Ree Kaneko: The Visionary Who Helped Turn Omaha’s Old Market Into an Arts Destination

Before downtown Omaha became a destination for contemporary art, Ree Kaneko saw possibility in the vacant warehouses of the Old Market district.

Born and raised in Omaha’s Little Italy neighborhood, an immigrant community near the Old Market, Kaneko grew up close to the area that would later shape her work. She graduated from Omaha University, now known as University of Nebraska at Omaha, in 1968 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a focus on ceramics. She later spent time in New York before returning to Omaha in 1971.

Kaneko’s original surname was Schonlau, and many of her early projects were developed under the name Ree Schonlau. After returning to Omaha, she established art studios in vacant Old Market warehouses at a time when the district was largely industrial and not yet recognized as a cultural destination. She converted a 12,000-square-foot produce warehouse into studios and gallery space for artists and founded the Craftsmen’s Guild to support workshops and art education.

From 1971 to 1984, she founded and directed the Ree Schonlau Gallery while continuing her work as a studio artist and organizer. During that period, she also launched Omaha Brickworks  and, in 1981, created Alternative Worksite, an Artist-in-Industry program designed to connect artists with manufacturing environments and new materials. 

In 1986, Alternative Worksite evolved into the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts. Kaneko co-founded the organization with her husband, sculptor Jun Kaneko, along with Tony Hepburn and Lorne Faluk. The center developed into a nationally recognized nonprofit arts organization featuring exhibitions and a competitive artist residency program. Kaneko served as executive director until 2001.

The Bemis residency program became one of the most prominent artist residency programs in the United States, providing studio space, housing and stipends for visiting artists. Since its founding, the program has welcomed more than 1,000 artists from around the world and has played a significant role in expanding Omaha’s presence in the contemporary arts community. 

In 1998, the Ree and Jun Kaneko opened KANEKO: Open Space for Your Mind, transforming a former Plymouth dealership into a center for creativity, exhibitions, performances, and interdisciplinary conversations. Today, KANEKO spans three historic warehouse buildings in the Old Market.

Beyond founding arts organizations, Kaneko has served on several regional and national arts boards, including as a founding board member of the Alliance of Artist Communities in 1991, and as a member of Omaha Mayor’s Commission for Public Art and the Iowa Arts Council.

Since 2002, she has also served as administrative director of the Jun Kaneko Studio, overseeing exhibitions, commissions, publications, and international projects connected to Jun Kaneko’s sculpture practice. 

Kaneko remains active in Omaha’s arts community. She currently serves on the board of KANEKO and the Ree & Jun Kaneko Foundation and is chair emerita of the International Sculpture Center. 

Her work converting industrial spaces into artists studios and galleries helped contribute to the transformation of the Old Market district into a center for arts and culture in Omaha.