Riverside Chats

Uhlenbrock is native of Omaha, and her passion for nail art began when her grandmother taught her how to file her nails while they watched the wheel of fortune.   

This instilled a passion for nail art, and she currently owns and operates Just Imagine Nails.   

Her work was also featured in the exhibition Opulence: Performative Wealth and the Failed American Dream, which showed at the Bemis Center for the arts in 2023.

Biga grew up in Omaha and received his bachelor's in journalism from the university of Nebraska Omaha.

He is a freelance cultural journalist and non-fiction author, and his work has been recognized by the Omaha Press Club, the Nebraska Press Association and the American Jewish Press Association. He is the author of the books "Alexander Payne: His Journey in Film" and "Crossing Bridges: A Priest's Uplifting Life Among the Downtrodden

My guest today is RIKÉ, a singer songwriter based out of Omaha. His music is influenced by R & B, Rap, and Pop. He also works in public health and is passionate about community advocacy.

His artistry and advocacy culminated in 2022 when he created Tilt, an annual arts showcase aimed at providing an inclusive platform for artists in Omaha.

Ramos grew up in Bellevue and is the associate professor in the Department of Health Promotion of the UNMC College of Public Health and is also involved in the School of Public Health's Center for Reducing Health Disparities.

Her research interests have an emphasis on Intercultural communication, cultural competency, and coalition-building, and she was given UNMC’s distinguished scientist award in 2025. 

Benjamin grew up on the irrigation ditches on the 100th meridian.

She received her Bachelors in Arts from Hastings College in 2001 and worked as a studio assistant for Jun Kaneko until 2006. In 2008, I received my M.F.A from Bowling Green State University, Ohio.

Benjamin fuses water drought data with monumental, scaled ceramics, and her work has been featured  at the Joslyn Art Museum, Museum of Nebraska Art, the Great Plains Art Museum, and private galleries in the Midwest. In 2013, the Nebraska Arts Council awarded me an Individual Artist Fellowship Grant. My artwork has been published in Ceramics Monthly, Clay Times, NY Arts Magazine, Lark Crafts: The Best of 500 Ceramics, 500 Ceramic Sculptures, and in Sculpture Magazine.

My guest today is Khenda Mustafa. 

Mustafa was born in Iraq and grew up in Texas. She attended the University of Nebraska Lincoln, where she studied global studies. She is the director of community engagement at CIRA, the center for immigrant & refugee advance in Omaha. 

CIRA (Center for Immigrant & Refugee Advancement) in Omaha is a nonprofit organization formed in 2022 by the merger of Immigrant Legal Center and Refugee Empowerment Center. It provides comprehensive legal representation, resettlement, and social work services to immigrants and refugees in Nebraska and Southwest Iowa. CIRA focuses on family/humanitarian immigration and supports, including services for unaccompanied children.

My guest today is Khenda Mustafa. 

Mustafa was born in Iraq and grew up in Texas. She attended the University of Nebraska Lincoln, where she studied global studies. She is the director of community engagement at CIRA, the center for immigrant & refugee advance in Omaha. 

CIRA (Center for Immigrant & Refugee Advancement) in Omaha is a nonprofit organization formed in 2022 by the merger of Immigrant Legal Center and Refugee Empowerment Center. It provides comprehensive legal representation, resettlement, and social work services to immigrants and refugees in Nebraska and Southwest Iowa. CIRA focuses on family/humanitarian immigration and supports, including services for unaccompanied children.

My guest today is Khenda Mustafa. 

Mustafa was born in Iraq and grew up in Texas. She attended the University of Nebraska Lincoln, where she studied global studies. She is the director of community engagement at CIRA, the center for immigrant & refugee advance in Omaha. 

CIRA (Center for Immigrant & Refugee Advancement) in Omaha is a nonprofit organization formed in 2022 by the merger of Immigrant Legal Center and Refugee Empowerment Center. It provides comprehensive legal representation, resettlement, and social work services to immigrants and refugees in Nebraska and Southwest Iowa. CIRA focuses on family/humanitarian immigration and supports, including services for unaccompanied children.

My guest today is Khenda Mustafa. 

Mustafa was born in Iraq and grew up in Texas. She attended the University of Nebraska Lincoln, where she studied global studies. She is the director of community engagement at CIRA, the center for immigrant & refugee advance in Omaha. 

CIRA (Center for Immigrant & Refugee Advancement) in Omaha is a nonprofit organization formed in 2022 by the merger of Immigrant Legal Center and Refugee Empowerment Center. It provides comprehensive legal representation, resettlement, and social work services to immigrants and refugees in Nebraska and Southwest Iowa. CIRA focuses on family/humanitarian immigration and supports, including services for unaccompanied children.

Jerde was born and raised on the high plains of northwestern South Dakota. She is the director of the Radio Talking Book Service, a nonprofit serving Nebraska and southwest Iowa with a mission to connect individuals who are blind, low vision, or print impaired to news, information, arts, and culture through the human voice and technology.  

Additionally, Jerde is a photographer whose work has been featured at the Des Moines Art Center and was named the “Outstanding Emerging Visual Artist” at the 2022 Omaha Entertainment and Arts Awards.