts create wellness in our day-to-day lives by helping us process our lives individually and allowing us to come together collectively. Art allows us to communicate from afar, generating positivity, appreciation and hope during COVID-19 and even more as we begin to recover in a “new normal” time. Art amplifies important voices and messages in times of social injustice and unrest. Art is an expression of what it means to be human. The arts let us feel, see, hear, touch and lets us express our humanity.
El Museo Latino’s capital project will create and increase the services provided in the arts, arts education, and civic uses of the space. With the creation of additional classroom spaces, an art library, and artist studio spaces, El Museo Latino will be able to increase its services at the museum by being able to serve more students at the same time and welcome additional visitors to the South Omaha area. The updated and increased classroom spaces will free the gallery space from being used as a classroom or dance space and provide the museum with the opportunity to rent some of the spaces and to generate income as well as have space available for community use. The quality of life will be increased and enhanced by the renovation and expansion of El Museo Latino. The updated and enhanced outdoor green space in South Omaha is a welcomed gathering place where visitors may enjoy outdoor arts programming such as outdoor concerts, performances, and films. The green space will also provide a space where guests can enjoy the outdoors landscape as they move indoors to visit the museum, participate in an educational program, attend a meeting or an event. The updating of the museum will also beautify the space and increase safety and security by installing outdoor lighting and provide areas for visitors to sit and relax. Additional trees will be planted which will provide shade in the courtyard as the space faces west. The updated indoor space will provide a better visitor experience. The enhanced outdoor space and renovated and expanded indoor space will also increase the demand for the use of indoor and outdoor space at El Museo Latino. There are many studies that indicate that the arts are a proven tool for stress reduction and well-being. “Making and viewing art has long-term effects and benefits like boosting our brain function and our immune systems as well as contributing positively to our mental and emotional health. Art helps us process trauma, express difficult feelings, and work through experiences.” (Artwork Archive). El Museo Latino offers visitors an opportunity to view the exhibitions and participate in art classes or workshops to experience the arts. Once completed, El Museo Latino’s capital project will have a fundamental change and impact to not only the museum but to the South Omaha area because it will elevate South Omaha’s presence and perception within the region. This and any improvements that can be made to update and renovate an area significantly improves the lives of area residents and the lives of visitors through the physical development and redevelopment. The investment in this project will also create a better and more positive experience for all who visit El Museo Latino and South Omaha and creating a better quality of life in our community.
Since 1993, El Museo Latino has focused on its mission to collect, exhibit, and interpret Latino arts of the Americas. El Museo Latino is committed strengthening the artistic and creative culture of the Greater Omaha Area through the presentation of Latino arts, by providing direct support to local artists, by increasing the visibility of Latino art forms, and by fostering an appreciation of art for the benefit of a diverse audience. El Museo Latino (EML) is the only museum of Latino culture in the 1,000-mile span between Chicago and Denver. Since opening in 1993, EML has served a critical role in the presentation and understanding of Latino arts, as an introduction to the South Omaha’s Latino community, and represents a cross-cultural bridge. EML is also the primary cultural institution in South Omaha where Latino poverty is a significant presence. We, provide opportunities for Omahan’s of Latino descent, as well as for non-Latinos in the Greater Omaha Area, to engage deeply and first-hand with Latino culture year-round from a first voice Latino Museum. Throughout the year and since 1993, El Museo Latino collaborates and partners with local organizations as well as with national and international organizations and museums. For example, internationally, El Museo Latino in collaboration with the Museo de Filatelia de Oaxaca, created an exhibition that included a diverse group of Omaha artists and artists from Oaxaca, Mexico. In addition, El Museo Latino formed a partnership with the Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes (INBA) (the National Institute of Fine Arts) in Mexico City. Nationally, the museum has presented original works from the collection of world-class museums and worked directly with arts organizations and artists from throughout the United States. Locally, El Museo Latino has worked with and partnered with local arts organizations such as the Omaha Symphony, Opera Omaha, Ballet Nebraska, as well South Omaha organizations such as South Omaha Boys Town. Through exhibitions of traditional and contemporary Latino art, public programs the museum addresses and explores critical issues for Latinos living in the United States such as immigration, equity, and diversity. Our community celebrations throughout the year highlight Latino traditions while at the same time sharing our cultural heritage with the Latino and non-Latino community throughout the Greater Omaha Area. We encourage all members of our community to become empowered participants in Latino culture and to gain an appreciation for Latino arts and culture. We also provide crucial support for our youth who wish to join the next generation of Latino artists through classes in the visual and performing arts with offerings as classes, workshops, residencies, internships, and performance opportunities. We are only able to achieve these results, however, because we recognize that a piece of our work is addressing the many factors that can inhibit creativity and participation in cultural life—including truancy, food insufficiency, and more. Members of our community know that, in addition to our artistic offerings, El Museo Latino provides a safe space for children coping with unsettled circumstances outside of school and we also partner with and make referrals to a strong network of social service providers as necessary. Our comprehensive approach to cultural participation works, a fact recognized by the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities when it honored El Museo Latino as one of the Top 50 museum programs for children in the United States. These intergenerational El Museo families are our proudest accomplishment because they understand that we will support them as they explore their Latino identity and construct a world in which art is an everyday presence in their lives. With El Museo Latino’s capital project, the museum’s offerings can expand to reach a broader community.
El Museo Latino measures the outcome of our programs, classes, and exhibitions, through a number of ways. A pre and post evaluation will be completed by instructors for placement in appropriate level of classes and for measuring progress results. Completion of arts project at the end of session and/or participation in final group presentation are a way to measure the progress of students participating and the success of the program. Additional metrics used by El Museo Latino include both quantitative measures (changes in attendance, demographic data) and qualitative measures (feedback from visitors, community leaders, and peers). Another primary metric for success is return visitorship over an inter-generational time span. For more than two decades, the museum has helped to raise the children in South Omaha, providing them with critical access to the arts and to Latino cultural heritage through exhibitions, classes, local artists, and community events. This capital project will improve our services in art education and outreach as a result of increasing the number of classrooms available. Currently, the museum has one dedicated classroom with a limited capacity of approximately 30 students. With the renovation and expansion of the building, the museum will have 4 additional classrooms. This capital project will also create new museum positions and job opportunities for our local community.
A pre and post evaluation will be completed by instructors for placement in appropriate level of classes and for measuring progress results. Completion of arts project at the end of session and/or participation in final group presentation are a way to measure the progress of students participating and the success of the program. Additional metrics used by El Museo Latino include both quantitative measures (changes in attendance, demographic data) and qualitative measures (feedback from visitors, community leaders, and peers). Another primary metric for success is return visitorship over an inter-generational time span. Outcomes for exhibitions are traditionally measured by in-person attendance numbers. And, although the museum field is still recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic, El Museo Latino has been conducting virtual tours and virtual arts programming that reach many persons throughout the U.S. and even internationally.
No
Yes
El Museo Latino partners with community organizations throughout the year with area nonprofits, arts organizations, and other community businesses and organizations. The museum partners with the Greater Omaha Visitors to welcome tourists and groups to visit South Omaha, to view the exhibitions currently on view at the museum, and to attend traditional folklorico dance performances at the museum. El Museo Latino is one of the fifteen (15) visitor attractions with a “blue dot marker” that the Greater Omaha Visitors Bureau promotes throughout the year with the Visit Omaha campaign. See attached map. In South Omaha, El Museo Latino partners with South Omaha businesses and nonprofit organizations to increase visibility and visitors to the South Omaha area. In the past, El Museo Latino has worked with many businesses and organizations. Most recently, El Museo Latino is working with the Latino Economic Development Council in promoting South Omaha and redeveloping and improving South Omaha.
Letters of support - attached from the Latino Economic Development Council
No
This project’s focus is the revitalization of the historic building that currently serves as the home of El Museo Latino, since 1997. Located at 4701 S 25th Street in Omaha, NE, the building was built in 1886, then rebuilt in 1940, and has served many purposes, including the original site of South High School and Polish Home Society. The property was officially added to the National Register of Historic Places in November 2015.
Within one or more QCTs
Attached you will find: Plans-Main Level and Lower Level; Detailed description; Renderings.; Documentation of site control (proof of ownership), and Environmental assessment.
Yes
Yes
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Yes
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Yes
No
Lund Ross Constructors has been selected as the general contractor for this project. There was not a public competitive bid, but they were evaluated on the merits of their previous project experience with historic structures, and their estimated fees and general requirements. Since Lund Ross was integrated into the project, they have collaborated with Alley Poyner, throughout the design process.
El Museo Latino is requesting the amount of $9,000,000 because it represents the gap of funding, needed to complete the project. El Museo Latino will receive $2,144,330 in shovel ready funds and has garnered pledges to make up the matching funds needed for the shovel ready grant. This project could start immediately with funding and would be an amazing starting point to showcase the revitalization of South Omaha. If we need to fundraise a large portion of the funding gap, then the project would be delayed until more gifts are pledged and cash received.
The construction costs for the project total $9,706,000, and construction won’t begin until we have those funds in-hand or pledged with a confirmed payment date. The funds provided through this grant would go directly into funding construction and would enable the project to be completed within the most optimal timeline, which is much faster than a timeline with a traditional fundraising process.
Yes
We are implementing two strategies to ensure financial sustainability. The first, is including appropriate amounts of operating and maintenance reserve funds. The operating reserve fund is based upon funding 3 years of the increase in operating costs from the current museum operations to the renovated museum. The maintenance reserve fund represents 5 years of facility expenses, estimated for operating the updated building.
Capital Pledges and Grants approved: 1. Jim Mammel $1,000,000 2. Mammel Foundation $500,000 3. Sherwood Foundation $600,000 4. Union Pacific Foundation $10,000 5. Robert and Karen Duncan $25,000 6. Security National Bank $7,500 7. Individual donors: $1,830 8. Shovel-Ready grant $2,144,330
El Museo Latino is in the process of preparing requests to submit to other Foundations and Individuals donors.
El Museo Latino needs at least 80% of the project funds committed before construction can begin. The 80% is also important and necessary as some foundation will not extend an application or accept an application for the capital project until at least 80% of the funds are raised and/or committed.
This project is not scalable up or down. The historic structure limits our ability to scale the building in any way. However, the education programming being expanded under this project, could result in scaling of education services at the museum and abroad.
No.
El Museo Latino has provided funding throughout the project since it began in 2019. There were no planning grants or other funding earmarked for the costs of the initial stages of the project. Below is a list of costs that El Museo Latino has incurred since the outset of the project. • $76,548 - Architectural and Design Services (APMA) • $9,490 – Plumbing Services, updates for COVID compliance • $74,384 – Updates to entrances and exits, for COVID compliance • $160,422 – Total Costs (Paid through current El Museo operational reserve)
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Additional Location Documents (see application for list) Data table of uses (breakdown of how the requested funds will be used for your proposal) Documentation of site control (proof of ownership, option, purchase contract, or long-term lease agreement) Environmental assessment of subject site. Is the property a brownfield site? Organizational Chart Plans and detailed descriptions, including pictures and a map of the site location/surrounding area Pro Forma Proposal Budget/Sources and Uses Schedule